PHOTO CREDIT: Above photo by John Rickman Photography, San Jose, California.

• Choosing a Sword & Preparing It for Use
• Costuming Issues When Using Swords

• Learning to Balance
• Dancing with the Sword

Dancing with a sword can convey a feeling of power, of being in control. A dancer with a sword has a weapon, and demonstrates that she is at ease with handling it! Audiences are fascinated by swords – when the dancer first produces one, people wonder what she is going to do with it. When she balances it, they are very impressed by the skill required. Audience members rarely heckle a dancer with a sword.

Here are some tips for dancers who are just beginning to learn how to work with swords. Click on any of the photos with this article to see them in more detail.

• Buying a Sword. Swords with slightly thicker blades that have not been sharpened are more comfortable to balance than those with thin blades that have been sharpened.
• Securing The Knob. Some swords have a handle with a knob on the end that can be twisted to adjust the balance. For this kind of sword, you can use rubber O rings (purchased in the plumbing supply section of the hardware store) as a washer to ensure a secure fit on the threads.
• Don't Slip! Keep an inexpensive votive candle in your dance supplies. Before going on stage with your sword, rub the candle back and forth across the part of the sword's edge that will rest on your head. This will make the sword stay in place while you're dancing.
• Don't Slip! Before dancing, place a small amount of bowler's grip (sold in bowling alleys) on the sword. This will make it stick to your head better.

Photo by William M. Smith, Iowa City, Iowa.

• Don't Slip! Practice balancing on the hip in the costume you plan to wear before trying it in public. Swords usually behave well when resting against bare skin, but the fabric used for some body stockings and midriff-covering dresses can cause the sword to slip. I never balance a sword on my hip when wearing a mesh body stocking.
• Don't Slip! Spritz a little hair spray onto the top of your head where the sword will rest before you begin your performance. This will make your hair a little sticky and help the sword stay in place while you're dancing.
• Permanent Modifications? Beware of advice to carve notches into your sword, use nail polish to attach grains of sand, or anything else that will permanently modify the sword. If an audience member gets hold of the sword and sees the modification, you will lose all credibility.

• Prevent Pain. When you're new to sword balancing, you'll notice that it hurts to have a heavy object on its edge resting on your head. For that reason, don't do more than 15 continuous minutes at a time of balancing practice. Or, alternate 5 minutes with the sword followed by 5 minutes without.
• Prevent Pain. If you must practice balancing itself for more than 15 minutes, put on either a turban or a Cleopatra-style headdress such as the one in the photo to the right after 10 minutes of practicing to cushion your head. You do need some time practicing bareheaded so you can master the skill, but there is no need to endure unnecessary pain.
• Dealing With Pain. When you're new to balancing a sword on your head, you probably will get a headache after a very short time of balancing. Don't push yourself too hard at first. Start with no more than 5-10 minutes at once of balancing. Once you're used to that, you can gradually extend to longer.

• Headdress. If you're dancing outdoors, consider wearing a headdress. The slightest breeze can blow your sword off balance! For best results, choose a headdress that is made of cloth rather than chains or coins, and the thicker, the better. Possibilities include the crocheted-cap headdresses with chin-length cords hanging down that have beads strung on them (like the silver one in the photo), turbans, or scarves. (If you wear a scarf, consider placing something under it that will add some thickness for the sword to nest down into.)

• Headdress. Beware of headbands that pass over the top of the head like the one shown in this photo to the right. Depending on the position of the headband, it can interfere with placing the sword into optimal position for balancing. Even if it doesn't get in your way, it may lead the audience to believe it is a "trick" to help you balance the sword, and they will be less impressed with the skill you are truly using.
• Headdress. If you wear a headdress, make sure it is firmly anchored in place – if your headdress slips while balancing your sword, your sword will, of course, slip with it!

• Practice with Your Costume and Headdress! Before balancing your sword in public, practice with it in private using the exact same costume and headdress you plan to use in public. Some headdresses make it easier to balance the sword, while others make it harder. That's the kind of thing you want to learn about practicing in private, not while in front of an audience!
• Pants With Floor Work. If planning to incorporate any kind of floor work into your sword act, be sure to wear pants either by themselves or under your skirt. The photo on the right shows a costume with a pair of red pants slitted in the center front worn under the red skirt. The skirt fell away when the right leg was raised, but the pants stayed in place to ensure that the audience didn't get a view of more than they wanted to see. More modest dancers can omit the slit from the pants entirely.

• Build Suspense. When you initially pick up your sword, don't start balancing it right away. Hold it in varying poses first, to build suspense. Give the audience time to get used to the idea that you are holding a sword, and make them wonder what you are going to do with it.
• What To Do Before Balancing. Grasp the sword in one hand and flourish it in a martial pose. Hold it in both hands and trace a large circle with it from your hips, to one side, to overhead, etc. Pose with it proudly overhead, as shown in this picture of Shira to the right. Walk up to audience members and show it to them, like a magician showing he has nothing up his sleeve.

• Don't Make It Look Too Easy. When actually placing the sword on the head, take your time. It may be tempting to balance it quickly to show off, but the audience will be more impressed if you act as though you're not entirely certain it will stay. Don't be afraid to take extra time to fine-tune the balance, and use your eyes to cast apprehensive upward glances toward the sword as you adjust it. Your accomplishment will seem more exciting if the audience believes it wasn't easy for you!
• Bask In Your Glory. Once you have removed your hands from the sword, don't start dancing right away. Take a moment to stand perfectly still and act pleased with what you have done, as shown in the photo to the right.

• Doing Backbends. The key to a successful backbend, whether standing or kneeling, is strong and flexible thigh muscles. Abdominal muscles are valuable for getting back up from a backbend. I've written an entire article on how to do backbends like this one.
• Exercise To Build Strength. There are several thigh-building exercises you can do at home to develop the strength needed to do backbends. See the above link for suggestions.
• Avoid Injury. Don't do backbends like this one if you have any history of knee trouble!

• Getting Back To Your Feet. Return to an upright position with weight equally distributed on both knees. Raise one knee to the position shown on the right. Hold this pose for a moment, doing something interesting with your arms, before standing up completely to make sure your balance is steady. Now:
  • Adjust the back foot so that its ball is touching the floor. Make sure it has a steady grip on the floor. If necessary, adjust the position of the knee so that the foot will have strong leverage for pushing off.
  • Use the back foot to push off, pressing forward so that the weight transfers to the front foot.
  • Use an upward sweeping motion of the hands to reinforce the momentum of moving forward and upward.

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