Dancing England Rapper Tournament facts for kids

The Dancing England Rapper Tournament (DERT) is a big yearly competition for rapper sword dancing. This exciting event brings together dance teams from all over the UK. Sometimes, teams from other countries also join in. It's a modern version of old dance contests. These original contests happened in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. That area was where this special dance first started.

DERT is not just about winning. It's also a great chance for dancers to meet. They can share their skills and make new friends. The main goal of the tournament is to help teams practice hard. It helps them get better at their amazing dance moves.

History of Rapper Dance Competitions

Long ago, there was a big event called the Newcastle Tournament of Music and Art. It included a special competition for rapper sword dancing. This competition was for both younger and older dancers. It took place every year in important places like the Newcastle City Hall. Later, this event was known as the North of England Musical Tournament. It started in 1919. A famous musician from Newcastle, Alfred M Wall, helped create it. This tournament continued until the early 1950s.

The event had many different music and performance contests. These happened over a whole week. But the rapper competition on Saturday was the most popular. Many people came to watch it. Judges for the dance came from the English Folk Dance Society in London. This group was started by Cecil Sharp, who collected folk songs and dances.

The small mining villages where rapper dance began were very close-knit. They were also very proud and independent. These villages sent their best dance teams to compete. The City Hall was always full of cheering fans. Newspapers would celebrate the winners. First, younger dancers competed. Then, some women's and girls' teams danced. Finally, the men competed for the Cowen Trophy, medals, and glory.

In the early days, newspapers like the Evening Chronicle shared the results. They made the winning villages famous and proud. Other teams would try to copy the winners. They would learn new dance steps, songs, and moves. There was a lot of rivalry. Sometimes, there were even reports of arguments backstage.

The Modern DERT Competition Today

The modern DERT competition started from an event called Dancing England. This event showed traditional English dancing. It happened in Derby from 1979 to 1987. A rapper competition, called DERT, was held before the main evening show.

After Dancing England ended, the rapper sword competition kept going. It kept the name "DERT."

This competition now travels to different cities each year. A different rapper team organizes it every time. They get help from past DERT organizers. The wider rapper dance community also helps. DERT is often an international competition. Teams from the UK, United States, China, Denmark, Canada, and Norway have competed. About 25 to 30 teams compete for prizes. They also compete for the bragging rights for the next year.

Teams are placed into three groups: Premier, Championship, and Open. Teams can move up or down a group based on how well they dance. Musicians also compete for the Angela Lee Trophy. The funny "Tommy and Betty" characters, often part of the dance teams, are also judged.

The competition takes place in pubs in the host city. Teams dance in front of two judges. These judges score teams on how well they handle their swords. They also look at teamwork, dance steps, and how exciting their performance is. There is also a "Spotlight" dance. This happens in a quieter place with four judges. Here, being very accurate and working well as a team are super important.

There is a Traditional competition too. Teams must perform a dance exactly as it was written down in old books. Experienced dancers can compete for the Adrienne Moss Trophy. This is a special wooden sculpture of walking sticks.

DERT also helps new and young dancers. There is a competition called DERTy. This part has Youth and Junior sections. Young dancers practice and then perform for judges.

DERT ends with a big showcase event. All the teams dance on stage for everyone to see. Then, all the different prizes and awards are given out. The top winner of DERT gets the Steve Marris Trophy. This award honors Steve Marris. He helped the rapper sword community a lot. For many years, he was the only person in the UK who made rapper swords. Without him, rapper sword dancing might have disappeared. Until recently, two people made rapper and longsword dance swords. They were Frank Lee in Cumbria and Jimmie Killner in Hampshire. Sadly, Jimmie Killner has now passed away.

Other Rapper Dance Competitions

North East Rapper Championship

The North East Rapper Championship was created by Peter Kennedy. He worked for the EFDSS in Newcastle. He wanted to make the old Newcastle Tournament competitions popular again. The first event was in Hexham in 1949. The Royal Earsdon team won that year. For the next few years, it was held in different places in the North East. Royal Earsdon usually won until the competition stopped in 1956.

This competition has also started up again. In 2011, the Sallyport Sword Dancers won a new trophy. This happened in Washington, Co. Durham. Other winners have included High Spen, Newcastle Kingsmen, and Star and Shadow. The events have been held in Hexham, and at the Sage and St Mary's in Gateshead. In January 2018, the NE Championship was held in Newcastle. It included an extra Traditional dance class. In 2019, it took place in Earsdon village. In 2020, it was at The Old Coal Yard brewery in Byker. The competition did not happen in 2021, 2022, 2023, or 2024.

Dancing America Rapper Tournament

The Dancing America Rapper Tournament (DART) is like an American version of DERT. It happens every year on the East Coast of the United States. It started in 2010. DART usually has between 6 and 16 teams. It focuses less on winning and more on building a community. This helps the rapper sword dancing group in the United States grow.

DERT Winners and Locations

The most recent DERT competitions have already happened. They were in Peterborough in 2025, Whitby in 2024, Rochdale in 2023, and Derby in 2022. The 2021 event was planned for Edinburgh. It was to be hosted by Mons Meg. But it was cancelled because of the Coronavirus pandemic. The 2020 event in Lincoln was also cancelled for the same reason. It was going to be hosted by Whip the Cat.

Here are the locations and winners of recent DERT competitions: