A Quick History of Shag and The Coastal Shag Club.
The Shag originated in the late 1930's in clubs in Myrtle Beach, SC. The Shag has roots in Jitterbug and Lindy Hop Swing, which date to the 1920's. Early Shaggers called themselves "Jitterbugs". The Early Swing Music was fast, big band swing. The term "Shag" came about over a decade later and by the early '50s, Shag had adopted the tempo and feel of rhythm and blues. Certain individuals such as Billy Jeffers and "Chicken" Hicks are credited with developing the early aspects of the dance.
Shag emphasizes grace and smoothness of turns and athleticism. Unlike free style and hip hop dancing, Shag is "danced from the waist down". You need to achieve smooth tight footwork with the look of having rubber knees.
The Shag may be danced to classic "beach music" tunes such as "Carolina Girls" and "I Love Beach Music" or the Shag may be danced to Motown and Blues. Most Shag music is interchangeable with west coast swing music. The standard tempo ranges is 110 -135 beats per minute. The music is normally blues style, written in 4/4 time.
The Coastal Shag Club developed out of the Coastal Shag Society which was begun by Eunice Allison. Eunice, having only been in the area for two years and a past member of the Sandhills Shag Club, was ask to suggest a new activities for the Newcomers club. She explained and demonstrated the dance to everyone and all thought that it would be great to start a local Shag Dance Society. For two years dances were held at the Brier Wood County Club but the club really never got off the ground. Because of illness in her family requiring her attention Eunice had to give up trying to hold the club together. Thankfully some great individuals stepped up, took over and began a really active push to start a Shag Club.
On 4 November, 2007 twenty-seven individuals met and formed the Coastal Shag Club (CSC) by electing a President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasure along with a 5-body executive board. These Charter Members all agreed to work towards establishing and maintaining the CSC.
The Coastal Shag Club petition to join the Association of Carolina Shag Clubs was accepted by the organization on Saturday, April 26th, 2008 at the Spring Fling in North Myrtle Beach. The formal vote for full membership will occur during the Summer Workshop July 11-13, 2008 in Greenville S.C.
