Man, I'm just a posting fool here tonight, huh? It's too hot to do much of anything other than type words into the computer. We're such pansies here in Seattle -- we think 70 is "hot," and anything over 80 totally paralyzes us. The high today was maybe 82 or 83, so we're dying, I tell you,
dying. I just swatted and killed 3 of the 5 flies that have been buzzing around our house for the last several days; guess the heat slows them down as much as it does me.
Anyway. Let's talk about swords. Some nice person posted a comment in response to Maureen's latest post -- wherein Maureen referred to our new double sword choreography -- asking what kind of swords we use. This is a very good question, and hey, I love swords and I'm ready to talk about 'em all night pretty much any damn time. So here's the low-down. There are three different swords I recommend to all of my first-year sword dance students. I own at least one of each of these three different swords; I've practiced and performed lots with all of them; and I think they're all awesome, for different reasons. The one rule of thumb I am very serious about: Get a sword that you'll enjoy dancing with. It doesn't matter if your sword matches your troupemates' or your classmates' swords. The important thing is that you like your sword. Sword dancing is such a delicate and personalized art that there's no point in making yourself miserable by picking a sword that doesn't totally wow you.
That said, here are the three swords I recommend. The first is the Moorish Scimitar from Kult of Athena. It looks like this:

This is the sword that HoK members use for double sword dancing. The website is www.kultofathena.com. These scimitars are inexpensive (usually $40 each), and as you can see, they look scary as hell. They're pretty heavy, and they're kinda hard to balance -- those are the drawbacks to keep in mind.
Sword number 2 is Saroyan's famed Scimitar:

These swords are absolutely beautiful. In my mind, they're The Ultimate, The Apex, a sword dancer's Dream Come True. Harry Saroyan has been making these swords since before I was born, and I'd bet you there is no greater master maker of bellydance swords on the planet. The way these things balance is just dreamy -- you set one of these scimitars down on your head and it'll stay there like it never wanted to be anywhere else. There are two little drawbacks to these swords, however. One: They have a hilt-guard, a piece of metal around the back of the hilt that comes over the back of your hand. The hilt-guard makes it relatively impossible to do the toss/catch move from finger-balance. If you have no idea what the "toss/catch from finger-balance" is, message me via comment here and I'll post a video demo of the move. The other drawback is that these swords are pretty expensive: $175 each, currently. But dude, the axiom "you get what you pay for" truly applies here.
The third and final sword I recommend is the Moon Dance. Moon Dance swords look like this:

Moon Dance swords are available all over the web, usually for about $60 each. Sometimes you can find used ones for $40 or so. The balance on these things is imperfect but generally okay. They're affordable and light-weight, and they look really nice. They don't have hilt-guards, so you can do toss/catch if you want to. The big advantage here is that you can find them in most bellydance stores, so you have the option of playing with them a little bit before you buy, unlike ordering blind off the internet. I'd say the Moon Dance is a perfect choice for first-time sword dancers.
I would be remiss if I did not address the "battle-ready" question when talking about bellydance swords. Lots of swords you'll see online will be advertised as "battle-ready." This means they're sharp. Unlike most dance swords, which have a dull edge so as to not be dangerous while dancing, "battle-ready" swords have a sharpened edge and they cut. I'd suggest avoiding these things. Some people think battle-ready swords are really cool, but for my money, there's no reason. While practicing with dull-edged (meaning not battle-ready) swords, I've bruised myself MANY times over -- in the head, in the thigh, in the shoulder, even in the face. Why make it harder than it already is? Get a sword that was made for dancing with, not for killing people. After all, dance is about love, not violence -- right?
Yay.
Thanks.
Good night and happy sword dancing.
-- Kendra