Hi, Jim.
Indeed, the rounded tip was no doubt useful. Good ballet dancers are hard to replace.
On that point, there were several small indentations and marks all the way along the sword, as if it had been used in a mock sword fight. These only made sense when I realised it was a theatrical sword.
Certainly, it made no sense at all when I thought it might be a court or masonic sword.
Interesting, because I've not seen those kinds of marks on any real swords. And it just goes to show the way people imagine the way that swords are fought with is probably quite different from the way they were employed in a real life fight.
No doubt the actors/dancers here engaged in a lot of knocking swords together and prancing around on stage, and very little true cut and thrust.