St. Louis Shag
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St. Louis shag is a
swing dance Swing dance is a group of social dances that developed with the swing style of jazz music in the 1920s–1940s, with the origins of each dance predating the popular "swing era". Hundreds of styles of swing dancing were developed; those that hav ...
that evolved from the Lindy Hop, Collegiate Shag and
Charleston Charleston most commonly refers to: * Charleston, South Carolina * Charleston, West Virginia, the state capital * Charleston (dance) Charleston may also refer to: Places Australia * Charleston, South Australia Canada * Charleston, Newfoundlan ...
. It is a fast, closed position dance that is usually done to stomp,
jump Jumping is a form of locomotion or movement in which an organism or non-living (e.g., robotic) mechanical system propels itself through the air along a ballistic trajectory. Jump or Jumping also may refer to: Places * Jump, Kentucky or Jump St ...
, and boogie-woogie music. St. Louis Shag is a territory swing dance which originated in
St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...
in the 1930s.Tommy Russo said he learned the dance from the "colored kids on the playground" and that they did it best. He also implied it had been around for a while "they (blacks) were doing it way before us." It may have been danced in the black community in the mid-late 20s. All the other original Swing Dancers interviewed said it originated in the black community The dance has a stationary 8-count basic that is commonly composed of triple-step, kick, triple-step, kick. Another basic version, popularized by Kenny Wetzel, an East St. Louis native who moved to Southern California in the 1950s, is composed of triple-step, kick, step-stomp, run-run. Eddie Plunkett and Dottie Spokesfield of St. Louis had another version of the basic composed of triple-step, kick, double kick. The dance's rhythmic variations include inside crosses (also known as over the tops), fall off the logs, and customizable stomps, kicks, taps, and holds. St. Louis Shag is often done to up-tempo swing, rock and roll, and blues music. Dancers usually transition freely between shag and jitterbug steps. The Shag has a long history in St. Louis, first in swing, then rock and roll, jazz, jump blues, and R&B, which probably changed the dance's look and feel while preserving its characteristics. Pioneers of St. Louis Shag include 1930s and 40s-era dancers Tommy Russo, Dolores Shy, Virginia Shy, Mike Renda, Joe Renda, Eva Renda, Eddie Plunkett, Dottie Spokesfield, Jim Byrnes, and Lorraine Byrnes. Dancers from the 1950s, '60s, and beyond include Kenny Wetzel, John Bedrosian, Valerie LaFemina, Bob Brooks, and Sylvia Sykes.


See also

* Carolina shag * Collegiate shag


References

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External links


StreetSwing article on St. Louis shag
Swing dances Dances of the United States Culture of St. Louis