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What is rapper? |
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Rapper is a type of team dancing specific to the north of England. Originating in the coal mines of the Sheffield area, rapper arose in the nineteenth century out of an expression of solidarity and competition among neighboring village coal miners. Although it practically died out in the twentieth century, folklorists have sought out surviving original teams and reintroduced rapper at festival and folklore camps in the U.K. and U.S. Candyrapper is among the small but vibrant youth rapper community in the Boston area, which has been promoted and taught since the 1970's by our mentor and friend, Tom Kruskal.
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Rapper is performed by five dancers at a time, each holding a double-handled flexible steel sword. It is done to jig music (6/8 time). Each dance consists of a number of figures in which the dancers weave intricate patterns around each other, without ever letting go of the swords. Part of the appeal of rapper to teenagers is the lively speed of the dance, the complexity and intricacies of the figures, and the opportunity to make up new figures. (Plus - let's just admit it - it looks cool.)
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People who have never seen rapper before always find it amazing to watch. If you are one of those people, get yourself to one of our performances and prepare to be entertained! (Our audiences also find us entertaining even when we're not dancing.) Other interesting and informative links about rapper: http://www.rapper.org.uk/history.html
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The animated picture above shows Candyrapper performing its show dance, a mix of Appalachian clogging and rapper, on the deck of the replica of the 1755 H.M.S. Endeavour in Whitby, U.K., May 2004. |
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