A shimmy or shoulder shakes is a dance move in which the body is held still, except for the shoulders, which are quickly alternated back and forth. When the right shoulder goes back, the left one comes forward.

United States

In 1917, a dance-song titled "Shim-Me-Sha-Wabble" by

Spencer Williams Spencer Williams (October 14, 1889 – July 14, 1965) was an American jazz and popular music composer, pianist, and singer. He is best known for his hit songs " Basin Street Blues", " I Ain't Got Nobody", " Royal Garden Blues", " I've Found a N ...

was published, as "The Jazz Dance", which included the "Shimmy-She", among others.

Gilda Gray Gilda Gray (born Marianna Michalska; October 25, 1895 – December 22, 1959) was a Polish-American dancer and actress who popularized a dance called the "shimmy" which became fashionable in 1920s films and theater productions. Early life and 'th ...

attributed to American Indians in a 1919 interview with ''Variety'' saying "You may not believe it but the original shimmy dance has never been properly introduced in New York. I know, for I have studied the dancing characteristics of the Indians for a long time, and they are really responsible for the shimmy which they labelled the 'Shima Shiwa'. There have been continual efforts on the part of this dancer and that one, with each declaring that his or her version is the 'original.' There is no doubt but that the shimmy dance as it was constructed by the American Indian would have a greater popularity if done right." "

I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate "I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate", often simply "Sister Kate", is an up-tempo jazz dance song, written by Armand J. Piron and published in 1922. The lyrics of the song are narrated first person by Kate's sister, who sings about Kate's im ...

" was an up-tempo jazz dance song, written by Clarence Williams and Armand Piron, and published in 1919 which has been popular ever since and performed and recorded by many artists.

Flapper Flappers were a subculture of young Western women prominent after the First World War and through the 1920s who wore short skirts (knee length was considered short during that period), bobbed their hair, listened to jazz, and flaunted their ...

s often performed the dance in the 1920s. The origin of the name is often falsely attributed to

, a Polish emigrant to America. An anecdote says that when she was asked about her dancing style, she answered, in heavy accent, "I'm shaking my ''

chemise A chemise or shift is a classic smock type of women's undergarment or dress. Historically, a chemise was a simple garment worn next to the skin to protect clothing from sweat and body oils, the precursor to the modern shirts commonly worn in W ...

''". In an interview Gilda denied having said this, and earlier usages of the word are recorded. In the late 1910s, others were also attributed as being the "inventor" of the shimmy, including Hilda Ferguson,

Bee Palmer Bee Palmer (born Beatrice Charlotta Palmer) was an American singer, dancer, and showgirl who achieved fame during the Jazz Age as the " Shimmy Queen." Early years Bee Palmer was born in Chicago, IL, to Charley A. Palmer and his wife, Anna (La ...

and the jazz duo Frank Hale and Signe Paterson.

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, in her autobiography ''Goodness Had Nothing to Do with It'', claimed to have re-titled the "Shimmy-Shawobble" as the Shimmy, after seeing the moves in some black nightclubs. The dance was often considered to be obscene and was frequently banned from American

dance hall Dance hall in its general meaning is a hall for Dance, dancing, but usually refers to a specific type of twentieth-century venue, with dance clubs (nightclubs) becoming more popular towards the end of the century. The palais de danse was a term ap ...

s during the 1920s. In the early 1960s, several dance songs featuring the Shimmy became hits, including

Bobby Freeman Robert Thomas Freeman (June 13, 1940 – January 23, 2017)"Bobby Freeman"
Ace Records.co.uk. Retrieve ...

's " Shimmy, Shimmy",

the Olympics The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a variety of competiti ...

' " Shimmy Like Kate", and

Little Anthony & the Imperials Little is a synonym for small size and may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Little'' (album), 1990 debut album of Vic Chesnutt * ''Little'' (film), 2019 American comedy film *The Littles, a series of children's novels by American author John P ...

' " Shimmy Shimmy Ko-ko Bop".

Folk dance traditions

The move is known in Romani dances, done by female dancers to produce a chime of costume decorations made of the sewn-on coins. Shoulder shakes is a characteristic attribute of the Ethiopian

eskista Eskista (Amharic: wikt:እስክስታ, እስክስታ) is a traditional Amhara people, Amhara cultural dance originated by the Amhara people, Amhara ethnic group in Ethiopia. "Eskista" means "dancing shoulders" in Amharic. Due to the widesprea ...

dance. In fact, "eskista" means "dancing shoulders" in Amharic. In

Bukusu The Bukusu people ( Bukusu: ''Babukusu'') are one of the 17 Kenyan tribes of the Luhya Bantu people of East Africa residing mainly in the counties of Bungoma and Trans Nzoia. They are the largest tribe of the Luhya nation, with 1,188,963 id ...

culture (East Africa), the "kamabeka" dance involves vigorous shaking of shoulders.The Role of Context in the Composition and Performance of Bukusu Children’s Play Songs
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References

Sources

* "Vaudeville Volleys," ''Variety'', July 8, 1919, p. 1055.

External links

at "Dance History Archives" * , in first 2 minutes of film Harold Lloyd is ejected from a "no shimmying" club {{Authority control Dance moves Novelty and fad dances 1910s in music Flappers Romani dances