When most people hear the phrase American rapper, I expect they think of Snoop Dogg, Tupac or Dr Dre (insert more up-to-date popular music references here; as a late-30s white man, this is all I have when it comes to hip-hop).
But to a whole swath of folkies, me included, the term instead conjures bendy swords, tappity-stepping and backward tumbles, but performed by people with a different accent. I am of course talking about rapper sword dancing, rather than rapper of the East-West Coast 1990s hip-hip rivalry variety (I had to look this up).
Next weekend (2 November) sees the Dancing America Rapper Tournament (DART) arrive in Cambridge, MA. So in our second American-themed article in recent weeks, we thought we’d take a metaphorical trip across the pond (unfortunately the Tradfolk budget didn’t stretch to an actual trans-Atlantic flight, so we had to opt for Google docs) and speak to the organisers about rapper dancing in the US and this year’s competition.
But first, a bit of background for anyone who hasn’t read our articles about DART’s older, English cousin, DERT (I’ll leave you to work out the acronym), which was held in Whitby earlier this year and in Rochdale in 2023…
What is rapper dancing?
Rapper dancing is a type of hilt-and-point sword dance from the coal mines of County Durham and Northumberland. It involves five dancers performing a number of intricate figures using flexible, double-handled ‘rapper’ swords. Dancers wear hard-soled shoes to tap out percussive stepping, accompanied by traditional folk music.
You can expect to see lots of twisty figures, fast stepping and even backward somersaults during a performance. There are also characters known as the ‘Tommy’ and/or ‘Betty’ who explain what’s happening to the audience and make bad gags about losing limbs.
So with the pleasantries out of the way, let’s chat to Tom Kruskal and Kem Stewart, organisers of DART 2024.
Thanks for chatting with Tradfolk. So firstly, how did DART come to be? What inspired its creation in the U.S.?
Tom: I was at DERT in England talking to Phil Heaton about rapper in America and we were thinking about trying to have a DERT in the US. Later discussions made it clear that few English teams would come but I decided to try and do a similar event to DERT for US teams, which we made happen in Boston in 2010. DART is officially run by Great Meadows Morris and Sword but organised in different years by different teams. We have had DARTs in Toronto, Washington DC, Baltimore, Amherst MA, Boston/Cambridge/Somerville.
Many Boston-area pubs are owned by Irish immigrants who are not necessarily that excited about featuring an English tradition!
How does DART differ from its UK counterpart, DERT? Are there any unique elements to the American version?
Kem: DART is smaller than DERT – we’ve had as few as 6 teams and as many as 16, with 12 being a typical number, vs 20-30 for DERT. We use four pubs for the competition, vs five or six for DERT. We only have one division, not three or four as at DERT and we don’t have a traditional division.
Tom: We made a decision to de-emphasise the competitive aspect of the event and expand the community-building aspect with workshops, figure swaps, social dances and feasts.
Kem: It’s still competitive – but we don’t post the scores. We return the ballots to the teams so they can read what we hope are extensive and constructive comments by the judges. English rapper strongly emphasizes execution quality; speed, precision, stepping, etc. US rapper teams are sometimes more interested in novelty, and don’t always polish their music, stepping, or sword-handling to English standards. Many US rapper teams are less experienced than most UK rapper teams, and don’t practice as regularly. When UK teams compete at DART, they are almost impossible to beat.
Each DART typically has a theme that teams may attempt to work into their music, kit, calling-on song or other shtick, dance choreography, or ceremonial judge’s bribe.
What challenges did you face in organising an event like DART in the U.S., where traditional English folk dance is perhaps less well-known?
Tom: It’s been more difficult to convince American pubs to let us dance, but with effort we have found enough.
Kem: Even in Boston, the most European of US cities (an Icelandic tourist once told me “it’s just like London, but one-tenth the size”) the pub culture is not as strong as in the UK, and TV screens displaying college or pro-sports are common, as is recorded music. Many Boston-area pubs are owned by Irish immigrants who are not necessarily that excited about featuring an English tradition! Some think rapper drives away their regular customers for the afternoon, so they end up losing business, despite what the teams and their fans spend at the bar. Others are happy to give it a go after taking a quick peek at a YouTube video.
Otherwise, we really haven’t had many special challenges – folks have been interested and supportive once we showed them what rapper sword was. Rarely if ever has a pub regretted hosting DART.
