Kukri Dance - Just ceremonial dance or actual weapon form?

[Chrisoro]

Anyone who know wether the Kukri Dance, sometimes performed by Gurka soldiers, is supposed to be an actual weapon form, or is it simply meant as a ceremonial dance?

Three variations of it below:

 

[Tez3]

It's a dance for displays, they don't bother otherwise, just take your head. Seriously they do take heads.

 

[jks9199]

It's a dance -- but some of the movements have recognizable relation to the combative techniques as I've been taught them.

 

[Tez3]

The military here like demonstration teams, it's good PR and helps with recruiting hence we have the White Helmets Motorcycle display team ( very good), Red Devils parachute team ( very very good), Royal Marines Unarmed Combat Display Team ( bruising), RAF police Dogs, RAF Gymnastic Team, Royal Navy Field Gun Competition teams ( if you've never seen them do have a look for the videos), Gurkha's Kukri and TKD. of course we have the bands too, Scottish Regiments and the Gurkhas have Pipe Bands as well.
The Gurkhas like our Light Infantry march faster than other troops, watching them on something like a Sunset Ceremony or at a Tattoo is interesting! The Gurkha troops marching in this video have just been deployed to Nepal to help in the earthquake relief.

 

[lklawson]

Historically, lots of martial skills were "recorded" as dance. As time goes forward, many of those dances become more dance and less martial. Tahtib and Morris Dancing are examples of this.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

 

[Tez3]

Morris dancing has a different background. Pilgrim Morris Men Origins of Morris Dancing

 

[elder999]

Historically, lots of martial skills were "recorded" as dance. As time goes forward, many of those dances become more dance and less martial. Tahtib and Morris Dancing are examples of this.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

This was, in fact, what I tried too argue about the Cossack sword dancing someone posted a while back......

 

[Tez3]

This was, in fact, what I tried too argue about the Cossack sword dancing someone posted a while back......

Morris dancing, of which there are many types in England ( it's not a Celtic thing, they have their own eccentricities) is something that has always been a dance though whether just a dance or whether it was a pagan rite for fertility etc is still debated. Up north ( only there though) there is a 'sword' dance but it's not actually a sword, it's a wooden handle with a long, very flexible flat blunt 'blade'., called a 'rapper' it's likely to have been a tool rather than a sword. That's only usually done at Christmastime and no bells are worn. The dances the Morris men and now ladies do are much the same as English country dancing. There's no weapons involved bells, handkerchiefs and 'obby horses' yes. The dances many teams do are also reminiscent of the mummers who used to tour the countryside entertaining.
Very appropriate mentioned Morris as today is May Day, the traditional day for them to be out, for the maypole dance to be performed and the May Queen chosen.
If you look into Morris dancing you'll see rather than weapons training something much different ( darker to some), pagan rituals, rites and rituals (which could include combat and sacrifices) dating back probably to the time of the Druids here. Morris has been banned at various times over the centuries as being unholy, it's almost completely sanitised now. Go further up over the border to Scotland ( barbarian country) and you will find them dancing with real swords though

 

[Tez3]

This is one of our traditions in our town, can be quite scary for some especially if the oss chases you up the road! Lady in pink jacket holding toddler is Karen a friend of mine lol.