What is The Shag?
The Shag was a dance with a bad reputation, created in the 1940’s and 1950’s. It was forbidden to dance the Shag anywhere in the South except at the beach. Myrtle Beach became the hot spot to do this slow, racy version of the jitterbug. Because people did the dance on the beach, music good for Shaggin’ was called Beach Music. There was a Shag look: bleached out beach hair, crew cuts for men, and tailored Khaki pants, which later transformed itself into the Preppy look. Shag culture grew and grew, and peaked in the early 1960’s. Then it lot its rebellion image, and became respectable. Now it’s a beloved tradition and the so-called Shag culture is still honored by people in the Myrtle Beach area. It’s also the South Caroline state dance and you’ll see it done at parties and weddings across the region.
