What is Carolina Shag? A Dance Originating in South Carolina and also Popular in North Carolina

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by Our Founder/CEO&CTO Hiroyuki Chishiro

He has worked as a visiting scholar at Michael Jordan's alma mater, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), from September 2012 to August 2013, and is familiar with US college basketball (NCAA) and the NBA. He is Japanese and also familiar with Japan basketball and B.LEAGUE (Japan).
He is presently working as CTO at Guarantee Happiness LLC in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States (the town where UNC is located) from January 2020 and as CEO and CTO of Japanese Tar Heel, Inc. in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States from June 2022. He is familiar with the latest basketball in United States.
We have written more than 110 articles on North Carolina and UNC and more than 20 articles on basketball.
He played basketball in junior high and high school, and was in the top 8 in Chiba Prefecture in junior high school and in the top 16 in Chiba Prefecture in high school (Japan). He has experience playing American basketball with UNC students and North Carolina locals.

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Carolina Shag

Carolina Shag is a partner swing dance that originated along the coast of South Carolina, USA, in the 1940s.

Act Number 329 of 1984 added "Section 1-1-665" to the South Carolina Code (1976 Code).

It states, "The shag is the official dance of the State."

Thus, Carolina Shag became the official state dance of South Carolina in 1984.

In addition, Session Law 2005-218 (Senate Bill 128) added "§ 145-24 Official State dances." to the North Carolina General Statutes.

It states: "Shagging is adopted as the official popular dance of North Carolina."

*This law also simultaneously adopts Clogging as the "official folk dance."

The characteristics of Carolina Shag are as follows.

Steps: Based on a 6-count, featuring gliding footwork and a relaxed upper body style

Style: Lead & Follow moving back and forth along a rope-like path (slot), emphasizing "smoothness" over flashiness

The differences between Carolina Shag and Collegiate Shag are as follows:

Collegiate Shag: Faster tempo (swing/hot jazz), bouncy up-and-down motion, sportier.

While "Shag" encompasses multiple styles, it's easiest to remember it as "the smooth shag danced to beach music = Carolina Shag."

12 Carolina Shag Lesson Videos are as follows.

Carolina Shag performance videos are as follows.

Our Founder/CEO&CTO Hiroyuki Chishiro attended Sylvia Hatchell's high school reunion and enjoyed Carolina Shag!

The event was held in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

We introduced Carolina Shag, a partner swing dance born along the coast of South Carolina in the 1940s.

Carolina Shag is the official state dance of South Carolina and is also designated as a "popular dance" in North Carolina.

Book your travel arrangements here if you would like to learn more about it!