Moshing as Ritual

   One of the defining features of a live punk show is a form of dancing called moshing. Audience members form a circle to push and slam into each other, their aggressive dancing encouraged and potentiated by their favorite punk bands' music. While critics of moshing see it as nothing more than violence, mosh pits actually have strong religious and ritualistic components. Livingstone defines religious rituals as “an agreed-on and formalized pattern of ceremonial movements and verbal expressions carried out in a sacred context.” Mosh pits provide a sacred space for fans to deeply connect with each other and the music. They also provide a space for religious behavior, where secular concerns and the demands of ‘polite’ society melt away.  

There are ritualized components to moshing: the unspoken rules regarding acceptable and unacceptable behavior, the specific time and place it happens, and the reliance on the music. But the mosh pit also allows participants the freedom to e

ngage with the music that is meaningful to them in whatever way they choose. Much like catching the spirit in a Baptist Church, mosh pits are a place of spiritual awakening, a “sacred time and place that is marked by the convergence of music, ritual, and religious experience” (Laderman). Moshing is a complex religious ritual based around music that invigorates and revitalizes participants to face the challenges of their everyday lives.