You don’t need to be a resident of the South to know about the history of the Shag. The highly technical dance first originated as the Carolina Shag but is still widely recognized today as a major category in most dance competitions. In fact, North Myrtle Beach is home to the annual National Shag Dance Championship each year.
Officially, the dance is defined by six counts and eight steps. It’s typically performed to the beat of Beach Music, which is characterized by a 4/4 time signature. In other words, this isn’t a slow dance. Think of it as an offshoot of Swing.
The basic step in Carolina Shag is a six-count, eight-step pattern danced in a slot. The rhythm is similar to six-count Swing in that it is triple step, triple step, rock step or counted as "one-and-two, three-and-four, five-six". Eight shag dance steps are in the basic pattern. The "one-and-two" and "three-and-four" steps should take about as much time to complete as the "five-six."
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