2017 The Beach Beat!

Message from our President…

September was a great month for the club. We had wonderful turnouts at each dance. Our

Hot Dog and Hamburger cookout night was enjoyed by all. DJs Eddie Baker and Jim Bruno

both kept the dance floor full. The Junior Shaggers dance demonstration was a sight to see.

Youth. WOW!!!! I can’t believe that Fall is here already. I am right at 92+ miles in my daily

ocean swimming trying to have 100 miles at a mile a day for this swim season. Katy and I are

enjoying our time dancing.

We continue to need volunteers to sign up to be Door Greeters, to do the 50/50,and to help

with other duties at upcoming dances. Our Uplink event is the next dance and to make it a

success we need your help. Please contact me if you are willing to lend a hand. Thanks to all

who have served the club so far this year. An advantage of assisting the club with events is

the chance to get know other club members. It is good to see so many of our members step

up to help with the decorations and cleanup. Please let me know if you want to help out.

Our SOS Club “Free Pour” at the OD Pavilion was a great time. I counted about 60 club mem-

bers there. It was a fun afternoon. It was good seeing our club members enjoying this long

time tradition. Both Friday and Saturday evenings we saw many SOBS at the OD Beach Club,

within the Spanish Galleon complex.

In October, we are switching our dance venues. Our October 13th dance will be at the Moose

and the October 27th dance will be at the VFW. Our Operation Uplink VFW Fundraiser will be

Friday, October 13th at the Moose Lodge. All members should have received their raffle/

admission tickets and event information. We have already had club members sell all of their

tickets and donations are starting to come in. We should again have a variety of items.

Halloween, Thanksgiving, club elections, and Christmas are all right around the corner, all of

these offer great opportunities to get out and dance. Our Thanksgiving and Christmas parties

are well attended and this year we will be having a Halloween themed dance since we are flip-

ping the VFW and Moose dances for our Operation Uplink benefit. Our October board meeting

date will be Wednesday, October 4th at 5 PM at the OKI VFW. Let us know if there are club is-

sues that you would like to see us address. We hope to see you on the dance floor!

John Hutton, President

The Official Newsletter of the Society of Brunswick Shaggers

PO BOX 274, Oak Island, NC 28465

Visit our website at: http://www.societyofbrunswickshaggers.com

“LIKE” us on FACEBOOK at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/115766191843385/

October 13, 2017

14th Annual Beach Music Shag

Dance & Fundraiser

benefiting...

Board Meeting Minutes 2

Operation Uplink Planning 3

Operation Uplink Letter 4

Operation Uplink Flyer 5

ACSC Workshop Report 6

Hurricane Harvey - FEMA 6

Welcome new SOBS & Guests 7

October Birthdays 7

October DJ Bios 8

Dance Schedule 9

Carolina Shag... 10

September Dance Pictures 11

SOBS Membership Form 14

The Beach Beat!

Your 2017 Society of Brunswick Shaggers Board Members...

John Hutton, President

Chuck Boney, Vice President

Cathy Myers, Secretary

Steve Smith, Treasurer

Joe Malinowski, Newsletter & Membership

2017

October 2017 The Beach Beat ! Page 2

Executive Committee Meeting Minutes, September 6, 2017...

PRESENT: John Hutton, Steve Smith, Cathy Myers, Joe Malinowski

The meeting was called to order at 5:05 PM by John Hutton.

SECRETARY’S REPORT: The August Board Meeting minutes were approved.

TREASURER’S REPORT: The Treasurer’s Report was approved. Checks are needed for the DJs. Balance of unsold SOS tickets will be

returned on September 23rd at the ACSC Meeting. Approval was given to pay the Jr. Shaggers $300 for providing a demonstration at

the September 22nd Dance. Also, money was allotted for the Fall Migration Freepour. A tip jar will be provided. If club members do

not provide an appropriate tip amount, the club will make up the difference.

OLD BUSINESS: The August VFW and Moose Dances were successful with about 60 in attendance each night. John gave the money to

Steve for Fun Monday Ticket Sales. Necessary money and unsold tickets returned to Rosemary Parten with ACSC and SOS.

Operation Uplink – All tickets have been either passed out or mailed. About 5 members have returned funds for their tickets and

donations are starting to come in. Need to push on obtaining donations for the event.

Cookout grills are ready for September 8th dance. Still need sign-ups for cooks and helpers. Discussed number of buns and condi-

ments needed. Gary Goldenbaum has offered to be one of the cooks.

