Collegiate Shag Videos!
About Collegiate Shag
It's a year after our very first Shag Explosion workshop, and already Shag has begun to take over Ottawa. Chances are that by now, even if you don't already dance Shag, you've at least seen it on the dance floor already. Collegiate Shag is known as a fast dance of fun, fancy footwork. It's a great dance to have in your repertoire for spicing up fast songs with extra-crazy moves. Even the most basic Shag steps are a lot of fun to do and watch, and many people find it easier to dance Shag to fast music than Lindy Hop.
Minn and Corina
Minn and Corina are two modern dancers from LA known for their skills in Collegiate Shag.
A Little History
In the 30's, the term "Shag" in the US was still the word used for many local partner dances. The more risqué British meaning for the word wasn't known to Americans, so it was perfectly common for a young teenage girl of the era to tell her parents, "mom and dad, I'm going off to shag with my friends." Many regional Shag dances evolved, including Carolina Shag and St. Louis Shag. A dance craze more popular even than the Lindy Hop in many places, the "Collegiate Shag" was not just one dance, but a group of similar dances. Some say the dances evolved as teenagers took the dances they learned from their parents and added a "hop." However the form of Collegiate Shag that Arthur Murray taught became the most popular.
Arthur Murray Shag
This clip of Arthur Murray teaching Shag is one of the best-known among Shag dancers.
More Vintage Collegiate Shag
A dance scene from "Blondie Meets the Boss."
Carolina Shag
Collegiate Shag is very different from Carolina Shag, an exquisitely smooth dance that began as an off-shoot of Lindy Hop and evolved as a style for beach bums and the girls they were trying to impress, to be able to drink and dance on the beach. It's known for very smooth footwork and its slow R'nB music.
Classic Champions Winners - Michael Norris & Kellese Key
Michael and Kellese have had a lot of success in 2007 with this awesome Carolina Shag routine.
More Carolina Shag
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