page_title: Rapper sword
section_title: Costume
hierarchical_section_title: Rapper sword / Costume
caption_attribution_description: English: Royal Earsdon sword dancers in 1910 The Royal Earsdon sword dances, from the village of Earsdon, Northumberland (although now in North Tyneside), England, in around 1910.
context_page_description: Rapper sword is a variation of sword dance that emerged from the pit villages of Tyneside in North East England, where miners first performed the tradition.
  The dance requires five performers who co-ordinate themselves whilst using "rapper swords" made from flexible steel. Accompanied by traditional folk music, the dancers wear specially-designed shoes that allow for percussive foot movements. Mental alertness, in addition to physical agility, is required in order for dance participants to use the swords effectively without causing harm to themselves or the other performers.
context_section_description: The costume in which the dance is usually performed, referred to as the kit, is a stylised version of the working clothes of the local nineteenth century coal miner (see photograph, left). It consists of shirt; sash; breeks (breeches), hoggers (similar to breeks but shorter), or long trousers; and socks or stockings. Some traditional teams decorated their kit with ribbons or rosettes, and added a tie and/or waistcoat.
  Modern teams use a variety of kits, mostly based on the traditional costume, with each team using different combinations of colours to try to have a unique corporate image. Some other modern sides, especially women's sides, use very different kits.
caption: The Royal Earsdon sword dancers in 1910
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