The Carolina shag is a
partner dance done primarily to
beach music
Beach music, also known as Carolina beach music, and to a lesser extent, Beach pop, is a regional genre of music in the United States which developed from rock/ R&B and pop music of the 1950s and 1960s. Beach music is most closely associate ...
(100-130+ beats per minute in 4/4 time signature). Today, the shag is a recognized dance in national and international dance competitions.
Technique
The basic step in Carolina Shag is a six-count, eight-step pattern danced in a
slot. The rhythm is similar to six-count Swing in that it is triple step, triple step, rock step or counted as "one-and-two, three-and-four, five-six". Eight shag dance steps are in the basic pattern. The "one-and-two" and "three-and-four" steps should take about as much time to complete as the "five-six."
Carolina shag often bears only the faintest resemblance to other dances that share the "
shag
Shag, or Shagged, or Shagger, or Shagging, or Shags may refer to:
Animals
* Shag or cormorant, a bird family
** European shag, a specific species of the shag or cormorant family
** Great cormorant another species of the family
People Pseudonym
...
" designation.
History
The term "Carolina shag" is thought to have originated along the Atlantic Ocean in Cherry Grove Beach, South Carolina during the 1940s. According to
Bo Bryan, a Carolina shag
historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the st ...
and resident of
Beaufort County, the term was coined at
Carolina Beach, North Carolina
Carolina Beach is a beach town in New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States, situated about south of Wilmington International Airport in southeastern coastal North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 6,564. It is pa ...
. The Carolina shag is a descendant of Carolina Jitterbug, and its predecessor, Little Apple, which was the white version of the
Big Apple
"The Big Apple" is a nickname for New York City. It was first popularized in the 1920s by John J. Fitz Gerald, a sportswriter for the '' New York Morning Telegraph''. Its popularity since the 1970s is due in part to a promotional campaign by th ...
(whose origins can be traced to Columbia, South Carolina in 1937) after whites sat (after "jumping the
Jim Crow rope") in the balconies in the black clubs to watch the dancing.
Cultural references
The 1989 film ''
Shag
Shag, or Shagged, or Shagger, or Shagging, or Shags may refer to:
Animals
* Shag or cormorant, a bird family
** European shag, a specific species of the shag or cormorant family
** Great cormorant another species of the family
People Pseudonym
...
'' starring
Bridget Fonda,
Phoebe Cates
Phoebe Belle Cates Kline (born July 16, 1963) is an American former actress, known primarily for her roles in films such as ''Fast Times at Ridgemont High'' (1982), ''Gremlins'' (1984) and ''Drop Dead Fred'' (1991).
Early life
Cates was born ...
,
Annabeth Gish
Anne Elizabeth "Annabeth" Gish (born March 13, 1971) is an American actress. She has played roles in films ''Shag'', ''Hiding Out'', '' Mystic Pizza'', ''SLC Punk!'', ''The Last Supper'' and ''Double Jeopardy''. On television, she played Special ...
, and
Page Hannah
Patricia Alberta "Page" Adler (née Hannah) is an American philanthropist and former actress.
Life and career
Hannah was born in Chicago, Illinois. She is married to producer Lou Adler, and the couple have four sons. She is the younger siste ...
as four high-school friends on their last road trip together before graduation, was filmed in Myrtle Beach and features the Carolina shag.
In 1997, the
country music
Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
band
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County
, LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham
, area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...
recorded the single called "
Dancin', Shaggin' on the Boulevard
"Dancin', Shaggin' on the Boulevard" is a song written by Randy Owen, Teddy Gentry and Greg Fowler, and recorded by American country music band Alabama. It was released in June 1997 as the second single from the album, ''Dancin' on the Boulevard' ...
" referencing this style of dance and the band's own history of playing at the Carolina shore where the dance originated.
In mid- to late August 2018,
SiriusXM satellite radio
Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting company headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. It was formed by the 2008 merger of Sirius Sat ...
added a channel called Carolina Shag. It replaced a summertime channel dedicated to
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Distinguished by the ...
. SiriusXM describes the channel as being "dedicated to the vintage R&B sounds that have meant Summer in the Carolinas for decades".
See also
*
Swing (dance)
*
Collegiate shag
The Collegiate Shag (or "Shag") is a partner dance done primarily to uptempo swing and pre-swing jazz music (185-250+ beats per minute). It belongs to the swing family of American vernacular dances that arose in the 1920s and 30s. It is believed ...
*
St. Louis shag
*
Lindy Hop
The Lindy Hop is an American dance which was born in the Black communities of Harlem, New York City, in 1928 and has evolved since then. It was very popular during the swing era of the late 1930s and early 1940s. Lindy is a fusion of many danc ...
References
External links
Society of StrandersAssociation of Beach and Shag Club DeeJays
Swing dances
Dances of the United States
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