An introduction to Shag Dancing  in the Carolinas:

Summers at the beach, nights on the boardwalk, cruising on the

boulevard, boys and girls, leather soles sliding on sanded wood, the rhythms of the beach and the blues…

The Carolina Shag has spanned generations, and remains an integral part of Southern culture today as one of the threads in the fabric that is the South.

A true social dance, the Shag has regional and generational  differences in steps and style, but has unified generations of Southerners with its improvisational nature, social atmosphere, and soulful magic.

Come feel the rhythms, slide your feet, follow, lead, who will you meet?

Learn your basic, try it out and see, and darlin’, save the last dance for me....
fully illustrated with photographs

available from the author, Caroline Hoadley

at her new website, CarolinaDancing.com

Carolina Shag - the Spirit of Southern Social Dance
How to Teach Shag Dancing ~ educators edition by Caroline Hoadley

Shag & Social Dance are an appropriate lesson for everyone, focusing on present day universal social skills and South Carolina's state dance.
SC Educators of all types and grade levels will benefit from the book and the associated workshop- Shag clubs too! 

Edition for Educators~ distributed around South Carolina in Spring '09, the book can be found in many school libraries, especially in Beaufort County.

Here's what 3rd graders in the Lowcountry Arts Integration Project in Beaufort have to say about their Shag & Social Dance lessons:
"We keep our mouths shut so our muscles can learn." - Shamar

"First I was nervous, then I felt good." - Markham

"I feel great. It gives me an opportunity to know everybody and learn how to do the state dance. It's a dance everyone can learn. I memorized the dance in my head."
- Michael

"She told us to take turns, and we had to hold out our hands, it was separate hands to hold out for the girls and the boys. It was fun, it was actually my first time learning to shag. We had talked about it in social studies, our teacher told us about it. It's the state dance because of the beach and the beach music. I'm going to keep on shag dancing when it gets hot, on the beach. This will help me know what to do when I go to a prom. I'll already know and be polite when I do it. I like to do all the moves, Ms. Hoadley taught us three parts— up together and back with the six steps, the set up, and the turn." - Deonte

"I thought no one would pick me, but then when I did get to dance, I felt good. I hope to dance more with my baby brother." - Genesis

"People kept telling me I can't dance. When I tried, it felt right. It's good exercise." - Millennia

please email Caroline or call 864-608-3878 to learn more and to order.

Our State dance, the Carolina Shag, began during WWII in the coastal Carolinas and has maintained its unique place in southern culture to the present day.
 
The Shag has a long and colorful history. It is descended from the Charleston, the first swing dance, which began on the docks of Charleston and Savannah at the beginning of the last century, incorporating movements from Irish dance, West African dance, and European peasant dances.

Shag was also heavily influenced by the Big Apple and Little Apple dances, which began in Columbia, SC in 1936.

The book includes photos of children learning, Shag luminaries displaying their moves, and recommendations for good beach music and events at Shag clubs. In addition to being a How To guide, the book is an archive of what Shag -- a highly improvisational activity-- means today in South Carolina.

Caroline Hoadley is a Dance Teacher, Choreographer, Performer; SCAC Roster, Southern Arts Federation Roster, Dance Educators of America, former studio owner, Certified Dance Specialist K-12, lifelong shagger — and the author of the soon-to-be-published The Carolina Shag, the first in a series about dance and dance education. She can be reached at 864-608-3878.

This project is partially funded through a grant from the Arts Council of Beaufort County with funds from the City of Beaufort and the South Carolina Arts Commission through the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional funding is from the John & Susan Bennett Memorial Arts Fund of the Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina.
Caroline Hoadley & Randall Long shagging at the Ocean Drive Pavilion, SC
Kristin & Tyler Brooks try out new movesduring Jr. SOS at Duck's in Ocean Drive, Sc