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The Rapper Sword tradition
(which has no
connection with rapping in the sense of rap music) was traditionally
performed in the mining villages of the Northumberland and Durham
coalfield in North East England, especially in Tyneside. The dance
involves five people (often accompanied by two Tommy and Betty
characters) connected by short, two-handled, flexible swords (called
rappers) forming an unbroken chain. The dance is related to the Long
Sword dance of Yorkshire, as well as other sword dances in Europe.
The dance is a fairly rapid
one, performed at around 100-160 beats per minute, with different team
styles using different rates. It should nonetheless be performed in a
smooth and graceful manner, with one figure flowing seamlessly into the
next. A number of acrobatic figures can be employed, including forward
and backward somersaults over swords held at waist height. It is beyond
reasonable dispute that rapper is the most exciting of England's
traditional dances to watch.
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