Spam (dance)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Spamming is a type of dance characterized by frequent, spastic body movements roughly in time to loud punk, alternative, and progressive or experimental rock music. Spamming is done mainly by younger fans at live concerts as a form of appreciation.
While different in style, conceptually it is not unlike interpretive dance.
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[edit] Origins
[edit] History
Spamming has its roots in moshing, wherein groups of individuals jump or push against one another during concerts. Due to highly publicized events involving fans getting hurt engaging in mosh pits or crowd surfing during concerts[1], many venues or bands prohibit such activities during performances. As a result of this, spamming involves little to no contact between fans.
[edit] Name
The term originated in the underground scene from Ontario, Canada. It was lifted from the video game and technological meanings of spam, relating the concepts of rapid speed and randomness.
[edit] Style
Spamming is a catch all term, and is generally a fusion of many styles of dance combined with repetative movements, such as headbanging. "Spammers" attempt to "feel" the music, and little attention is paid to actual appearances or technical ability. Often, spamming can encorporate salsa, jazz, hardcore, breakdancing, jigging as well as virtually any style of dance known to the participants, though they usually have little to no formal training.
[edit] Music
While spamming can be done to most any rock music, it most often occurs with experimental rock and psychedelic music, especially psychedelic rock. Music will often be longer in duration, with continuity between songs with frequent instrumentals.
[edit] Artists
While there are no "spam artists", there are many bands who create music suitable for spamming, such as:
[edit] Drug Use
Spammers may sometimes be similar in appearance or be compared to individuals in a drug-induced, trance-like or euphoric state. However, due to the emphasis on musical appreciation, the use of drugs (or "chemicals") is generally frowned upon, with individuals preferring to maintain a "clear head".
As such, spamming has achieved some popularity within the straight edge community.
