New York Sword Dance Festival
Bring the family for an exciting mid-winter celebration all the way from the heart of England! The 38th annual New York Sword Dance Festival features dances based on customs from the farming and coal-mining regions of northern England, where the annual visit of the local sword dancers to the village homes was thought to guarantee good luck for the year.
The Festival will feature both mystical, stately long sword and vigorous rapper sword dancing, with live music on fiddle, accordion, and other instruments. In both types of sword dance, the dancers are linked in a ring by the “swords” they hold in their hands while they work as a team to weave intricate figures and patterns without breaking the circle. The dances are thought to have roots in ancient rituals, traces of which can still be seen in these present-day displays of skill. For more information, visit halfmoonsword.org
Cutting Edge Sword from Washington D.C. Photo by Jeff Bary
Bring the family for an exciting mid-winter celebration all the way from the heart of England! The 38th annual New York Sword Dance Festival features dances based on customs from the farming and coal-mining regions of northern England, where the annual visit of the local sword dancers to the village homes was thought to guarantee good luck for the year.
The Festival will feature both mystical, stately long sword and vigorous rapper sword dancing, with live music on fiddle, accordion, and other instruments. In both types of sword dance, the dancers are linked in a ring by the “swords” they hold in their hands while they work as a team to weave intricate figures and patterns without breaking the circle. The dances are thought to have roots in ancient rituals, traces of which can still be seen in these present-day displays of skill. For more information, visit halfmoonsword.org
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