Charlotte Shag Club

To view the new 2010 CSC Calendar (click here)

For Adult Shag Lessons Schedule (click here)

For Junior Shag Info (click here)

The next CSC Board Meeting is Thursday, September 2nd, at tthe Sleep Inn at 7:00pm. The General Membership Meeting will be at Lynn's on Thursday, September 9th, at 8:00pm.

> December 11 - CSC Christmas Party at Paw Creek American Legion ( details to come)

The “shag” is a dance best described as a slowed-down, structured version of the jitterbug. Many believe it grew out of black R&B music from the 1930’s and 1940’s in combination with early rock and roll.

The shag is most prevalent on the East coast, especially in the Carolinas, and is thought to have sprung its roots in North Myrtle Beach, SC. In addition to the “basic” step, the most common shag steps are a start, male and female turns, a pivot, and a belly roll.

Shag music (sometimes referred to as “beach” music) is very diverse and encompasses almost all genres of music – R&B, oldies, country, top 40, disco, and even gospel. Most songs that are “shag-able” are between 100 and 140 beats per minute. Many of those with the slower beat are referred to as “smoothies”.

Most shag music is played by DJ’s although there are a number of bands that specialize in shag music.

Many cities in the Carolina’s and surrounding states have a shag club. There are approximately 100 shag clubs and, on most weekends, there is a shag event in your area sponsored by one of the clubs. All clubs belong to the Association of Carolina Shag Clubs (ACSC), which holds semi-annual meetings hosted by one of the clubs in conjunction with a weekend party.

Twice a year (usually in April and September), literally thousands of shaggers congregate at North Myrtle Beach for a 10-day event officially titled the “Society Of Stranders”, or more commonly referred to as “SOS”. SOS can be likened to an adult Spring Break. Within two square blocks there are no less than 7 dance clubs available to those that have purchased an SOS membership card, which is good for the entire year. In each dance club, DJ’s will play great shag music from noon until the wee hours of the morning.

Other shag events are held during the year at North Myrtle Beach, the most widely attended being a 3-day event in late January called ‘Mid-Winter’ which is similar to SOS.