The SOS Freepour at Fall Migration will be held on Saturday, September 16th from 2 PM until the money runs out! Wristbands will be

used. OD Pavilion will run a tab for domestic canned beer, house brand mixed drinks, wine, water and soda. A tip jar will be provid-

ed. Club will make up balance equal to no more than 20%.

NEW BUSINESS: September 22nd dance expense will be $300 for a demo by 3 National Champion Jr. Shaggers. We are requesting to

bring in our used dance shoes as a donation to their organization.

John will attend the ACSC Meeting on Saturday, September 23rd at 10 AM in North Myrtle Beach.

Annual elections are coming. Ben Hinson & Jim Trent are the Election Slate Committee.

Thanksgiving Dance will have club volunteers baking turkeys and hams, with the rest of the club members bringing the sides.

The Club will be providing Christmas dinner at the Moose during the December Dance.

The OD Shag Club will bring a bus of members to our February 18th Moose Dance. Vic Gillespie, a board member, is from John’s

hometown and at one time was the President of our club. He and John will coordinate.

The board needs a second club officer to have the ability to contact club members for times when Joe is traveling. Cathy volunteered

to assist if necessary.

John mentioned that other Shag Clubs have recognition nametags for former club officers. Joe will make them when names/positions

are made available.

We will be starting our Sunday afternoon Dances at the Lazy Turtle on October 22nd with DJ Bill Anderson. The series continues with

DJ Jim Bruno on November 19th and Tim Holland on January 21st. As before we will pass the hat for our DJs at these events, which run

from 1-5 PM. Put them on your calendar.

MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE REPORT: Joe reports that we are holding at 227 members! The Website is up to date. There is information

on the website regarding Operation Uplink.

Meeting was adjourned at 5:38 PM.

Cathy Myers, Secretary


Society of Brunswick Shaggers - PO Box 274 - Oak Island, NC 28465

www.societyofbrunswickshaggers.com

Greetings Fellow SOBS,

It is with great excitement that we begin the preparations for our “Operation Uplink” event to be held on Friday, October 13, 2017 at the OKI Moose Lodge #2059 Family Center. This annual event includes a dance with legendary DJ John “Fessa” Hook, a Silent auction and a multi-item raffle. The Moose Lodge menu and a full cash bar will be available. All profits from the event will be donated to the VFW’s Operation Uplink and Brunswick County’s New Hope Clinic.

VFW’s Operation Uplink provides free call days and Internet time to service men and women across the globe. Hospitalized heroes here at home also benefit from the project. Over the past 12 years the Society of Brunswick Shaggers has donated over $40,000 to this worthy cause. For additional information: [email protected] or call (816) 968-1155.

The New Hope Clinic operates a 4,000 sq. ft. facility in Boiling Spring Lakes where they provide care five days per week and lim-ited services offered at a satellite clinic in Shallotte. In addition to primary medical care, they offer specialty clinics for urology, EKG, dental, diabetes treatment, and medical eye care. There is a limited pharmacy onsite and a Pharmacy Assistance Program. A small staff and over 150 volunteers, including doctors, dentists, FNPs, PAs, pharmacists, nurses, medical & dental assistants, and administrative support personnel, contribute annually over 10,000 volunteer hours to provide nearly 6,000 patient encoun-ters. They help nearly 1,000 patients each year, but the need is even greater. For additional information: newhopeclinicfree.org or call (910) 845-5333.

We are inviting you to contribute to this effort. Please consider soliciting items for our auction and raffle. Your community businesses and friends will only know of our event if you help spread the word. A restaurant which you frequent may be inter-ested in donating a gift certificate or a store where you regularly shop may donate an item or a gift card. A letter to introduce our event is being provided to you on page 4 and a flyer on page 5 to print out and take to your friends in the community. The solicitation letter provides a place for you to document the donation in order to properly thank our business community members after the event. It also provides a receipt to the donor. You, yourself may be interested in donating your own handi-work, whether it is a quilt, woodwork, artwork, and jewelry item or pottery piece. Please, only new, unused items. Feel free to purchase items to donate. This is yet another way you can participate.

This year we will be mailing out 10 tickets for you to presell and you may pick up additional tickets at the door at any of the dances. You may sell these for $5 or purchase them yourself prior to the event. The ticket stub will be used for door prize drawings.

In order to plan for space and maintain organization we are asking you to get items to us as soon as possible. We will accept items until noon on the day of event, but we would prefer to have them in hand by September 22nd dance at the OKI Moose Lodge. Here are several delivery options: you may bring items to any of the dances before October 13th; you may drop off items at South Brunswick High School for Katy O’Neill; or call Katy at the number provided and make arrangements to drop off at their home. If you will be bringing a large item to the event (grill, furniture, gardening table, etc.) please assure that one of us is informed! We don’t want to run out of space!

