Hilt-and-point sword dances are, or were, performed all over Europe. These are particularly concentrated in an area corresponding to the boundaries of the
Holy Roman Empire at around 1400–1500, and many of these traditional dances are still performed in England,
Czech Republic,
Germany,
Austria, North Italy,
France,
Flanders, and the
Iberian Peninsula, with a particular concentration in
Basque Country,
Galicia and
Andalusia.
Sword dances are also performed by
Albanians, both in the
Balkans and in
Italy. Into the late 1400s Albanian sword dances were imitated by Italian
tarantellas. Sword dances performed by the
guilds of Smiths and Cutlers in
Nuremberg are recorded from 1350. 16th century records of sword dances survive from all over Germany. Depictions of dances survive from
Zürich (1578) and
Nuremberg (1600). In Scotland a dance was recorded as being performed in 1285, but this was found in a document from 1440. An important concentration of traditional sword dances can be found on the Italian side of the western Alps. Main sites are
Giaglione,
Venaus and S. Giorio in the
Susa valley, where the so-called "
Spadonari" (sword-holders) dance is still performed between the end of January and the beginning of February. This dance is also connected with the rebirth of nature and vegetation. In
Romania, in a dance called
Căluș, a sword dance similar to a Morris Dance, is part of a more complex ritualistic dance involving elements of fertility ritual and horse worship. Hilt-and-point sword dances traditional to England include
rapper sword and
long sword, although both of these are now also performed by revival teams outside their traditional areas, including teams in most of the English-speaking world.
Rattle Up My Boys (RUMB) is a UK print journal for those with an interest in sword dance. Established in 1987 by founding editor Trevor Stone, it covers news, interviews, features, and reviews on Longsword, rapper sword and other forms of European and world sword dance. The journal has clocked up over 130 editions. It is published quarterly in the UK and is available via subscription. In 1980 Trevor Stone wrote and self-published a book on the origins of traditional
Yorkshire longsword dancing, also called "Rattle Up, My Boys". English sword dancing has also been brought to the New World, initially as part of the "
morris revival" of the 1970s and 1980s. Teams are now extant in most major metropolitan areas in North America. The
New York City Sword Ale is an annual gathering over
Presidents' Day weekend that brings together over a dozen sword teams form the east coast and around the world. The
Rugova war dance ( or
Loja Luftarake e Rugovës) is a traditional
Albanian war dance named after the
Rugova region in
Kosovo. The dance is considered a relic of the
war dances (), the remnants of pantomimic dances performed in the re-enactment or preparation of battles.). ==Gallery==