BabaYagaMusic.com »Encyclopedic Dictionary for the Ethnic Dance Arts »Sword Dancing

Raks al Sayf: Sword Dancing

Summary of Zaghareet interview with several expert sword dancers, 2011.

Sources for Dance Swords

• Very pricey dance swords from Australia.
• Fire By Riz swords in the old Saroyan pattern.
• Cheaper dance swords from Atlanta Belly Dance
• Cult of Athena sells cheaper swords. They don't separate the dance scimitars from the others; you'll have to check the description. You can skip the ones that say 'Battle Ready.' What you are looking for is a sword that is described as balanced for belly dancing. At the end of 2011, that would be the Baladay and the Moorish Scimitars.
• Cheaper dance swords from Atlanta Belly Dance.

Videos of Ethnic Sword Dancing

• Indian Sikh Gatka martial arts dance includes a variety of weapons props, including swords, sticks and something like poi that would probably crack your skull if it hit you.
• Turkish kilic ve kalkan (or Kilic Kalkan) performed as a group in a circle at a festival in Britain and using shields to create percussive sounds. With the occasional shout for emphasis. AKA as Saliare by some.
• Another circle Kilic sword dance at a festival in Lyon.
• Two dancers in a more combat-like performance.
• Kilic sword moves broken down.
• Shems maintains a good page on sword dancing.

Testing and Using a Dance Sword

The scimitars are curved, but are not a thin blade. They get wider at the end, have fancy designs on the blade on both sides, and a brass-colored handle that you can reverse for balance that usually has a dragon-head design...Great for balance, lousy for swinging --Shakira

[Regarding reversing the handle if it's on backwards] just unscrew the dragon head, remove it, remove the grip piece, then remove the handle and replace the way you want it. ...all of mine have been reversible...(I own 3). If the dragon head isn't tight enough for you after this, or some other piece isn't, or to be tight it really wants to finish at a diagonal to where it should be, insert leather "washers" (you can make them out of old gloves) to tighten. --Shakira

Here's how you get the rust off [swords/scimitars]-- steel wool and naval jelly. Use gloves! Once the worst of the rust is off, you can use very fine grit sandpaper to get off what's left of the rust, and finish with the steel wool again. Then get some Simichrome polish (available in auto/bike supply shops) to polish the blade again. Now, so you don't have to do this *again* -- put a thin coat of petroleum jelly on it; just enough to rub into and coat the metal without getting gunk all over your hair and costume. This will keep the blade out of contact with the air. Also, keep your blade wrapped in an old towel. This really helps--Athena Mizelle

I whipped out the Brasso I use on my tea kettle and it worked really well. It got off most of the rust, and shined up everything else. Boy was it dirty! I completely trashed two white washcloths I was using, and there was still dirt coming off of it. --Ranaiyah

The ideal way to buy a sword is to try the sword first. The swords vary in weight, types and balance. The only way to find out which one works best for you is to try them.

It is best to focus on swords designed for dancers. Historical weaponry shops sell enticing swords but if they are not balanced for dancing they will be disappointing tools.

Swords require care. Treat it gently. Transport in a sheath and in a corrugated cardboard box, if possible. Jostling and bumping will distort the balance of the sword, making it more difficult, if not impossible, to dance with. And a dinged-up sword does not look as nice.

• Natural blade with antique-tone handle: Rub the blade (applying light pressure) with a fine Scotch Brite using long unbroken strokes in the driection of the blade length or grain of metal, in order to pick up any accumulation of residue. Wipe with a dry cloth.
• Polished blade with gold-tone-handle: To maintain brilliant finish, go over the blade with Brite Boy or Glass Wax and wipe clean with dry soft cloth. Do NOT use steel wool, Scotch Brite, emery cloth or any type of abrasive compounds as they will scratch the finish.
• [The sword] is not intended to be swung around or over the head by the handle, even when the handle is secured, because of the necessary weight of the blade created in the balancing process.

• Test a sword's balance on your hand.
• Chromed swords are slippery.
• On adjustable handle swords, rubber O rings can be used to secure the handle in the proper position.

Shira recommends that you never do anything permanent to your sword in order to make it easier to balance it, and that you not perform with it professionally until you can balance it without help from wax, hairspray, etc.

The advice is good, because frequently audience members will approach you and try to determine what tricks you used to keep it on your head. If they determine that you have modified the sword to keep it on your head, you lose respect; but when they see that no tricks have been used, they will be impressed. The first time Ruric-Amari performed a sword dance, one of the waiters marched up, grabbed the sword and confidentally ran his finger along the blade, determined to display his own expertise at disclosing a sword dancer's secrets. When he found nothing, he apologized sincerely and left abruptly. No spotlight for him!

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