The Daggering Dance Craze

It doesn't sound much like a dance until, of course, one considers names of dances in the past - the Mashed Potato, the Twist or the Chicken Dance, just to name a few. I'm sure there were quite a few parental eyebrows raised at a dance called the Jitterbug back in the day and the Charleston? Scandalous!

But parents - be warned! You might have thought you'd seen the worst, between the steamy Shakira videos and the latest dances like Rump Shaking and Booty Poppin, but there's very little that can prepare one for their first experience with Daggering. In fact, many describe it as something akin to a car accident - it's horrifying, it's grotesque, and yet you somehow just can't look away.

While many might be familiar with the term, "Dirty Dancing," Daggering takes this to a whole new level. Similar to the lewd "Cabin Stabbin" dances of the Caribbean, young people gather in crowded dance halls and take turns showing off their Daggering moves - Seeing a young women bent over and grinding her backside in against her partner while he slams his hips against her repeatedly is just a warm-up. Some call it lewd, others crude, but Daggering isn't just about simulated sex, however. In addition to the grind of pelvic regions and buttocks, there is also a very violent aspect to Daggering, as well as a demeaning one.

In the midst of this frenzied dance craze, it's not uncommon to see women with their heads covered - with clothing, with towels, with buckets while their dance partner swings them around dangerously or goes through rough or violent sexual acts. Slapping women on the back or buttocks is also popular while Daggering or, in some instances, men will grab their female partners by the hair or punch them in the head. Another popular "move" is to have four people grasp a woman by her arms and legs, holding her spread-eagled while her male counterpart climbs a chair, stepladder, or whatever else he can climb on, and then leaps onto his partner, slamming their pelvic regions together. In other cases, the woman simply lays on the floor with her legs spread and waits for the man to body-slam her in this blatantly sexual manner.

Naturally, this can have dangerous consequences - rumors of a woman being killed by Daggering surfaced when video of a dance accident circulated on the web. Fortunately, the young woman was simply knocked unconscious when her partner missed and ended up jumping on her head and neck, but it was certainly a wake-up call for many. Whether you are a fan of Daggering or not, one must admit that engaging in such violent acts is potentially dangerous and could even be life-threatening.

So why is Daggering still popular?

Originating in the dance halls of Jamaica, the Daggering dance craze has been around for several years. However, it's only recently that it's been gaining attention in other parts of the world. Thanks to artists like Mr. Vegas and RDX, both of whom wrote songs about and created videos for Daggering, this exotic dance style made its way into video sites such as the popular YouTube. Further interest was sparked when rapper Vybz Kartel and popular female artist, Spice, teamed up to create the controversial tune, "Rampin Shop."

Taking note of the violent nature of these songs and the increase in injuries related to the Daggering dance, the Jamaican Broadcasting Commission stepped in and banned all songs that contained explicit sexual content, as well as rape, murder or other violent acts from both the television and radio. Even taking steps to ensure that even bleeped-out, censored versions would be banned, it was a powerful message that was sent out to the artists as well as the fans: Violence would no longer be tolerated. Daggering was not welcome.

Of course, there is a great deal of controversy surrounding this ban. The artists argue that the censorship is a violation of their right to free speech while fans of Daggering argue that the dance has ties back to African culture and should be respected as such. In addition to this argument, some claim that the ban is an attempt to harass the poor and that dancing in provocative styles should be tolerated because there are many worse things out there that the kids could be doing.

Of course, one has to wonder how many mothers would agree with that perspective.

Sources and Information:

Sherrill Fulghum - Jamaica Bans Explicit Music - Associated Content
Video blogged by Daggermaster - Girl Dies from Daggering - Daggering.com
Permalink's blog - No More Daggering Songs Says Broadcasting Commission - OutAroad.com