| Slam
dancing of the '70s led to mosh pits today
By Elizabeth Livingston
March 4, 2005 | The original art of
slam dancing has long been lost in the new world of
mosh pits.
Slam dancing originated in Los Angeles in the late
1970s as part of the punk culture according to Tyler
Frazier of Florida State View news. From the 1970s to
the current day, many people believe the punk movement
was about violence and ruining the structure of society.
"A lot of people think that punks are out to ruin
the family structure and family system," said Keith
from the Another State of Mind documentary
shot in 1982. "There's no family system to destroy,
its been falling apart for the last 20 years."
Rather than trying to ruin the structure of society,
the punk movement was about expressing oneself, and
one of those forms of expression was slam dancing.
Those who don't know the history of slam dancing and
mosh pits believe the dance is just a way to beat someone
up without getting in trouble.
"Pretty much they just stand there and when the upbeat
music hits, they run into each other, scaring poor innocent
girls," said Shane Krebs, a senior at USU majoring in
journalism.
"Mosh pits are an energetic form of dancing and jumping
up and down," said Lew Grant, 23, majoring in business
information systems at USU. "People are known to die
from being trampled in mosh pits."
In contrast to the mindless jumping up and down spoken
of by Grant and Krebs, Wayne Jensen, 24, a senior at
USU majoring in computer science said, "Moshing is about
aggression, pain, adrenaline, feeling something, but
its controlled. You beat the hell out of each other
but you feel no animosity towards the other people.
If someone falls down in the pit, everyone is quick
to help him up. You want pain, but you don't want suffering."
Brian from the Another State of Mind documentary tried
to explain the art behind the movements of slam dancing.
He said, "What you call a slam, bent low at the at the
waist and knees, is where you just keep going around
in a circle and keep moving your arms. People bounce
off of you and you push them away. You just keep moving
around in a circle and try not to get out of it because
if you do, you get out of beat and that's where the
engery's at. It's in the beat."
According to Ben Kelly, entertainment editor of The
Orion, the pit was "a crowded sweaty sea of energy
churning systematically." He said the pit is best when
it has so many people running around counterclockwise,
it's
almost impossible to fall down."
Shawn Stern of the Youth Brigade said in 1982,"The
whole nature of the dance is violent, the way kids are
swinging around. It's not a malicious violence, they're
not out there to hurt each other. They're just out there
getting their aggressions out. they've got a lot of
pent up anger and hate and frustration and slamming
is just an energy release."
When moshin in the current scene, many believe there
should be pit etiquette. Mike Sembos, writer for Fairfield
County Weekly, said, "If a girl is crowd surfing,
it is not acceptable to grab her where she owuldn't
want to be grabbed. If someone is trying to get out,
accomodate them, especially if they look hurt or distressed.
And finally, when the music stops, stop moving."
Although the art of slam dancing has been lost, the
act of throwing and pushing each other in the pit still
allows for a release of frustration, pain, or anger.
NW
MS |
