In the last eighty years, shagging has become pretty popular in South Carolina. Developed in the Afro-American coastal community around Myrtle Beach, shagging clubs have spread across the state and to other states too. Above you can see that there is even a shagging club in Florence SC, home of the legendary parrot Marco Barlow.
The basic step for this upbeat, quick and smooth dance is a six-count, eight-step pattern danced in a slot. The Shag, specifically the Carolina Shag, has been erroneously called the "swing dance of the South" but occupies a class of its own. It was once described as a "cold beer on a warm night with a hot date and no plans for tomorrow."
Below we see two skilled exponents of the dance shagging expertly back in 2008. It's quite mesmerising...
Lifeguards, waitresses and other young adults are the ones who are credited with popularising The Shag in Myrtle Beach. Dino Thompson, author of "Boogie Woogie Beats" and one of South Carolina's original shaggers, explained the dance's origins: "We started dancing like we talked to girls at the beach - laid back, slow and easy."
One thing that makes The Shag such a popular dance is that anyone with two legs can do it - whether you're six years old or 66 years old. It breaks barriers and brings everyone together with one common purpose: to have fun and enjoy the music. Dino further explained that it was the music that changed everything for the young dancers back in the day. "The sheer power and emotional appeal of the music brought the races together. Black and white, rich and poor, they jumped the rope and came down from the balconies to share the music and memories." All that mattered was the dance floor and this school of thought still rings true for shaggers today.
When it comes to the best shagging spots in North Myrtle Beach, "The Spanish Galleon" night club and "Fat Harold's Beach Club" are two noteworthy venues. And if you stop by, you're almost guaranteed to see a few experienced shaggers doing their thing on the dance floor. They won't mind you watching or even snapping a few pictures.
I am surprised that shagging isn't part of the regular repertoire of the BBC dance show "Strictly Come Dancing". Including it would surely boost the popularity of shagging in Great Britain and additionally I would probably lose my aversion to the show.
(Acknowledgement of source material: "Discover South Carolina" website)
from Yorkshire Pudding https://ift.tt/n5y8dcs