North East tradition with strong Amble roots at the heart of new heritage project
A new project to save and celebrate a North East tradition with strong links to Amble is coming to Dry Water Arts.
It has been awarded a grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund for a project to save and celebrate the tradition of rapper sword making – the specialist craft that has enabled generations of rapper sword dancers to perform their distinctive dance.
Rapper sword dancing is the miners’ dance: a lively sword dance first performed by miners in Northumberland and Durham and now danced all over the world.
Amble was one of the early homes of rapper sword dancing, with Amble Sword Dancers associated with the local Flanighan family. The sword dance tradition has been revived in the town in recent years by Amble Sword.
While rapper sword dancing continues to flourish in the North East, across England and internationally, the specialist craft of making the swords is now in the hands of just one man, Frank Lee of Cumbria, and is in danger of disappearing.
Frank, who is 80, is an exceptionally skilled craftsperson and has spent 49 years making the swords used by rapper sword teams.
At the heart of the new project is the recording of Frank’s knowledge and expertise. He will demonstrate his sword-making techniques for a film which will document his craft and preserve this knowledge as a resource for future generations.
The project will also celebrate the living tradition of rapper sword dancing and its connections with the communities in which it developed.
Activities will include an exhibition at Dry Water Arts, talks and demonstrations by Frank, a concert celebrating rapper dance music, and a range of community workshops and performances.
“This project will provide our community with access to a wide array of new opportunities and resources, such as exhibitions, films, talks, demonstrations, and performances, all of which will help to bring our living history to light,” said Tony Regan of Amble Living History Group “We look forward to the positive impact it will bring to our community.”
A launch event will be held at Dry Water Arts Centre on November 15 with the opening of the exhibition “The Miners' Dance”.
The project partners are Beamish Museum, Redhills Durham, Bailiffgate Museum, Alnwick, and The Morris Federation.