What is the History of Shag Dancing?
The beginning of the Shag phenomenon was in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. However, in much of Eastern North Carolina, the Shag culture has deep roots. Shag dancing was one of the first examples of African-American culture bleeding over into the mainstream. Young, white college kids would routinely visit racially segregated dances, learn the steps, and bring them back to the predominantly white beach communities for the classic open-air beach parties along the coast. These young dancers asked radio stations to play more rhythm and blues, creating a movement so sturdy that there are still radio stations throughout the Carolinas with solely “beach music” play lists. Similar to Swing Dancing Officially born in the 1950s, Shag dancing is similar to Swing dancing and consists of a six-count foot pattern. Billy Jeffers and “Chicken” Hicks are two of the “founding fathers” of Shag, credited with developing the dance by slowing down the original tempo of the jitterbug and incorporating sexier,
