Collegiate Shag - History

History

Shag has no clear historical record but is often assumed, as with many other swing dances, to have evolved from Foxtrot. Though, there is little evidence to support this claim. In the late 19th century the term "shagger" was supposedly a nickname for vaudeville performers, who were known to dance the flea hop. Later "shag" became a blanket term that signified a broad range of jitterbugging (swing dancing). In the 1930s there were arguably a hundred or more stylistic variations of the dance, which differed depending upon geographic region. Dance instructors at the time eventually generalized these stylistic variations into three rhythmic categories: single, double, and triple shag. The different names are intended to denote the number of 'slow' (e.g., step, hop) steps performed during each basic. The slow steps were then followed by two 'quick' steps (e.g., step, step).

Today, shag enthusiasts and historians also recognize the existence of a fourth original shag rhythm—what has come to be known as "long-double shag". This rhythmic variation is identical to double-shag except that it has four quick steps rather than two. It has been traced to Charlotte, NC, where it co-existed with the triple and single-rhythm variations. It is commonly believed that double-rhythm shag evolved after these, as the dance spread to the north. And, though double shag is the most popular form of collegiate shag today, single was the dominant rhythm during the swing era.

The dance is still performed today (primarily double shag) by swing dance enthusiasts worldwide.