The Pogo (Slam dance or Mosh)

The pogo is a "form of dancing brought about by early punk and thrash bands, now mainly used in the presence of modern hardcore and metalcore. Unlike a general mosh pit, slam dancing actually shows signs of enjoying the music and having a brain. By using kicks and punches, the dance is a way to let off violent energy without actually hurting anybody", as a user on urbandictionary.com said.

I beg to differ... Slam dancing is a violent type of 1980s dancing. People push or slam into each other. It's usually associated with “aggressive” music genres, such as hardcore punk and numerous styles of heavy metal. It is primarily done to live music, but this doesn't prevent dancers from doing with recorded music.

Here, a video that explains a little bit of how this form of dancing is performed:

Variations of moshing exist, and can be done alone as well as in groups. Moshing usually happens in a "pit" (mosh pit) and is intended to be energetic and full of body contact. Variations of slam dancing exist, the most extreme being the "wall of death" that is typically done in the center of the crowd, closer to the stage.

Mosh Pit

While pogoing is seen as a form of expression of enjoyment, it has also drawn criticism over dangerous excesses occurring in performances. Injuries have been reported in mosh pits, and a few deaths have occurred in a "Wall of Death".

Stage Dive

The first dance identifiable as moshing may have originated in Orange County, CA, during the first wave of American hardcore (1980s). At the time California hardcore punk bands such as the Circle Jerks, Black Flag, Fear and Dead Kennedys were popular in OC.


In my opinion this dance is still viewed as dangerous and aggressive. But at the time of its appearance, this dance was only danced by 'rebels'.
Now, pretty much every guy (and girl) that attends a punk concert slam dances.

Information from: Wikipedia.org, UrbanDictionary.com, Punk77.co.uk

Pictures from: Google Images

Videos from: Youtube.com (users: Hind Kam, cropn1)

Breakdancing (B-boying)

Breakdancing, b-boying, or breaking, is a Hip-Hop street dance that originated among African American youth during the mid 70s in the cities of Bronx and Brooklyn. It was further developed by Puerto Rican youth in New York City in the late 1970s to the early 1980s. The dance spread worldwide due to popularity in the media, especially in regions such as the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, Germany, France, Russia and South Korea.

This dance stretched the body to its limits.

The most basic moves are the 6-step and toprock. The rest of the dance is founded around these two elements. Dancers usually begin by toprocking, and then continue by going down to the floor and performing a 6-step or 4-step. The 6-step provides a base for other more complex moves to be formed.




After performing a 6-step to begin the dance, and then performing a power move, the breakdancer will usually end the dance with a 'freeze' which is when he contorts his body to a strange position and literally freezes, stopping all dance motion. The breakdancer will usually hold the freeze for a second or two. There are nearly infinite variations on freezes, and coming up with new freezes greatly enhances the breakdancers style.



Toprock is a major element of b-boying. It generally refers to any steps performed from a standing position, relying upon coordination, flexibility, and rhythm. It's usually the first opening display of style, and it serves as a warm-up for transitions into the more acrobatic maneuvers of downrock. 

Downrock

Toprock

Information from: GlobalDarkness.com, Break-dancing.net

Pictures from: Google Images

Video from: Youtube.com (user: GreyTiger)

The Bump

The bump was a primarily 1970s fad dance introduced by Johnny Spruce in which the main move is to lightly "bump" hips on every other beat of the music. As the dance (and the evening) progressed, the bumping could become more intimate, bumping hip to backside, low bending, etc. The idea was to bump gently, but some people got carried away and bumped a little too hard, sending their partners across the dance floor.

There were several songs that were inspired by the bump, such as "The Bump" by Kenny and "Lady Bump" by Penny McLean, but the song that is most remembered is "Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker)" by George Clinton and Parliament, which was released in 1976.

Because the bumping became more and more intense as the dance became more popular, many viewed this dance as sexual and even obscene.

To our generation, it's just the predecessor of many other dances that we might tag as indecent. Such as grinding, or twerking (dances I will talk about in later blog entries).

Information from: Askville.Amazon.com, HowCast.com, Mix96Buffalo.com

Pictures from: Google Images

Video from: Youtube.com (user: fritz51357)

The Twist

The twist is a 1950's dance to a song of the same name covered by Chubby Checker. The Twist went on to become the most popular dance in its day, and the choreography was simple. Since the Twist was born right around the time of the popular beach movie fad, the dance fit right in on movie sets. Traditional dance styles, especially partner dancing that require glides and turns, were not performable in the sand. 

The twist is danced by standing with the feet approximately shoulder width apart. The torso may be squared to the knees and hips, or turned at an angle so one foot is farther forward than the other. The arms are held out from the body, bent at the elbow. The hips, torso, and legs rotate on the balls of the feet as a single unit, with the arms staying more or less stationary. The feet grind back and forth on the floor, and the dance can be varied in speed, intensity, and vertical height as necessary. Occasionally one leg is lifted off the floor for styling, but generally the dance posture is low and with the feet in contact with the floor with very little vertical motion.

The Twist was created during a carefree time in American history when young people revolutionized the dance world and replaced stuffiness with sexy, fun moves. This dance reigned in popularity with dancing teens and people in their 20s starting out as a song and becoming quite possibly the biggest dance craze of the 1950s and 1960s.

It was especially appealing to the young, because of its controversy and sexy/edgy connotations.
But, of course, now the Twist is just one more outdated, innocent dance that's part of rock n roll history.

Information from: Wikipedia.org, Dance.LoveToKnow.com, History1900s.About.com

Pictures from: Google Images

Video from: Youtube.com (user: 64downtown)

The Hip Thrust

One of the first to perform this move on stage was Elvis Presley, which was at the time quite controversial. Due to this, he would normally be shown (as seen on his third appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show) from the waist up on TV.
Elvis Presley was a 1950's rock 'n' roll sensation. With his first single 'Heartbreak Hotel', he became a national phenomenon. He was mostly known for his sultry looks, and specially his swinging hips.

His appearance on The Milton Berle Show on June 5, 1956, triggered the first controversy of his career. Elvis sang his latest single 'Hound Dog' with all the pelvis-shaking intensity his fans scream for. Television critics across the U.S. slam Presly's performance for its "appalling lack of musicality", "vulgarity" and "animalism."

In a piece headlined "Beware Elvis Presley", the Catholic Church criticized the young singer. Concerns about juvenile delinquency and the changing moral values of the young find a new target in the popular singer.

Al though back in the 50s and 60s this move was controversial and considered a sexual invitation, nowadays it's viewed as a 'classic' rock and roll move.
People don't really dance like that anymore, but it's a globally known dance move and is considered part of the music culture.

• Information from: entertainment.howstuffworks.com, lagrange.edu, wikipedia.org
• Pictures from: Google Images
• Video from Youtube (user: The Ed Sullivan Show)