Attention WCOS Members:

Does your Member Profile need updating? Have a new picture? Want to change your bio?

Contact the webmaster with your updates.

Knowledge:

New to the Western Circle? Want to know more about sword dancing? Need a reminder about the requirements for your next rank?

Check out the Knowledge Base for a deeper look into the Western Circle.

Sword Dances:

The Solo Dance

A dance of skill and honor and a brilliant demonstration of both sword skill and dexterity. It is done by choosing music to dance to and by forming a routine. To sink in with the tone, combine as one, music and skill. As if a dancer dancing and then a swordsman performing a kata. Physically it is done by training with certain movements with the sword with the momentum of the sound. This is a complicated thing to describe with words. It is better to be passed down, as is the true ways of learning. Let this knowledge inspire you to seek out a sword dancer to teach you this new art.

The Silent Sword (or the Silent Bokken)

This dance is performed either in a circle or a square. The edges being the boundaries. The two swords people cannot leave once they enter. The dance begins by declaring who gets the first strike. Then that person takes one step and makes one sword strike. Ideally trying to kill with the sword or force them out of the circle. The defender, simultaneously, takes one defensive movement and makes one block. Then the roles switch, back and forth. It ends when one is forced out or struck by a sword. Note that both actions must be single, clean and clearly defined as one sharp movement, both feet and sword moving on one desired path to a complete stop, then switching roles and continuing. Attacker becomes defender and vice-versa. This is the friendly dance and it is mostly used to practice for the sharpened steel dance described below.

The Dance of Death - Sharpened Steel

This dance falls under the same guidelines as 'The Silent Sword' except that it is done with sharpened steel. This dance ends when the sword blade is pressed against the opponents open area. That strike must be acknowledged as one that could draw blood. If the opponent disagrees, feeling the strike could not cut nor would have been a deadly blow, they then have the right to take an offensive or defensive action. The aggressor of the initial action can draw their blade to prove the strike is valid. If blood is drawn, even slightly, the defender must stop the action begun when they declared the strike invalid. The cut proving the validity of the strike, there by ending the dance, the defender losing. This is the most dangerous dance of them all. Grant it the honor it deserves and some honest fear.

Sword Dancer Rank Requirements

  • 3 years steel training
  • Basic First Aid Training - a standard one day state certification, non-WCoS involvement
  • 5 Years total WCoS training (time from trainee to date of test)
  • 10 sessions with a Kaiden sword dancer
  • 300 Silent Bokken duels with a sword dancer
  • 200 Silent Sword (dull combat steel) duels with a sword dancer
  • 100 solo critiqued dances - critique can be by video from any Kaiden that is a sword dancer, minimum of 25 evaluated by Dancers (in person if possible), request the evaluation form. Critiques will be logged and submitted, either hard copy or electronically, to Head Kaiden prior to testing. Can begin to log after four sessions with a sword dancing Kaiden.
  • Evaluations must be logged in personal files/book(date performed) and may be submitted to head Kaiden electronically