SO WHAT THE HELL IS LONGSWORD DANCING, ANYWAY?
The Longsword dance comes from Yorkshire in the North of England. It is traditionally performed by six or eight dancers who carry rigid swords made of steel or wood (the Nettles use steel, partially because the wooden ones closely resemble large tongue-depressors). The performers form intricate figures using the swords, which generally connect the dancers in a ring; the swords are then woven into a star-shaped lock -- several times for some dances, just once or twice for others. It's not Riverdance (shudder) -- it's much, much cooler. Sort of like human origami.

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