Please don’t hesitate to call us! Thanks for your support of this great event!

Co-Chairpersons: Katy O’Neill (910) 201-9993 & Patti Smith (910) 515-2590

“Operation Uplink” on Friday, October 13, 2017... (Save the Date!)


Society of Brunswick Shaggers - PO Box 274 - Oak Island, NC 28465

www.societyofbrunswickshaggers.com Dear Community Member,

On October 13th, 2017, the Society of Brunswick Shaggers (SOBS) dance club will hold their 14th annual “Operation Uplink” fund-

raiser at the OKI Moose Lodge on Long Beach Rd, Oak Island. All profits from the event will be donated to the VFW’s Operation

Uplink and Brunswick County’s New Hope Clinic. Our organization has donated over $40,000 through the local VFW to provide

US Service men and women with free call days and Internet connections. Our event will include a dance with DJ John “Fessa”

Hook, a Silent Auction, raffles, a 50/50 drawing and door prizes.

Would your organization or business be willing to support our event through the donation of items suitable for any of these

categories? Examples of items donated in years past include DJ services, gift cards, golf and hotel packages, airplane rides, boat

rides, ceramics, works from local artists, a grill, jewelry, tote bags, and services from local area restaurants. If you prefer, we

can accept monetary donations from your business. Your name will be entered into the door prize drawing and your company’s

name/Business cards will be prominently featured on our Wall of Fame at the event.

The lower portion of this letter will serve as your receipt for your donation. If you need additional information about your dona-

tion please contact the Auction Co -Chairs at the numbers listed below.

Thank you,

John s. Hutton

President, SOBS

SOBS Club Member_____________________________________________________________________________

Business or Individual___________________________________________________________________________

Item(s)/amount donated_________________________________________________________________________

***************************************************************************************

Thank you for your donation of _______________________________________________to the Society of Brunswick

Shaggers. Your donation will be used for the Operation Uplink auction, raffles or door prize giveaway. Operation

Uplink provides free call days and internet services to US service men and women both deployed and hospitalized

here at home. For more information use this link: [email protected] or call (816) 968-1155. We will look forward to

adding your company’s name to our Wall of Fame at the event on October 13, 2017.

Operation Uplink Auction Co- Chairs: Patti Smith (910) 515-2590 and Katy O’Neill (910) 201-9993

“Operation Uplink” on Friday, October 13, 2017... (Save the Date!)



2017 ACSC Summer Workshop…

The Association of Carolina Shag Clubs (ACSC) Summer Workshop was hosted by the Lake

Norman Shag Club at the Convention Center in Concord, North Carolina, July 14-16. Club

representatives from all the Association of Carolina Shag Clubs member clubs were present.

On Friday, there was a hospitality suite where you could meet up with friends from other clubs

including one from Florida. Shag music was provided both nights by Robbie Leggett and Eddie

Anderson. The Workshop took place on Saturday from 10 AM to 1:30 PM, during which vari-

ous awards were given, voting for next year’s location took place, and an informative program about the Association

of Beach and Shag Club DJs was presented. During the meeting, the SOBS were recognized for winning our category

of the April SOS Parade! One of the highlights of the Workshop was a shag lesson given by National Champions Sam

and Lisa West, plus a demonstration given by the troupe of Jr. Shaggers, which Sam and Lisa train. The kids really

brought down the house! Francis and I enjoyed the whole event and learned more about ACSC and SOS while repre-

senting the SOBS at this function.

Hurricane Harvey Recovery - FEMA by Joe Malinowski…

Some of you may know that our son, Joel, was a

civilian working for the US Army assigned to

Clay Kaserne Army Garrison in Wiesbaden, Ger-

many for the past 3 years. He and his family

returned to the States this past January and he

took a job as a Network Systems Engineer

working for FEMA at Mt. Weather in Virginia.

After Hurricane Harvey hit the Houston, TX area

August 25, Joel was deployed to help set up

FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers and has been

there all of September and extended thru Octo-

ber. We have spoke with him on a few occa-

sions and he says that things in the Houston area are still very dire. The trash, debris, and destroyed household

items are still outside their houses because they can’t be removed until insurance adjusters survey their home site.

There is still standing stagnant water and the smell is getting bad. He’s been working 7 days a week 14+ hour

days. He had his first day off last Sunday and is pretty much running on adrenaline and Guinness! They did a film

visit at one of the sites he supports and was caught on TV. The picture is snapshot of the beginning of the video.

He’s the one with the “D” on his ball cap… DETROIT TIGERS, of course!

