The history of shag dancing
Shag dancing started a long time ago, around the 1920s. It began in African American communities in the Carolinas and became popular among young people.
Shag dancing mixes different styles like jazz, swing, and some African rhythms. Over time, it spread across the United States and even to other countries.
Today, shag dancing still influences modern dances. You can see its moves in some popular dances like the Lindy Hop and East Coast Swing. Even in modern music videos and dance shows, you might catch some shag dance steps.
So, even though it’s an old dance, shag continues to shape the way we dance today.
NSDC
The National Shag Dance Championships (NSDC) is a big competition for shag dancing. It started in Myrtle Beach in 1984 and has been happening every year since then.
According to their website, “The NSDC started in Myrtle Beach in 1984 and is the longest continuously running shag dance contest in the United States.”
The NSDC has won two awards for being the best swing dance event in the United States.
Besides the main contest, the NSDC also gives out a scholarship called the “Beth Mitchell Memorial Scholarship.”
It helps a college student who has been in the NSDC contest before. This scholarship is set up as a special kind of charity so people can get tax deductions for donating. They announce the scholarship winners at the end of the NSDC contest each year.
The NSDC contest takes place over two weekends. The first part, called the Preliminaries or Qualifying Round, is in late January. Then, the Finals happen in early March. If you like watching dance shows on TV, you should come to the NSDC and see the amazing dance competition live.
The shag dance competition only calls out the bests of the best just like this duo.
Not so long ago, shag dance partners, Grayson Free & Bethany Forrest, joined the NSDC 2022. They were among the contestants in the ‘Professional Division.’
They chose to jive to ‘Can You Stand It’ by Johnnie Johnson and they didn’t disappoint.
Just seconds after the song’s intro, Grayson and Bethany also began dancing lively to the upbeat music.
They spun, twisted, turned, dipped, and stomped the floor with their amazing footwork. When we say “ankle breaker,” the term doesn’t only apply in basketball, just look at how they bent their knees down to their ankles from left to right!
The two also managed to pull off a couple of tricks which both the crowd and judges loved.
Their movements were so smooth they almost looked like they were gliding on melting butter. Their years of experience, love for the dance, and all those hours of tireless practice finally paid off.
To no surprise, the video of Grayson and Bethany’s performance has already reached nearly a million views.
That number simply proves that a lot of people are still into shag dancing. It’s always a feast to both the ears and eyes to see this type of dance every once in a while, wouldn’t you agree?
Watch Grayson and Bethany’s journey to the championships in the video below.
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