Feeling DERTY? It’s Bath Time.

Yes, we used that weak joke last time we in Northgate ran DERT in Bath back in 2004, and it’s not any better this time around.

But ignore that! Come on down to Bath for a weekend full of blades, beer and banter, with dancing in decent pubs with great floors, delightful beer and strong cider. And gin. How can you resist?

The weekend will follow the standard format of meeting up Friday and pretending you’re all relaxed and don’t really care about winning, followed by a Saturday of dancing around the pubs of Bath where you do your best to win anyway, and last of all the whole of Saturday night has been reserved for you to pretend you don’t care about not winning.

The Showcase event will be held on Saturday evening at the Bath Forum, host recently to The Repair Shop Live, The Archers on Tour and Kaleb from Clarkson’s Farm. We have some big shoes to fill.

On Sunday morning, there may be stuff to do but we haven’t decided yet.
See you there,
Northgate Rapper

DERT brings rapper sword dancing back to the pubs where it belongs. Every year, teams travel from across England to compete in a weekend-long tournament. Five dancers connected by flexible steel swords perform fast, intricate routines while judges watch.

The competition started in Derby in 1984. Back then, it was one dance per team. Now teams perform in five different pubs over the weekend, with judges scoring each performance. Between rounds, you’ll find dancers and spectators mixing in the pubs, talking about figures they’ve just seen or deep in discussions about technique.

Rapper dancing originated in the coal-mining villages of Northumberland and Durham. Miners would perform to earn beer money, travelling from pub to pub. That tradition continues at DERT. The tournament moves to a different city each year, always keeping the pub-based format that makes rapper what it is.

Teams compete in Premier, Championship, Open, and Traditional divisions. There’s also DERTy for dancers under 18. Winners take home trophies for overall performance, music, stepping, buzz factor, and character work. But most teams come for the dancing itself and the chance to catch up and see what everyone else is working on.

If you’ve never seen rapper dancing, DERT is the place to start. Fast footwork, flexible swords weaving patterns overhead, and the occasional spectacular mistake that somehow gets recovered. All performed in rooms barely large enough to contain it.