If you get a chance, please say a prayer for all the FEMA responders, first responders, volunteers, and all the fami-

lies impacted by these recent natural disasters… Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria!


WELCOME to our New Members & Guests...

The September 8th dance at the OKI VFW had a nice crowd of 57 SOBS, 4 members from other

shag clubs and 2 guests. We brought back DJ Eddie Baker from last year kept us entertained and

dancing the night away. Thanks to John Hutton & Chuck Boney who grilled all the hotdogs and

hamburgers “on the club” and to all who helped decorate and brought great sides and desserts!

Our September 22nd dance at the OKI VFW had 59 SOBS and Jim & Pam Bruno from Coastal Shag

Club. Jim “Two Wraps” Bruno was also our DJ for the evening and kept the floor playing all his

classic shag songs. Thanks to Katy O’Neill and her crew for the great decorations! Also, thanks

to those who brought those great snacks & desserts! You all really keep the SOBS fed! But, the

highlight of the evening were the Jr. Shaggers who gave us an incredible exhibition of how the

dance is in good hands for years to come! Thanks to President, John Hutton for setting that up!

WELCOME TO OUR NEWEST SOBS…

RONNIE & TINA CHILD, CHRISTINE CLIFTON, GREG & ANNE LOOMIS

Our October Birthdays...

5th… Beth Sykes

5th… Henry Webster

6th… Joanie Clasper

7th… Linda Castro

7th… Bernadette Clinton

9th… Dee Crocker

13th… Debi Ranieri

14th… Bruce Bauer

From our Friends at Coastal Shag Club (CSC)...

Coastal Shag Club shag dances are on the 3rd Saturday of each month at the

Moose Lodge, 253 Holden Beach Road, Shallotte, NC. Cost is $5 for CSC

members and members of other Shag Clubs, $8/all other guests. Doors open

at 6:30 PM and dance is 7:00 to 10:30 PM. Ask for a Basic Dance Lesson FREE

to those staying for the dance. Fantastic non-smoking dance room with large

wooden dance floor, 50/50 raffle, and cash bar. Please bring a snack or

dessert to share. We’re located just 20 minutes north of Ocean Drive and

Main Street. Come join Brunswick County's friendliest shag club! Visit their

website at: www.coastalshagclub.org

15th… Betty Lewis

15th… Eric Nielsen

16th… Jerry DeMeyer

18th… Rose Abandola

20th… Gayle Kutyla

21st… Vicki Pelfrey

22nd… Dan Corcoran

22nd… Bahre Willis

23rd… John Swanko

24th… Marilyn Barstow

24th… Evelyn Buffkin

24th… Tanya Nickson

24th… Terry Ramos

26th… Sandy Haynes

28th… Judy Koehly


October DJ Information...

Fellow SOBS… Summer is gone, but it gave us many great opportunities to dance. DJs

Eddie Baker and Jim Bruno did a great job for the club at our September dances. The

ocean and beach continue to offer an idyllic lifestyle. Please note that our dances are re-

versed with the first dance at the Moose Lodge and our second dance at the Oak Island

VFW. October will also be the first month of our Sunday dance series at The Lazy Turtle

Bar & Grill on Oak Island. Spinning the discs for these October dances are:

Friday, October 13th - DJ “Fessa” John Hook @ OKI Moose Lodge

Sunday, October 22nd - DJ Bill Anderson @ The Lazy Turtle Bar & Grill

Friday, October 27th - DJ Gene Sistare @ OKI VFW

“Fessa” John Hook will be playing at our Friday, October 13th Operation Uplink VFW Fundraiser

event. The ”Fessa” is one of the Legendary DJs of Beach Music. John has been involved in Beach

Music since the early 1970’s. He is the author of Shagging in the Carolinas which chronicles the

history of Shag dancing and beach music. His latest publication is the 2 volume set Beach Music

Guide, 1945-2006 which contains extensive information on Beach Music artists and entries of

over 26,000 beach music songs. He now syndicates three radio shows weekly on 58+ radio sta-

tions across the United States and has been affiliated with numerous radio stations through the

years and is now locally on 94.1 FM “The Beach” in Wilmington. He has an internet presence

with his “Jukin’ Oldies” programs. His thorough knowledge of beach music has rightly earned

him his nickname of “Fessa”. He has played our Operation Uplink party for many years.

Bill Anderson will be the DJ for the first of our 2nd season of “Sunday Series” dances at the Oceanfront

Lazy Turtle Bar & Grill. The dances which we had last fall and winter were well attended. Bill played

for us in January of this year at The Lazy Turtle for a fun afternoon. He is both a member of the

Coastal Shag Club and is an SOBS. Bill plays regularly for the Coastal Club and is looking forward to

The Lazy Turtle. Make that Sunday afternoon a beach day and dance afternoon.

