The History of DERT

The first Dancing England Rapper Tournament, or DERT, was held in Derby as part of the 1984 Dancing England showcase and returned each year until 1988.

After a short break, DERT returned in the early 90s, first in Derby then Newcastle, before taking on its current touring host city format. The 90s also saw the emergence of the first female and foreign teams to compete, as well as the now familiar Premier and Open categories replacing the original ‘North East’ and ‘Rest of the World’ (i.e. all teams not from the coalfields of County Durham and Northumberland) categories.

Originally a competition consisting of a single judged dance per team, 2003 saw DERT move into its current format (and mirroring a time honoured rapper team pursuit)…the pub tour. A warm up pub, five competition pubs with judges in each, beer (or gin) optional. What’s not to love? Further categories were added in the late 00s with the Traditional, Veterans, Showcase and finally Championship joining the ranks.

A separate competition for junior (12 years and under) and youth (13-17 years old) teams, known as DERTy, was established to encourage and develop young rapper dancers, as well as providing a platform for them to compete against their peers, rather than as part of the main competition.

Since its inception, DERT has been pivotal in driving improvements to the standard of and innovation within the rapper community.