Dancing England Rapper Tournament facts for kids

The Dancing England Rapper Tournament (DERT) is a big competition for rapper sword dancing. It's like a modern version of old dance contests held in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, where this special dance first started. Every year, teams of rapper sword dancers from all over the UK, and sometimes from other countries, gather for this exciting weekend event.

While winning is important, the social side of DERT is just as exciting! The main idea, both in the past and now, is for teams to practice hard and get really good at their dancing.

The Old Tournaments

The original big competition was called the Newcastle Tournament of Music and Art. It included a special contest for rapper sword dancing, for both adults and younger dancers. This event took place every year in famous places like the Newcastle City Hall. Later, it was known as the North of England Musical Tournament, starting in 1919. A composer named Alfred M Wall helped start it. This tournament continued until the early 1950s.

The event had many music and performance contests throughout the week. But everyone especially loved the Rapper competition on Saturday! Judges for the dance came from the English Folk Dance Society, which was a new group in London. It was started by Cecil Sharp, who collected folk songs and dances.

The small villages where rapper dancing began were known for being very close-knit and proud. They sent their best teams to compete. The City Hall would be full of people, and newspapers were ready to praise the winners. First, the junior teams danced, then some women's and girls' teams, and finally the men competed for a trophy, medals, and glory.

In those early days, newspapers like the Evening Chronicle and the Northern Echo would have huge headlines about the results. This brought fame and pride to the winning village. Other teams would copy the winners' dance steps, music, and moves. There was a lot of rivalry, and sometimes even fights were reported backstage!

DERT Today

The modern DERT competition started from an event called Dancing England. This event showcased traditional English dancing and was held in Derby from 1979 to 1987. A rapper competition, which became known as DERT, took place there before the main evening show. When Dancing England stopped, the rapper sword competition kept going under the name "DERT."

DERT travels to a different city in the UK each year. A different rapper team organizes it, with help from past organizers and the wider rapper dancing community. It's often an international competition, with teams from the UK, United States, China, Denmark, Canada, and Norway joining in. About 25 to 30 teams compete for prizes and bragging rights for the next year.

How the Competition Works

Teams are divided into three groups: Premier, Championship, and Open. Teams can move up or down a division depending on how well they dance. Musicians also compete for their own award, the Angela Lee Trophy. Even the funny "Tommy and Betty" characters, who are part of most sword dance teams, are judged!

The competition usually takes place in pubs in the host city. Teams dance in front of two judges. These judges score the teams on:

• How well they handle their swords.
• How well they work together as a team.
• Their dance steps.
• Their "buzz factor" – how exciting and energetic they are!

There's also a "Spotlight dance" in a quieter place, where four judges watch. Here, being super accurate and working perfectly as a team are very important. There's a "Traditional competition" where teams must perform a specific old dance. Older, experienced dancers can also compete for the Adrienne Moss Trophy.

DERT for Young Dancers

The future of rapper sword dancing is important to DERT. There's a special competition called DERTy just for younger dancers. It has "Youth" and "Junior" sections. These young dancers practice and then perform in front of judges too.

DERT ends with a big showcase event. All the teams dance on stage for each other, and all the prizes are given out. The overall winner of DERT receives the Steve Marris Trophy. This trophy honors Steve Marris, who made a huge difference to the rapper sword community. For many years, he was the only person in the UK who made rapper swords. Without him, this traditional dance might have disappeared!

Other Rapper Competitions

Another competition is the North East Rapper Championship. A folklorist named Peter Kennedy started it in 1949 to help bring back the old Newcastle Tournament. The first event was in Hexham, and a team called Royal Earsdon won. Royal Earsdon usually won this competition until it stopped in 1956.

This competition has also been brought back! In 2011, the Sallyport Sword Dancers won a new trophy. Other winners have included High Spen, Newcastle Kingsmen, and Star and Shadow. The competition has been held in places like Hexham, the Sage, and St Mary's in Gateshead. In January 2018, it was held in Newcastle. It took place in Earsdon village in 2019 and at The Old Coal Yard brewery in Byker in 2020. It has not happened since then.

Recent DERT Winners

The most recent DERT competitions were in Whitby in 2024, Rochdale in 2023, and Derby in 2022. The 2021 event was planned for Edinburgh but was cancelled because of the Coronavirus pandemic. The 2020 event in Lincoln was also cancelled for the same reason.

Here are the locations, dates, and winners of recent DERT competitions: