The first DERT happened in Derby in 1984 as part of the Dancing England showcase. Teams performed one judged dance, and that was it. The competition ran until 1988, took a break, and returned in the early 90s. Those early years established the basic structure. Teams competed in either the North East or the Rest of the World categories, which tells you something about how concentrated rapper dancing was back then. By the mid-90s, that changed to Premier and Open divisions as teams formed outside the traditional coalfield areas. The format changed completely in 2003. Instead of one performance, DERT became a pub tour. Teams do a warmup, then perform in five competition pubs with judges in each one. The idea came from what rapper teams had always done anyway, going pub to pub to perform and earn their drinking money.
More divisions got added as more teams formed. Championship came along for teams between the Open and Premier levels. Traditional gave teams a chance to perform the original dances that Cecil Sharp recorded in the early 1900s. DERTy started as a separate competition for young dancers learning the tradition.
Female teams began competing in the 90s. Now they make up a significant portion of entries and have won major prizes. Teams have also formed outside England, in Scotland, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, New Zealand, and the United States. DERT has pushed the standard of dancing higher. When teams see what’s possible, they go home and work on harder figures, tighter timing, better stepping. The competition drives innovation, while the Traditional category keeps everyone connected to the original mining village dances. The tournament moves to a different host city each year. Birmingham, Newcastle, Sheffield, London, wherever there’s a local rapper team willing to organise. Each city or town brings its own pubs and its own atmosphere to the weekend.
