Headbanging
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Headbanging is a type of dance which involves violently shaking your head in time with music, most commonly heavy metal music. It is most visually effective when the person headbanging has long hair.
There are various styles of headbanging, including:
- The up and down - Which involves shaking your head up and down - This style is demonstrated at the climax of the Bohemian Rhapsody scene in the movie Wayne's World.
- The circular swing - Swinging your head in a circlar motion - This style is more commonly known as the Windmill or Helicopter. Popularized by George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher of Cannibal Corpse
- The half-circle - Swinging your head repeatedly from side to side in a downward arc-This style is often used by Tom Araya of Slayer
- The figure of 8 - Which involves shaking your head in a figure of 8
- The side to side - Which involves shaking your head from side to side, whipping your hair on each transition
They can be mixed together and varied according to taste and the tempo and aggression of the music.
Additionally, it is common to find people's bodies banging with the head, having the body move in a serpentine fashion up-and-down along with the music.
Origination
The term "headbanger" was coined on Led Zeppelin's first US tour in 1968. During a show at the Boston Tea Party kids in the first row were banging their heads against the stage in rhythm with the music.