Sword dances related to rapper

The rapper sword dance is one of a family of linked, or hilt-and-point, sword dance traditions. All other traditional linked sword dances use rigid swords, either of metal or wood, and so are very different in character to rapper. There is also great diversity among the traditions using rigid swords.

All known linked sword dances come from Europe. There are, however, also solo and mock battle sword dances, which are found in various cultures worldwide, including in Japan and the Middle East. The mock battle, or Pyrrhic, dances are fundamentally different in character, and probably in origin, from the linked sword dances and will not be considered further.

For further reading to give a broad overview of European sword dances, I would recommend Steve Corrsin's Book Sword Dancing in Europe: A History (London: Hisarlik Press, 1997) and also Violet Alford's Sword Dance and Drama (London: Merlin Press, 1962), which provides good descriptions of various sword dance traditions but is not very historically accurate. Selected bibliographies for dances from specific countries are included in the relevant pages.

The periodicals Rattle Up, My Boys and 't Zweertdanserke (in Flemish) have also both featured some excellent descriptions of European sword dances.