Belly Dance Sword: Dancing with Danger?
75Adding a sword to your belly dance performance adds a different dimension. There's a soupcon of danger (how sharp is it?) and the thrill of suspense (will she drop it?). The audience will "ooh" and "aah" as you balance the sword effortlessly on your head, your arms or even your hip, and admire the graceful shapes you can make with it.
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You'll often see beginners trying to learn sword using a cane or stick, but in reality, nothing gives you the same feeling as a real sword. A good belly dancing sword is much heavier than a cane, and the weight isn't as evenly distributed. If you really want to learn belly dance sword, the only solution is to beg, borrow or buy yourself one!
When you decide to buy your first sword, make sure you buy one that's specifically described as a "belly dancing sword" or "balancing sword".
Every sword has what's called a "balance point". For many scimitars(curving Turkish swords), that point is way up near the hilt (handle). If you try to dance with a sword like that, you'll find the sharp point hanging way out past your shoulder on one side (like Irina's in the photo on the right).
It takes a lot of practice to move your arm on that side without knocking the sword off your head - or worse, impaling your arm!
In the next clip, Princess Jasmina obviously has a perfectly balanced sword!
A sword designed specifically for belly dancing is more likely to balance in a more central position, so you can move both arms equally. That's a lot easier - and safer - for a beginner to deal with.
Some makers helpfully carve a few notches in the blade at the balance point - otherwise, find it by balancing the sword on your finger.
By all means, once you're more experienced, be adventurous and buy some of the cheaper non-belly dance swords - but to begin with, it's much safer to stick with swords that are designed for dancing.
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Other Points to Watch
- Some teachers advise students to steer clear of chromed swords - lovely and shiny but also slippery! However you can get around that problem by sticking some sandpaper or skateboard grip on the edge of the sword, at the balance point.
- It's fine to buy a sword with a real, sharp blade - but have it blunted please! Even a blunt sword can be dangerous to dance with, and don't forget the point may still be sharp!
- I'm not a fan of brass ornamental swords with a rounded edge. They're more comfortable and safer - but the dull finish and thick edge make it very obvious they're not the slightest bit dangerous!
- Don't be afraid of a heavy sword - in fact, they're easier to balance because they're less disturbed by drafts or small movements.
For some information on the history of sword, visit Belly Dancing Diva online magazine.
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All text copyright Marisa Wright. Photo of Irina Akulenko courtesy of Toast to Life , 'Tati Chilli" photo by Index Photograph, tribal photo by Dalliedee, pink dancer by Jae Yong
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Lol benson, Marisa this is a good article. I have never tried something like this and am to much of a chicken to try this! But looks like fun if done right.
I'm new to Belly Dance, but I intend to learn the art of the sword. This article was a great help. Thank you!
I didn't even know this was possible.
I saw a clip of a woman that looked like a belly dancer balancing a sword on her knee in the music video for Christina Aguilera's "Hurt", near the beginning. I wondered what it was. This explains that.
Dawn, talk to purists and they'll say sword has no place in belly dancing - but some would say the same about veil!
Entirely a good hub.Well Done Marisa Wright
Nice hub
This article was great!!!
Great article! While a sword made for dancing does not have a sharp edge, it is a rather heavy piece of metal (mine is four pounds) and that point is VERY sharp! Watch out for your toes and pets as you practice!
I learned to put a small dot of nail polish on both sides of the sword once I found the center...
You are welcome to use my photo, but please credit me as Saffron of Tandava. A notification that you were taking my photo would also have been appreciated.
Incidentally, tribal hair ornaments do not add a level of difficulty. The ornaments I wear never touch the sword. The flowers are much lower than it, and the dreads are fully behind it. However, tying your hair up DOES add a level of difficulty, as does having bangs pinned up. I have straight, long, slick Asian hair, and generally rehearse with it tied up in a ponytail, so for me adding dreads and tribal bling makes no difference, because it doesn't change the positioning of the hair the sword is resting on. By contrast, my troupemate Ebony has an afro. She generally wears it loose, but pulls it into pigtails to put the yarn dread extensions on. She finds that adding dreads increased the difficulty significantly, because she is not accustomed to balancing the sword on hair that has been pulled flat. She can also make much more sudden movements with her afro loose, because while it doesn't "hold it on" per se, it does pad against wobbling. We had this problem when she was leading where she would turn to profile too quickly because her sword would be just fine, and mine would spin around on top of my head because my hair is so slick. We kind of like the challenge of dancing with bare heads, because it is more difficult. Tribal girls often use headbands and things that actually have grooves or folds that make it easier to balance things. Look to see if the bling on a tribal girl's head is actually touching the sword, or if the sword is directly on her hair - directly on the hair is harder, and means she is not using the bling to secure it.
Peace,
Saffron
Hi Saffron and thanks for your detailed comment.
I found your photo on Flickr, published under Creative Commons (which allows anyone to re-use the photo with a credit to the photographer, which I provide at the end of the article). I'm pleased to know your name and will add it to the photo.
I assumed your flowers would make turning with the sword difficult, as they look like they project above the level of the blade - but maybe that's just the photo!
I do mention the use of a "sword headdress" at the end of the article - as you said, headbands and turbans with a groove do help with balance and are a bit of a cheat!
Sword Links
- Zenptah's Swords
High quality, craftsman-made swords designed specially for belly dancing. - Saroyan scimitars
Saroyan Mastercrafts: Manufacturer of Finger Cymbals, Costume Coins and Music CDs - Tips and Tricks For Belly Dancers: Swords
Make your life easier with these tips and tricks for belly dancers. They appear on The Art Of Middle Eastern Dance, which offers over 300 articles related to belly dance: humor, poetry, translated song lyrics, a glossary of belly dance terms, finger
Benson Yeung Level 1 Commenter 3 years ago
what a topic! thanks for sharing with me something I know absolutely nothing about.