Open Teams

The Open division is where new and developing teams compete and where international teams often enter. The skill level varies more than in Premier or Championship. Some teams are working their way up. Others are happy staying in Open and focusing on having a good dance.

Gaorsach Rapper

The “fast and furious”(1) Gaorsach Rapper “recognise that tradition is a living and changing thing”(2), and pose a “credible threat”(3) “as it should be – too many teams are ‘safe’.”(4) “A little dishevelled”(5), they combine “potentially nice tunes”(6) and “dancing on the edge”(7) with “stepping almost as fast as the music”(8), “some argy bargy”(9) and “GRRR throughout”(10), that “might not be what [you’re] into, but, [you’ll], like, applaud their effort.”(11) Expect “well turned-out”(12) kit, the odd “flash of white gusset”(13) and the official “best interpretation of stepping.”(14) “Scary and fast across the ground”(15), with “a fiddle used to its full potential”(16) “suited [to] the wildness of the dance”(17); this is “proper testosterone stuff”(18). A “somewhat frantic and fraught”(19) performance, we guarantee “this is some dope shit”(20) that will leave you “slightly terrified”(21) and asking “Where’s my jägerbomb?”(22). It’s “pretty feckin’ good”(23). See bottom of page for references.

Great Meadows

Great Meadows is a teenage team and part of Great Meadows Morris and Sword, founded by Tom Kruskal in Sudbury, MA. now being taught by Peter Kruskal, Sam Overbeck and Erika Roderick. Previous teams of ours have competed at DERT such as Candyrapper, Pocket Flyers, and Beside the Point. etc

Last Stripe Rapper

Last Stripe Rapper are an exciting new mixed gender rapper dance team based in Sheffield. Our vibe is Chaotic Purple.

Mabel Gubbins

Do not believe the stories. Do not believe the tales of late-night gin-fuelled excess or afternoon cake-guzzling. Mabel Gubbins have been making undercover raids into the Morris-sodden events of their native Cotswolds, and have been bringing rapper enlightenment to the masses. Very rarely caught on film, they are secretive, fast-moving and only recognisable by the occasional flicker of a bright-coloured velvet sash.

Rapa Bora

Rapa Bora is a touring team from Kentucky that has been dancing since 2011. In addition to rapper sword dancing, they dabble in Danish Totur and Bacca Pipes.

NYFTE

NYFTE (pronounced nifty) is the National Youth Folklore Troupe of England comprising about 36 young people aged 10 to 18. The team performs a complete range of English traditional music, song and dance. Interest in Rapper is at an all time high in NYFTE at the moment (two thirds of the Troupe are taking part this year); the teams have met for a few practices over the winter despite the huge distances involved in getting a team together when you have members from all over England and Wales – all of whom rely on parents for transport. With a retirement age of 19 years minus 1 day, this year’s there is a high turnover, particularly in our team in the main competition which has only one dancer who was in our Open winning team from 2022.

Gaorsach References: (1) Richard Preece, DERT 2016 (2) Clive Boutle, London, November 2016 (3) Dominic Cronin, Facebook, November 2014 (4) Peter Brown, DERT 2015 (5) James Fitzgerald, DERT 2017 (6) Corrie Schrijver, DERT 2017 (7) Aubrey O’Brien, DERT 2014 (8) Multiple DERT judges, most years (9) Melanie Barber, DERT 2015 (10) Fiona Taylor, DERT 2014 (11) Random man in pub, Sheffield, March 2016 (12) Corrie Schrijver, DERT 2017 (13) Eilidh Brinsley, DERT 2017 (14) AJs, DERT 2017 (15) Peter Brown, NUT, November 2015 (16) Frank Lee, DERT 2017 (17) John Shaw, DERT 2015 (18) Peter Brown, DERT 2014 (19) Frank Lee, DERT 2017 (20) Mrmaccy90, YouTube comment, April 2017 (21) Tom Chafer-Cook, DERT 2017 (22) Becky Graham, DERT 2015 (23) Ruth Ball, DERT 2015