Samantha Jackson
Ryan Katz
27 September 2017
Slamdancing or Moshing When most people think about the American alternative, or pop-punk, scene, they think of the outfit choices, loud music, and the pit. When I say the pit, I’m referring to the giant circle of dancers that run around, or into one another at concerts. In these “pits” there are two types of dancing that go on... One is slamdancing which involves fast movements, running counter-clockwise, arm-swinging, and colliding with other bodies. The other dance and my personal favorite are moshing which involves stationary positions, with bodies being more bent over and compacted, arm-swinging which can lead to the “death swing”. Both of these dances are not intended to harm anyone, but …show more content…
Dr. William Tsitsos is a “sociological culture researcher” (website) with his main focus being music-based subcultures (website). He is also an associate professor at Towson University, offering courses in “Sociology of Popular Culture, Sociology of Religion, and Sociology of Food” (website). Given Dr. Tsitsos background and the title of the article, “Rules of rebellion: slamdancing, moshing, and the American alternative scene,” and the second to last sentence in the intro, “Slamdancing and moshing are two different, albeit similar, styles of dance in which participants (mostly men) violently hurl their bodies at one another in a dance area called the ‘pit’” (1), we can determine that this article was written for the curious American youth searching to become more informed in the alternative scene, “pit” dances, and their …show more content…
Tsitsos wanted to find a way to help teach those who are curious about the scene. In the article, Dr. Tsitsos states, “This paper is based upon participant observation research conducted during the summer of 1995 when I lived in San Francisco, California, a city with a thriving scene.” (1) He also states, “Beyond being a study only of other people and their experiences, however, this is also a work which extends my own experiences.” (1) Through his research, Dr. Tsitsos was able to study the subcultures of the American alternative scene, interview members of the scene to gain experience on slamdancing and moshing, their ideologies and rules, and how to differentiate the two types of dances. From this, one can be educated on the American alternative scene and take part in “pit” dances with the proper etiquette, if they so choose. I chose to read this article because I’m apart of the scene, “a straight edge”, and even though I may not be depicted as “rebellious” like the article describes and I strongly disagree, I stand for the ideological principles of the community. Not all members of the scene want to be rebellious, like Dr. Tsitsos states. The alternative scene and rebellion used to go hand-in-hand and be synonymous, whereas now it has become more of a stereotypical label for today’s youth. Due to this, I am constantly learning more about the scene, including truths and falsehoods, while I inform others about what I have
Ryan Katz
27 September 2017
Slamdancing or Moshing When most people think about the American alternative, or pop-punk, scene, they think of the outfit choices, loud music, and the pit. When I say the pit, I’m referring to the giant circle of dancers that run around, or into one another at concerts. In these “pits” there are two types of dancing that go on... One is slamdancing which involves fast movements, running counter-clockwise, arm-swinging, and colliding with other bodies. The other dance and my personal favorite are moshing which involves stationary positions, with bodies being more bent over and compacted, arm-swinging which can lead to the “death swing”. Both of these dances are not intended to harm anyone, but …show more content…
Dr. William Tsitsos is a “sociological culture researcher” (website) with his main focus being music-based subcultures (website). He is also an associate professor at Towson University, offering courses in “Sociology of Popular Culture, Sociology of Religion, and Sociology of Food” (website). Given Dr. Tsitsos background and the title of the article, “Rules of rebellion: slamdancing, moshing, and the American alternative scene,” and the second to last sentence in the intro, “Slamdancing and moshing are two different, albeit similar, styles of dance in which participants (mostly men) violently hurl their bodies at one another in a dance area called the ‘pit’” (1), we can determine that this article was written for the curious American youth searching to become more informed in the alternative scene, “pit” dances, and their …show more content…
Tsitsos wanted to find a way to help teach those who are curious about the scene. In the article, Dr. Tsitsos states, “This paper is based upon participant observation research conducted during the summer of 1995 when I lived in San Francisco, California, a city with a thriving scene.” (1) He also states, “Beyond being a study only of other people and their experiences, however, this is also a work which extends my own experiences.” (1) Through his research, Dr. Tsitsos was able to study the subcultures of the American alternative scene, interview members of the scene to gain experience on slamdancing and moshing, their ideologies and rules, and how to differentiate the two types of dances. From this, one can be educated on the American alternative scene and take part in “pit” dances with the proper etiquette, if they so choose. I chose to read this article because I’m apart of the scene, “a straight edge”, and even though I may not be depicted as “rebellious” like the article describes and I strongly disagree, I stand for the ideological principles of the community. Not all members of the scene want to be rebellious, like Dr. Tsitsos states. The alternative scene and rebellion used to go hand-in-hand and be synonymous, whereas now it has become more of a stereotypical label for today’s youth. Due to this, I am constantly learning more about the scene, including truths and falsehoods, while I inform others about what I have