Collegiate shag

The Collegiate Shag (or "Shag") is a partner dance done primarily to uptempo swing and pre-swing jazz music (185-250+ beats per minute). It belongs to the swing family of American vernacular dances that arose in the 1920s and 30s. It is believed that the dance originated within the African American community[1] of the Carolinas in the 1920s,[2][3] later spreading across the United States during the 1930s. The shag is still danced today by swing dance enthusiasts worldwide.

  1. ^ ”Nice People Suddenly Get the Urge to Become Vulgar” The Afro American 14 June 1941. 1[Research credit: Ryan Martin]
  2. ^ The Rebirth of Shag. Dir. Ryan Martin. Vimeo. 2014 <http://vimeo.com/88253085>.
  3. ^ “Shag Latest Dance” Blytheville Courier News (Arkansas) 25 July 1929: 5 [Research credit: Forrest Outman]