A New Book By Rhett Krause
Rapper Sword Dance in America
— Rhett Krause, Author
“The American dance is instantly recognizable as rapper, but a comparison with the dance in England reveals unique history… The story of rapper in its home country has been well told and documented by Phil Heaton and Chris Metherell, and the corresponding American story is the subject of this work…”
What’s Inside:
Foreward by Phil Heaton
Preface
Introduction
Maps of Rapper Distribution
Chapter 1: America and the Morris Dance Prior to 1913
Chapter 2: A. Claud Wright 1913–1914
Chapter 3: Cecil Sharp in America 1914–1918
Chapter 4: The Post Sharp Years 1919–1926
Chapter 5: The Rapper Dance 1927–1967
Chapter 6: The Southern Mountains 1916–Current
Chapter 7: The Beginning of the Modern Era 1968–1979
Chapter 8: Rapper in the West
Chapter 9: Rapper in the Midwest
Chapter 10: Canada and Latin America
Chapter 11: Speed and the Monkseaton Effect
Chapter 12: The Evolution of American Rapper
Chapter 13: Dance Structure
Chapter 14: Rapper Music
Chapter 15: Rapper Stepping
Chapter 16: Rapper Locks
Chapter 17: Number of Dancers in a Set
Chapter 18: Flips
Chapter 19: Characters: Betty, Tommy, and Others
Chapter 20: Issues of Gender
Chapter 21: The Major Venues
Chapter 22: The Dancing America Rapper Tournament (DART)
Chapter 23: Youth Rapper
Chapter 24: Collegiate Rapper
Chapter 25: Great Performances
Chapter 26: Family Affairs
Chapter 27: Longsword in America
Conclusion
Appendices
Endnotes
The rapper sword dance is the traditional dance of the coal miners of Northumberland and Durham in the Northeast of England. The flexible steel of the rapper “swords” allows a fast and exciting dance which is always a crowd favorite. It is ever evolving in order to please the audience, impress rival teams, and win competitions.
Rapper first came to America in 1913, brought by the first collectors of these dances. It has found an especial appeal with youth, first in Southern Appalachia in the 1930s, and then in the rest of the country by 2000.
Here is the beautifully illustrated 110 year history of rapper in America in 460 pages, with discussion of the first pioneers down to today’s most popular teams. This book explains what has happened to the rapper in America, with details of the movements, music, stepping, and major influences both domestic and cross-Atlantic, along with how the dance has evolved differently in America than in the United Kingdom.
Images from Rapper Sword Dance in America
Rapper Sword Dance in America 