Evaluation Essay Final Draft: Hardcore Dancing Blues

It can been seen at almost every show that has bands that play music categorized as metal core, hardcore, screamo, and many other obscure genre names that end in core or mo. People standing in the middle of the crowd doing a performance of their own. Wild punches, roundhouse kicks, jumps, all done remotely in rhythm with the music being performed by the band. Dancing in this style is often referred to as hardcore dancing. Although modern hardcore music has become popular amongst many people, the hardcore dancing style is a nuisance because people look silly while doing it, it is more fun to watch the band than the audience dancing, and it can be dangerous for other people .
Dancing to music should be expressive and no one should feel silly while doing it if it makes them feel good. What is so interesting about hardcore dancing, is that even though people consider it a dance, to an outside observer it appears to be some sort of strange martial arts demonstration. Most people can recognize certain movements as dance even out of context. Jumping around doing roundhouse kicks and throwing punches have their place in a proper setting, but at a concert and out of context it makes the person look crazy. Take a move known as windmilling for example. It involves swinging ones arms around in big circles very fast. Even at a show (let alone not at a show) it looks ridiculous and invokes the image of siblings trying to hit each other seemingly without doing it on purpose by swinging their arms and walking towards each other. The acts described above are just some aspects of hardcore dancing, and all of them look ridiculous, and barely represent any form of dancing, in or out of a concert setting.
When people go to the concert, it is not unheard of that they would like to dance to the band's music. At the same time, many people attend concerts to watch the band and enjoy the band's performance. Normally a happy medium results, with people being able to dance and or watch the show without interfering with each other. At hardcore shows hardcore dancers generally take up much of the space right in the middle of the dance floor. Dancers on the dance floor may seem to make sense, but generally hardcore/metalcore bands play in smaller venues where the dance floor is really just the open space in front of the stage where everyone who wants to watch, dancing or not, has to stand. When hardcore dancers occupy this space, it is very distracting and takes away from the bands performance. It is hard to enjoy yourself and the band when you have to be worried about getting clocked in the head by an errant roundhouse kick or flying fist. Hardcore dancing takes up such a large area due to the nature of the dancers movements and the dancers desire not to hit each other; therefore it is hard to get in the area in front of the stage to watch. The occupation of this space leads to the people who just want to watch having to form a large perimeter around the sides of the venue, sometimes a very small group of people in the front of the stage, and the area in the back behind the hardcore dancers. The perimeter effectively forms a circle, and the center of this circle (most of the space in the venue) is occupied by people hardcore dancing. The effect of this is that unless you are in the middle of the hardcore dancing madness, you don't get a very good spot to watch the show.
The violent nature of hardcore dancing is troubling. Granted the music itself is very aggressive, but that is why people listen to it. That being said, no one wants to attend a concert and leave with a black eye, concussion, or worse. Hardcore dancers doing flying kicks and throwing random punches in every direction frequently hit innocent bystanders. No one should have to worry about their personal health or safety when attending the show. Even the dancers themselves should worry about hitting the wrong person who might be much bigger and not so happy about being struck. Even though hardcore dancers generally don't intend to hurt anyone, more often then not, someone does get hurt, and the result isn't good for anybody.
Hardcore music is fun and exciting. While people should have the right to express themselves any way they want to the music (which is admittedly aggressive in nature), hardcore dancers should take into account that hardcore dancing does have an impact on other people. The dancers don't need to be doing karate type moves in the middle of a crowd. Hardcore dancing also takes much away from the bands performance and sometimes can make a normally enjoyable experience miserable. Hardcore dancers need to realize that they are putting other people in danger of getting hurt when they are not paying attention. Hardcore dancing doesn't need to be abolished, but perhaps the dancers should start taking other concertgoers into consideration and come up with a solution that works for everyone.