This doesn’t sound very different to the UK, where plenty of English barman are unfortunately not that keen on English traditions either! How has rapper dance evolved since its introduction to the U.S.? Has it been gaining popularity, and how do you attract new dancers?
Tom: Rapper was first done here at workshops and camps like Pinewoods camp run by the Country Dance and Song Society (CDSS). In the 70s and 80s with the baby boom explosion, morris and sword teams formed all across the country to perform these dances in public spaces.
Early enthusiasts like Jim Morrison, Tom Kruskal, Roger Cartwright, John Dexter, etc travelled to England and came back to the US ready to take morris and sword out of the workshops and onto the streets (and pubs). Boston area teams like Longwood Rapper and The Black Jokers, composed primarily of middle-aged men, were notable in the 1970s-1990s. Since then many teams have been composed chiefly of high-school or college students, or recent graduates.
So rapper is fairly well established over there then. Have these been many new teams formed, or is there still a few steady sides?
Tom: I will plug my own team – Great Meadows Morris and Sword – which started in 1999 with teenagers dancing rapper (and morris) and continues to this day. Over the years many of these dancers have continued on, joining existing teams or starting new ones. GMMS teams have gone to DERT over the years such as Candyrapper, Beside the Point, Velocirapper, Pocket Flyers, Dapper Rapper etc.
Kem: Like everywhere, teams wax and wane. Bubblerapper, a local kids team of mostly high-school girls, shined brightly for just a few years – winning DART twice – then suddenly disappeared. Kraken’ Rapper came out of nowhere to win DART last year with DERT-quality execution. Candyrapper during 2009-2011 were very English-like in their styling and execution, and very sharp – but never won DERT or DART if I remember correctly.
How does the American audience typically respond to rapper dance, especially those unfamiliar with it?
Tom: It’s easy for Americans to love rapper – they don’t need to understand anything to enjoy its fast-paced entertainment value!
Another similarity to the UK, then. In my experience no other folk dance gets a reaction like rapper does in a pub late at night What are the key categories and awards at DART, and how are teams judged?
Tom: At each of four pubs we have two judges, each judging three of the six elements. DART only has one division, (versus DERT’s Premier, Reserve, Open, and Youth divisions).
We award a trophy to the first-place team, which they keep for the year, as does DERT. Besides announcing first/second/third place based on scores (which as I mentioned are never posted–each team sees only their own), we generally mention which team had the best music, best stepping, best fool, best calling-on song, best use of the competition’s theme, best recovery from a dropped sword, best judges’ bribe, and any other ad hoc special mentions we can think of.
Is there a focus on any specific regional traditions or styles within the competition? What about the Tommy and Betty – do they tend to make an appearance in American rapper?
Tom: US teams do dances of their own devising – some of the dances use quite untraditional choreography, music, or stepping that would not go over well at DERT.
Characters and calling-on songs are much less common among US rapper teams. Notable exceptions are Half Moon’s “foolish” dances which are more like funny skits than the traditional use of characters.
Kem: When we do see tommys/bettys/fools or hear calling-on songs they are well-received by the judges and audience, partly due to their relative rarity.
What are your pubs like for dancing in?
Kem: Sometimes the pub is packed and the atmosphere is raucous. Sometimes the pub sticks us in a back room so we don’t disturb the regulars who are watching a football or hockey game on TV, or has a restaurant-like atmosphere and won’t have us at all. Sometimes we dance on the sidewalk or a roof deck and hope it doesn’t rain. Passers-by or regular pub patrons invariably find it interesting, however. UK teams are used to dancing in tighter spaces – sometimes American teams struggle in cramped settings.
What does the future of DART look like? Do you think we’ll ever see a trans-Atlantic DE&ART?!
Tom: US teams value a yearly chance to get together and see each other dance and, yes, some enjoy competing. DART will continue. DARTs in metro-Boston get the biggest attendance since there are more rapper teams and dancers in the Boston area than anywhere else.
Other than attending each other’s events, nothing else is planned. We had three English teams come to the first DART and two are coming this year (Silver Flame of Bristol and Tower Ravens (winners of our Folk Dance Performance of the Year 2023 competition) from London).
What advice would you give to a budding rapper team in the U.S. looking to compete in DART?
Tom: Don’t be shy! Teams can come on a non-compete basis and just receive comments. Coming to DART is a chance to motivate your team to work on and perfect its dance, and you’ll have a great time.
