A cousin of the Charleston believed to be from New Orleans, the Collegiate Shag became popular nationwide (and especially in the New York area) in the ’30s and ’40s. Like other dances popular in the big band era, Collegiate Shag has roots in the ’20s including possible connections to the Varsity Drag and Collegiate. While other footwork patterns and styles exist, Collegiate Shag today is primarly a 6-count dance full of kicks, hops and taps done to fast jazz.
Posted on January 21st, 2005 by chad
We perform and teach popular and historical social dances of the Jazz Age and Swing Era and have appeared on stage, independent film, and local and national television. Known for our performance and our research of social dancing, we also consult and choreograph for period productions, particularly those set in the Roaring Twenties. Though we do not regularly compete, we have placed in a number of competitions, including 1st in the 2004 American Lindy Hop Championships Fast Dance division.