| In the United Kingdom, the scholarship of sword dance has not been studied until the early 20th century. The exact origins as well as many specific issues in the development of English sword dance style remain unknown. The three main point of views are as follows:1. "Single points of origin" which is supported by most German scholars;2. With a better sense of historical reality, other scholars have looked to the Low Countries as sword dancing’s original home because the earliest references have been found in these courtiers.3. "Multiple points of origin and parallel development", which based on the principle that in the many diverse European countries ideas and inventions and limited diffusion.Up to now the many questions and unresolved issues of English sword dance remain. Not only are relative records and evidences lacking, but also many of the documents are extremely brief and unclear. There are many reason caused this phenomenon, including continuous warfare in Europe, the war of western formal religion against pagan activities and the dancers tended to be from the lower classes and were overlooked by those who left the records. However, it has been said that absence of evidence is not the same things as evidence of absence. In 1911-13, Cecil Sharp published his "Sword’Dances of North England", which marked a critical change for the history of English sword dance. His book systematically recorded the sword dance style, movements, music, costumes and other elements from different locations. In the meantime, his recording method of dance notation has become an example, following by other dance collectors. The book made a significant contribution to sword dance. Not only because it saved the texts of traditional dance, but also preserved English sword dance from the danger of extinction.At the same time, early researchers who followed Sharp were influenced by a cultural anthropology theory which was based on the ideas of Frazer’s "Golden Bough" and Taylor’s "primitive culture". They believed that the modern sword dance is a cultural fragment of an ancient ritual survival. The concept underwent a great deal of criticism from the modern scholars as lacking supporting evidence and romanticizing it by over interpolation.While the concept of "Ritualization" was getting more and more popular, ritual dance research is getting deeper and deeper. Researchers discuss ritual dance from diverse aspects, which include "materialization", "technicalization", "Internalzaaon" "Symbolization ", and "digitalization" of ritual dance. They emphasize on research own Science Indicator, function and value, as well. And progress in research is getting more precise and accurate. For these reasons religious study in dance is gradually transforming to a deep interpretation of human beings’ social practice and experience.Currently, the sword dance is still in an embarrassing stage between ritual and art. Dancers only just maintain traditional customs through entertaining the publics. Of course, rural areas are the original place of sword dance. Entertainment is also a very important function of the dance. Maybe, these characteristics have decided that sword dance can not become a pure and self-disciplined artistic form. But it must be a’semi self-disciplined’ and meaningful form. It is necessary to use "mimetic", "expression" and "art-form" theory when we are continuously reviving the folk dance and repeatedly examining the folk culture. In this way, we could consider "ritual" and "art" have the same purpose in pursuing the reality of our life. |
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