The Long Sword dance is a hilt-and-point sword dance

Sword dance

Sword dances are recorded from throughout world history. There are various traditions of solo and mock battle sword dances from Greece, the Middle East, Pakistan, India, China, Korea, England, Scotland and Japan...

 recorded mainly in Yorkshire

Yorkshire

Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. It is related to the rapper sword

Rapper sword

Rapper sword is a kind of sword dance associated with the North-East of England.-History:The rapper sword tradition was traditionally performed in the mining villages of the Northumberland and Durham coalfield in North East England, especially in Tyneside...

 dance of Northumbria, but the character is fundamentally different as it uses rigid metal or wooden swords, rather than the flexible spring steel rappers used by its northern relation.

Although Long Sword dances are found scattered all over Yorkshire, there are particular concentrations of dances in East Cleveland

Cleveland, England

Cleveland is an area in the north east of England. Its name means literally "cliff-land", referring to its hilly southern areas, which rise to nearly...

, the northern part of the North York Moors and around Sheffield

Sheffield

Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...

.

Long Sword dances vary in the way they are performed, with some being slow and militaristic, such as the Grenoside

Grenoside

Grenoside is a suburb of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England.-History:The name Grenoside is derived from the language of the Anglo-Saxons. The name Grenoside, which was first recorded in the thirteenth century as Gravenhou, is made up of the different elements. Gren from the Old English graefan...

 or performed with pace and speed like Handsworth

Handsworth, South Yorkshire

Handsworth is a suburb of south eastern Sheffield, in South Yorkshire, England. Handsworth has a population of approximately 15,000. It covers an overall area of approximately...

 dances from near Sheffield. Others have different features including variations of numbers of dancers and distinctive movements.

Unlike many traditional dances in England, which are mainly performed by revival teams, Long Sword dances are often still performed by their own village teams, such as Grenoside Sword Dancers, the Goathland Plough Stots and Flamborough Sword Dancers. These teams generally maintain the traditions of their dances, such as traditional performances on Boxing Day

Boxing Day

Boxing Day is a bank or public holiday that occurs on 26 December, or the first or second weekday after Christmas Day, depending on national or regional laws. It is observed in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and some other Commonwealth nations. In Ireland, it is recognized as...

 or Plough Monday

Plough Monday

Plough Monday is the traditional start of the English agricultural year. While local practices may vary, Plough Monday is generally the first Monday after Twelfth Day , 6 January. References to Plough Monday date back to the late 15th century...

.

The International Sword Spectacular took place in Whitby

Whitby

Whitby is a seaside town, port and civil parish in the Scarborough borough of North Yorkshire, England. Situated on the east coast of Yorkshire at the mouth of the River Esk, Whitby has a combined maritime, mineral and tourist heritage, and is home to the ruins of Whitby Abbey where Caedmon, the...

, England in May 2004 and was held again in York in May 2008.

External links

• International Sword Spectacular 2004
• World Millennium Sword Spectacular
• Grenoside Sword Dancers
• Newcastle Kingsmen
• Kirkburton Rapier
• Spen Valley Longsword
• Bishop Gundulf's Morris
• Lingdale Primrose – archive photos, press cuttings and other material
• Star Of Swords Sword Dance