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Carolina Music.  Best in the world!

  How Shaggin great bands is the secret to Belmont NC’s Friday Night Live.

Belmont’s Friday Night Live has quickly become THE place for beach music bands to perform.  According to Ken Knox of the band “Chairmen of the Board,” Belmont’s Fridayt Night Live is now the largest continuos summer beach music festival in the country.  Routinely drawing 8,000-15,000 thousand fans, it features such legendary bands such as The Embers, Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs, and the NC Music Hall of Fame inductees “General Johnson and the Chairmen of the Board.”

What is “Shag music” you ask?  Well, the basic dance step is most suited to Rhythm & Blues music, but “Shag” is really a style of swing dancing.  It’s become a way of life for people all along the east coast.  Some even refer to it as a “religion.” Say amen, brother and grab your partner for some true southern fun

Shag is described as a Southern tradition of style and grace…a dance craze phenomenon invented decades ago by local teens in the Carolinas.

Shag dancing seems to transcend age and brings together all kinds of enthusiasts seeking to perfect its laid-back, seemingly effortless moves. In fact, it’s become so much a part of the culture; it’s been declared the official dance of the Carolinas!  A close cousin of the 1930s craze called the Big Apple, the shag has been the subject of a movie, books, and countless magazine and newspapers articles. And although the jazz sounds of the 1930s helped to create the acrobatic Big Apple, the laid back Carolina “Southerners” slowed it down and smoothed it out a bit.  Much more than a dance, the shag is also a feeling of friendship, and of sand, salt, and surf combined with smoothly worn hardwood floors. It’s become a way of life set to rhythm and blues and an opportunity to re-live youth, lost or not!

The name, Carolina Shag originated in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina in the 1930′s, when back then, the dance was a mix of the Charleston and Collegiate shuffle with some of the original basic steps being called the: Cuban Step, Shuffle, Twinkle etc. Some claim the Carolina shag as pre-existing the Lindy Hop; due to some music title’s having the Shag in its name or description, however they are confusing the “Collegiate Shag” with the current Carolina version. The actual Carolina Shag soon became known as “Beach Swing” and was done to “Beach Music”, which was basically old Motown, Blues and oldies music today. The Shag, however, is done primarily in the Southern States such as Florida, the Carolina’s, Virginia, Georgia, etc. and has a very smooth, connected feel with your partner and the music.

Most agree that the modern form of the “Shag” was first danced in the Myrtle Beach area.  (Some say from the old Pavilion.) It gained popularity in the mid 1940s, when the R&B bands were playing the beaches and the clubs. The music slowed down considerably and the dancers, the music and the times changed the dance up to reflect its current look and feel.  Dancing on the beach (literally) helped change the dance, too, and that’s where the nickname, “Beach Music” originated. Today, West Coast Swing and Shag are starting to merge the best qualities of each of the two together and forming a newer style called SWAG. It’s pretty cool; however, the Carolina shag will always be a mainstay in the Shag dance community.

Today, the “Shag” consists mainly of fancy footwork by the leader, with the follower matching the leader’s footwork occasionally. In the past, it was the lady who called out the footwork she wanted to “mirror.” The follower occasionally will call out a name of footwork or a sequence and the man will lead it with her. Choreography usually is not done socially or competitively but that seems to be changing. There are a few patterns of the Carolina Shag; however an immense amount of “footwork” can be seen in each move. True seasoned “Shaggers” take pride in adopting their own versions of the dance, each being distinctive and effortless. Using the balls of their feet and small steps, “Shaggers” manage to perform this very “cool” style of dance to individual perfection.

As “Shag” has evolved, so has the music. Now “Shaggers” enjoy performing their magic to everything from gospel to music from the 40’s big band era, known in the Carolina’s as “groove bands.” This has become much larger in nature with Shag Clubs popping up everywhere. Most of the clubs are members of the Association of Carolina Shag Clubs and there are more and more major events such as the Grand Nationals in Atlanta where thousands of “Shaggers” can show their stuff and compete against the best in the country. “Shag” has even spread internationally to London, Ontario, where it is a favorite for many.

“Shag” has become such a way of life to so many people, it’s hard to imagine a time before “Beach Music.”  Be sure to plan a trip to downtown Belmont to see some expert “shaggers” at work during the Belmont Merchants Friday Night Live!

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