Biggest SC shag festival is here. What to know about shag dancing and where to learn it

The 44th annual Society of Stranders (SOS) Fall Migration is here, drawing thousands of shag fans to North Myrtle Beach to dance, connect with friends and celebrate shag culture.

Although SOS hosts two other annual events, Mid-Winter Break and Spring Safari, Fall Migration stands out as the group’s largest and most popular event. This year, organizers anticipate the 10-day event will welcome between 6,000 and 7,000 shaggers.

In addition to shag parties at North Myrtle Beach lounges, SOS will shut down Main Street from Ocean Drive to Hillside Drive on Monday, Sept. 16, for a massive block party. Dubbed, “Fun Monday,” the event will feature live music from three bands, a raffle and, of course, shag.

If your curious about the dance that has endured in South Carolina for roughly 80 years, here’s what to know.

What is shag

Sometimes called the swing dance of the South, the shag was named South Carolina’s official state dance in 1984. Similar to dances like the Lindy Hop and East Coast Swing, shag follows a six-count, eight-step pattern accented by twirls. The dance highlights footwork with kicks and slides, while upper body movement is more subdued.

If you visit a shag club today, you’ll likely encounter different genres of music, but when shag emerged along the Carolina coast in the mid-20th century, the dance was set to beach music.

“The history of it goes back to the Jitterbug days,” SOS President Whisenant said. “And, of course, the refined shag as we know it today was indigenous to the coastal areas of the Carolinas, around the beach spots, the pavilions of the beach back in the late ‘40s, early ‘50s.”

In those days, the dance was popular with young people working summer jobs along the Grand Strand, Whisenant said. Decades later, in September 1980, Gene Laughter organized the first-ever SOS Fall Migration.

“It was a reunion of old beach workers and the ones who used to lifeguard and work in the hotels and work in the cafeterias and restaurants during the summer months. North Myrtle Beach used to close on Labor Day … and then after that, it was basically just a little quiet place on the coast,” Whisenant said.

For years since, Fall Migration has been a staple for long-time shaggers and recent initiates alike.

“You may be a stranger when you get there, but you won’t be when you leave,” Whisenant said. “You’ll make new friends, and you’ll look forward to seeing those friends each and every time that you go to an SOS event, and you’ll make new ones as well. It’s a never ending cycle.”

Learning to shag

Home to lots of shag venues and groups, the Grand Strand is the perfect place to pick up shagging. Deckerz, OD Arcade and Lounge, Ocean Drive Beach and Golf Resort, Duck’s Night Life and Fat Harold’s Beach Club host shagging events and partner with SOS to offer members free entry.

If you want a slower introduction to shag dancing, visit a shag night at one of the local clubs to check out how experienced shaggers move. Whisenant says, traditionally, people picked up shagging informally by watching the dance.

“That’s the way it used to be,” said Whisenant . “Now, of course, someone finally figured out a way to count the basic steps and choreograph it, so now we have dance instructors.”

Married shag duo Jackie McGee and Charlie Pangburn teach group lessons for beginner, advanced beginner and intermediate shag dancers on Monday nights at Fat Harold’s and the Murrells Inlet Community Center offers classes Tuesday nights.

During Fall Migration, North Myrtle Beach will also host plenty of shag workshops. Check out lessons at Duck’s, OD Arcade and Lounge, Ocean Drive Beach and Golf Resort’s ballroom and Harold’s on the Ocean.

If you want to connect with other shaggers, organized clubs are a great way to meet other dancers.

The O.D. Shag Club in North Myrtle Beach has met at Fat Harold’s Beach Club for more than 40 years. The group gathers for meetings on the first Tuesday and shag nights on the third Saturday of every month. The South Strand Shag Club in Murrells Inlet regularly hosts shag dances and workshops at the VFW at 4359 US-17 BUS and other venues.

The shag community

Whisenant has been shagging since the ‘50s and involved in SOS for more than 40 years. In that time, he’s made friends he never would have otherwise.

“We’re a very diverse group. We’re doctors, lawyers, Indian chiefs, hourly workers, blue collar [workers], we’re just all walks of life,” Whisenant said. “But when you put them in a beer joint in North Myrtle Beach they all are one.”

For shaggers who consider shagging more of a community and a lifestyle than a dance, Fall Migration lets friends reconnect year after year.

“That’s basically what SOS is all about,” Whisenant said. “It’s not a family reunion, but in a way, it is a family reunion. It’s a reunion of friends.”