Does anyone know the occupation please?

[genjen]

The thing with Rapper swords is that they have one handle which twists to allow greater movement and the main body of the sword needs to be flexible as the dancers bend them into some ridiculous shapes. These days it is made with a very strong, flexible steel. Longsword is a bit less "bendy" by nature.

Looking at the slightly larger photograph, the swords do appear to have Rapper type handles. I'd go with Rapper rather than Longsword.

Our local side is hosting the annual Rapper sword dancing competition this year - Kendal will be awash with people in strange clothes and wielding bendy steel!

[genjen]

Excellent!! I think you're right. Thank you so much. One step closer to finding who it might be in the photograph!

Try asking the Sword Dance Union - someone might know exactly who it is and besides, they would probably like to see the photograph.

http://www.sworddanceunion.org.uk/

 

[josey]

Something else I've learned on rootschat 

[Christianmpoulsen]

Thank you, I've got in touch with someone from the Sword Dance union. It's been really fun and interesting learning about this, I'd never heard of it 2 days ago!

[genjen]

Thank you, I've got in touch with someone from the Sword Dance union. It's been really fun and interesting learning about this, I'd never heard of it 2 days ago!

That's great. I hope they were helpful and can help with identifying your photograph.

[AlisdairGB]

Just to add ... the English Folk Dance and Song Society ( EFDSS ) uses longswords as their emblem, but the do cover rapper dances.

Try them via www.efdss.org

( Happy memories of North Yorkshire when I was younger ... my first hangover came after a meet in (I think ) Castleton. I was about 13 !! ) 

[lydiaann]

I remember doing this dance in school in about 1955 - I belonged to the Country Dancing Club.  Everything went well as we learned the dance and rehearsed it time and again.  I was the one who had to hold the whole darned thing up at the end.  Came the show with all the parents there (including my mum). someone didn't get the 'weave' quite right and, halfway off the stage the whole thing came clattering down round my ears...how embarrassing

[josey]

  but what fun that must have been. Where was that? Didn't do it country dancing in the Middlesex suburbs 

[lydiaann]

Lincolnshire...QEGS, Horncastle.  We did English and Scottish country dancing...lots of fun.  I fear the poor old knees would not tolerate that now; I have difficulty some (cold, damp) evenings doing a slow waltz let alone The Dashing White Sergeant or the Highland Fling.  As for the Can-Can (a personal favourite), that is a long-distant memory...