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A forecast of more snow and cold temperatures tomorrow along with lots of subway changes, so very glad I have the day off to sit and veg.
Saw English Sword Dancing today for the first time. Never heard of it before. Did not know what to expect. Below are vids of two of the four groups that we saw perform.
According to this website - which provided the most information to date, this is a folk dance tradition that dates back to medieval times and is traditionally performed by men and normally on Plough Monday - January 12, after Christmas.
The ceremony begins with the dancers walking round in a circle, in some versions clashing their swords together. Then they place the sword over the shoulder and each man grasps the point of the sword in front of him with one hand, while keeping hold of his own hilt with the other hand. Next the swords are lowered to waist-level, so that the dancers form a ring, linked with hilt and point by their weapons. This link is normally maintained throughout the dance.
Always maintaining their grip on their own and their neighbor’s swords, the dancers then perform a series of complicated figures– each following the other, they jump over and pass under the weapons, either singly or in pairs, so that the whole set turns itself inside-out and right-way-about many times. As a culmination, the swords are ingeniously woven togher into a pentagonal, hexagonal or octagonal star (variously called the Lock, Rose, Knot or Nut) which is held aloft for display.
There's the Long-sword and the Rappier. And it originated in North-Eastern England -Northumberland and Yorkshire.
Linked sword dancing got its name because of the metal or wooden swords wielded by the dancers. In most situations, teams of four, six, or eight men link the swords together in the middle of a circle and perform a series of twirling figures about the central point. The dances often end with all of the swords formed together into a ‘knot’ or ‘rose’ and held aloft by the team captain. Traditionally, linked swords dances are performed in the Christmas season, especially on Boxing Day, though some teams now perform year round.
Like almost all English folk dancers, linked sword dancers tend to wear striking and colourful outfits. These vary from baggy trousers and shirts to highly ornate military style uniforms. Often joining the dancers are a pair of associated characters known as a Tommy and a Betsey. (Both are played by males).
Another common feature of the linked sword dance is the ritual decapitation of the team leader. This move, which usually consists of the loss of the hat by the team leader is supposed to represent the sacrifice of a leader for the good of a community. The leader invariably regains his head and returns to life later in the dance. This tradition may have links to older myths such as the Green man, or Green Knight as seen in the story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, who would have his head chopped off only to replace it on his head. It may relate to the death and rebirth of the natural world with the changing of the seasons.
Read more at Suite101: The Linked Sword Dance: An English Folk Dance Tradition http://www.suite101.com/content/the-linked-sword-dance-a60927#ixzz1EZDTUqS9
This group was the most entertaining:
( other groups that I saw )
Saw English Sword Dancing today for the first time. Never heard of it before. Did not know what to expect. Below are vids of two of the four groups that we saw perform.
According to this website - which provided the most information to date, this is a folk dance tradition that dates back to medieval times and is traditionally performed by men and normally on Plough Monday - January 12, after Christmas.
The ceremony begins with the dancers walking round in a circle, in some versions clashing their swords together. Then they place the sword over the shoulder and each man grasps the point of the sword in front of him with one hand, while keeping hold of his own hilt with the other hand. Next the swords are lowered to waist-level, so that the dancers form a ring, linked with hilt and point by their weapons. This link is normally maintained throughout the dance.
Always maintaining their grip on their own and their neighbor’s swords, the dancers then perform a series of complicated figures– each following the other, they jump over and pass under the weapons, either singly or in pairs, so that the whole set turns itself inside-out and right-way-about many times. As a culmination, the swords are ingeniously woven togher into a pentagonal, hexagonal or octagonal star (variously called the Lock, Rose, Knot or Nut) which is held aloft for display.
There's the Long-sword and the Rappier. And it originated in North-Eastern England -Northumberland and Yorkshire.
Linked sword dancing got its name because of the metal or wooden swords wielded by the dancers. In most situations, teams of four, six, or eight men link the swords together in the middle of a circle and perform a series of twirling figures about the central point. The dances often end with all of the swords formed together into a ‘knot’ or ‘rose’ and held aloft by the team captain. Traditionally, linked swords dances are performed in the Christmas season, especially on Boxing Day, though some teams now perform year round.
Like almost all English folk dancers, linked sword dancers tend to wear striking and colourful outfits. These vary from baggy trousers and shirts to highly ornate military style uniforms. Often joining the dancers are a pair of associated characters known as a Tommy and a Betsey. (Both are played by males).
Another common feature of the linked sword dance is the ritual decapitation of the team leader. This move, which usually consists of the loss of the hat by the team leader is supposed to represent the sacrifice of a leader for the good of a community. The leader invariably regains his head and returns to life later in the dance. This tradition may have links to older myths such as the Green man, or Green Knight as seen in the story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, who would have his head chopped off only to replace it on his head. It may relate to the death and rebirth of the natural world with the changing of the seasons.
Read more at Suite101: The Linked Sword Dance: An English Folk Dance Tradition http://www.suite101.com/content/the-linked-sword-dance-a60927#ixzz1EZDTUqS9
This group was the most entertaining:
( other groups that I saw )