Sword Dances

The sword is a symbolic object that spans across countries, people, cultural groups and language. Every ethnic group may have similarities or comprehend the meaning and use of a sword totally different from one another.

Sword dance is part of the Greh ceremony, it represents the bravery of our ancestral warrior slashing and whirling his weapon to chase and scare the enemies. In addition, Sword dancer in the old day as known as Shaman whom has a power spirit to overpower of all bad spirits; performs his dance with sword to eliminate all bad spirits out of the ceremony’s location prior to the start of the Greh ceremony.

The Khmu people however, value the sword as a tool for protection; and during New Year celebrations or as referred to as ‘Mun Greh, the stature and magnitude of the sword is elevated. The person or persons partaking in the sword dance (phorn Kmoq) have been called and appointed by the respected elders of the village. The sword will be used as a tool of protection defending the rice crops from invaders that may take and steal from their new planting of rice in the fields.

The ‘Mun Greh is the celebration between the intense activity of the harvest and the hard work of establishing new fields and building new (Sala) houses (the house where village people gather to celebrate Greh). The sword dancer is the warrior that represents strength and toughness that transitions into making sure all the negative energies are guarded from entering the rice crops. The sword dancer is dressed in traditional Khmu attire; sometimes wearing a bandana and commanding a presence of bravery.

As the sword dancer prepares for the stage, he is guided by the sound of a gong. The participants in the celebration would constantly strike the gong and the crowds in observance begin to rally and cheer the sword dancer on. The beat of the gong, the cheery noise from the crowd, combined with the ambience of the ceremonious event, gives the sword dancer a fearless combatant demeanor and a heightened sense of power. This power can be felt through observers looking on and anticipating the beginning of the sword dance. In most cases, sword dancers would perform the sword dance solo or at times, they would dance in pairs going the opposite direction of each other. Once the sword dancer feels the rhythm and adrenalin from the crowd noise and the beating of the gong, he will then grab his sword from the ground and display his own style of spinning his sword in an array of movements.

Sometimes, sword dancers would dance with two swords rather than one. The purpose of having two swords not only optimizes the power of the warrior but it allows the sword dancer to clash both swords together in making a sound that establishes his presence in the fight to protect his people and their rice crop. In addition to that, the sword dancer’s job is to dance and spin his sword(s) in motion around the centerpiece of the ‘Mun Greh ceremony.

Nowadays, along with practicing the sword dance based on the ritual of the ancestors and tradition, some modern sword dancers in the United States observe sword dances as a work of art, style and competition. Some Khmu families would host New Year Celebrations (‘Mun Greh) at their homes and often would invite respected elders, who have been appointed by the community for sword dancing, to perform sword dances in these homes. As much as five or even ten sword dancers would go up one at a time, to showcase their sword dancing skills and be judged by the crowd at hand. These types of events highlight the ‘Mun Greh Ceremony and also provides the event a great form of entertainment.