Despite the popularity of the Austin Powers movie, Shagging is actually a form of ballroom dance. For example, the Carolina Shag is a partner dance with six counts. The goal is to dance like a Saturday morning cartoon where the characters are stationary from the waist up while the legs are going crazy to a mid-tempo beat. The male leads his partner through kicks, spins and intricate footwork.
Note that it is not called the North Carolina Shag or South Carolina Shag, partly because it is the official state dance of both, and the citizens of both states still perform it proudly. An American creation, the dance began in the early 1930's with newspaper articles first mentioning Shag parties (not to be confused with a "Stag" party, as one article points out) in 1932. Hod Williams and his orchestra (is "Hod" really a name?) provided the music for numerous "Shaggers Nights," with tickets costing 40 cents for men, 20 cents for ladies, and 10 cents for children. Helon [sic] Powell Poole, quite the dance expert of the day, wrote an article called The Carolina Shag stating, "The shag originated in the South. It is danced mostly by the younger generation, the high school and college set. There are perhaps a hundred variations, some of which are very intricate." She goes on to outline the basic steps: the Kick Step, Box Step and the Triangle, and describes no less than seven combinations in detail. She is the first person to name the dance the Carolina Shag, no doubt because she proudly lived in North Carolina.
To do the kick step, one must step forward with left foot, kick with the right foot, step back on the right foot and ball change left to right. To box step, begin with the left foot, drop the heel, step to the right close the left foot to the right. Then do the same starting with the right. Minus the drop heel, its the same box step that is seen in many ballroom dances. The triangle step is a pretty interesting step. To do the triangle, step your left foot forward diagonal to the right, ball change right to the left, step to the right, and close left foot to the right. Then do the same starting with the right foot.
It has been written that there are hundreds of variations to the Carolina Shag. The term "shag" refers to a number of swing-type dances that were popular at the time. There was even a Carolina Shag scene in the 1989 movie called "Shag" starring Bridget Fonda and Phoebe Cates.
Don't be embarrassed about shagging your partner if you feel like dancing. You can even go down to Carolinas and show off doing their states' official dance. So go out there and shag it up!
Note that it is not called the North Carolina Shag or South Carolina Shag, partly because it is the official state dance of both, and the citizens of both states still perform it proudly. An American creation, the dance began in the early 1930's with newspaper articles first mentioning Shag parties (not to be confused with a "Stag" party, as one article points out) in 1932. Hod Williams and his orchestra (is "Hod" really a name?) provided the music for numerous "Shaggers Nights," with tickets costing 40 cents for men, 20 cents for ladies, and 10 cents for children. Helon [sic] Powell Poole, quite the dance expert of the day, wrote an article called The Carolina Shag stating, "The shag originated in the South. It is danced mostly by the younger generation, the high school and college set. There are perhaps a hundred variations, some of which are very intricate." She goes on to outline the basic steps: the Kick Step, Box Step and the Triangle, and describes no less than seven combinations in detail. She is the first person to name the dance the Carolina Shag, no doubt because she proudly lived in North Carolina.
To do the kick step, one must step forward with left foot, kick with the right foot, step back on the right foot and ball change left to right. To box step, begin with the left foot, drop the heel, step to the right close the left foot to the right. Then do the same starting with the right. Minus the drop heel, its the same box step that is seen in many ballroom dances. The triangle step is a pretty interesting step. To do the triangle, step your left foot forward diagonal to the right, ball change right to the left, step to the right, and close left foot to the right. Then do the same starting with the right foot.
It has been written that there are hundreds of variations to the Carolina Shag. The term "shag" refers to a number of swing-type dances that were popular at the time. There was even a Carolina Shag scene in the 1989 movie called "Shag" starring Bridget Fonda and Phoebe Cates.
Don't be embarrassed about shagging your partner if you feel like dancing. You can even go down to Carolinas and show off doing their states' official dance. So go out there and shag it up!
About the Author:
Tony and Melanie have been dancing, teaching, and creating fantastic choreography for over three decades. The run New York City's premier dance center If you interested in learning more history of any dances make sure you check out their website. They are now teaching dance lessons in NYC.