The Handsworth Sword Dancers are delighted to be bringing the Sword Dance Union Longsword Competition to Sheffield in October 2023.
They thank everyone who expressed interest in attending the SDU Longsword Competition 2023! They had around 20 teams let them know they’re interested in attending which has meant they have been able to go ahead and start planning what should be a cracking weekend.
Registration will open in May.
Weekend overview
More details will be announced in due course, but to give you a flavour of the weekend to help you plan:
Friday 13 October
6pm onwards: Welcome drinks and opportunity for song and music session hosted by Handsworth Sword Dancers in a city-centre venue with good beer and pizzas.
Saturday 14 October
10am: registration
10:30 – 4pm: dance tour of high profile city-centre spots. Competing teams will be rotated through two competitive spots to be judged during the day.
5pm: Award ceremony
7pm onwards: folk party, bar, sessions etc
Sunday 15 October
12pm: informal dancing at a local pub, farewells
There will be a number of awards up for grabs:
- Best Traditional Dance
- Best Own / Non-Traditional Dance
- Longsword as a Second Language (for teams whose primary dance is not sword dancing)
- Best Overall Performance
- Best Music
- Audience Reaction
Teams will perform their competition entries at two judged spots and the scores will be aggregated across performances.
For details of accommodation, travel, contact details etc, see The Handsworth Sword Dancers webpage SDU Competition 2023
Any questions? Please get in touch: handsworthsworddancers [at] gmail.com
