Sword dance

[4] Some traditions use sticks or clubs in place of bladed weapons, while most modern performers employ dulled replications to avoid injury.

The paika akhada which were previously used to train Orissan warriors now perform weapon dances in the streets during festivals.

Other dances like the mer dandiya are simply theatrical depictions of battle, while some like the choliya of the Kumaon region were used to ward off evil spirits.

However, paintings and engravings by French artist Jean-Léon Gérôme (who visited Egypt in the 18th century) show sword dancers balancing sabers on their heads.

The Turkish Kılıç Kalkan dance of Bursa is performed exclusively by men with a sword and shield, and represents the Ottoman conquest of the city.

The performers wear early Ottoman battle dress and dance to the sound of clashing swords and shields without music.

These are particularly concentrated in an area corresponding to the boundaries of the Holy Roman Empire at around 1400–1500, and many of these traditional dances are still performed in England,[15] Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, North Italy, France, Flanders, and the Iberian Peninsula, with a particular concentration in Basque Country, Galicia and Andalusia.

An important concentration of traditional sword dances can be found on the Italian side of the western Alps.

Main sites are Giaglione, Venaus and S. Giorio in the Susa valley, where the so-called "Spadonari" (sword-holders) dance is still performed between the end of January and the beginning of February.