Gene Sistare will be playing our “Halloween” dance for us. This will be our first Halloween

dance in a long time. In years past we have had some great costumes. Gene has played for

us many times and keeps the dance floor full. He is from Lancaster, SC. Gene has been in-

volved with the Lancaster Shag Club since 1993 and began doing DJ work in 1997. Since

2000 he has been a staff DJ at the Beach Music Cafe and the Spanish Galleon Nightclub both

in the Ocean Drive Beach and Golf Resort. In addition he is a staff DJ at Fat Harold’s Beach

club where he plays each month and during SOS events. Gene is a lifetime member of the

Association of Beach and Shag Club DJ’s and is also a member of the National Association of

Rhythm and Blues DJ’s, he has played for over 50 different Shag clubs over the years. Gene is one of the DJ’s on the

Embers Band “Making Waves” cruise and was recently inducted into the DJ Hall of Fame. Gene is also one of the DJ’s

that donates to our Operation Uplink event. Put this on your calendar and get out your dancing shoes. We have

great DJ’s this month.

Katy continues to work and is looking forward to a January 2018 retirement . We continue to enjoy the Shag lifestyle

as much as is possible and are looking forward to seeing all you SOBS at our upcoming dances.

John Hutton, DJ Selection


DATE LOCATION DJ THEME FOOD DOOR 50/50 LESSON

OCTOBER 13 OKI MOOSE LODGE JOHN HOOK OPERATION UPLINK MOOSE MENU N/A

OCTOBER 22 OKI - THE LAZY TURTLE BAR & GRILL “SOBS SUNDAY SERIES DANCE” DJ BILL ANDERSON

OCTOBER 27 OKI VFW GENE SISTARE HALLOWEEN FRANCIS & CATHY

MYERS LINE DANCE

NOVEMBER 10 OKI MOOSE LODGE ROBERT CARTER THANKSGIVING SHAG

NOVEMBER 19 OKI - THE LAZY TURTLE BAR & GRILL “SOBS SUNDAY SERIES DANCE” DJ JIM “TWO WRAPS” BRUNO

DECEMBER 9 OKI MOOSE LODGE JERRY BURRAGE CHRISTMAS PARTY N/A

JANUARY 21, 2018 OKI - THE LAZY TURTLE BAR & GRILL “SOBS SUNDAY SERIES DANCE” DJ TIM HOLLAND

The Society of Brunswick Shaggers is a proud member of The Association of Carolina Shag Clubs (ACSC) and SOS (Society of Stranders).

The SOS Website can be found at: www.shagdance.com

2017 Dance Party Schedule (Subject to Change!)...

ALL DANCES BEGIN AT 6:00 PM, WITH MOST DANCES HAVING A SHAG OR LINE DANCE LESSON AT THE BEGINNING!

Hey SOBS! Our SOBS “Sunday Series” shag dances begin again at The Lazy Turtle Bar &

Grill on the OKI ocean front! Bill Anderson will be the DJ for the first of our 2nd season of

“Sunday Series” dances on October 22 from 1 PM to 5 PM. All of our “Sunday Series”

dances are at no charge. Drinks & The Lazy Turtle menu will be available for purchase.

The dances we had last fall and winter were well attended. Our next “Sunday Series”

dance will then be on November 19th with DJ Jim “Two Wraps” Bruno. More details will

follow as we get closer to those dates. We’re just trying to give you a few more opportu-

nities to “wear out those Weejuns!”

SOBS “Sunday Series” Dances at The Lazy Turtle Bar & Grill …


The Carolina Shag is considered a main form of Swing Dance. It is the Official State Dance of South Carolina

(since 1984.) Originally written, the Carolina Shag formed out of the Charleston, and Collegiate Shag. However,

today there is no resemblance to them at all. The name, Carolina Shag originated at Myrtle Beach in SC in the

1930's, when back then, the dance was originally a mix of the Charleston and Collegiate Shag (according to

10/1938-Dance Index Magazine's article on the dance. "Carolina Shag" descriptions) with some of the original

basic steps being called the: Cuban Step, Shuffle, Twinkle, etc.

The original Carolina Shag as a dance is said to have originated in Atlantic Beach area, and was known prior as

just along the coasts between Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and Wellington, North Carolina. Most agree on the

modern form of the dance being danced in the Myrtle Beach area (The Pavilion?) in the mid 1940s (WWII) when

the R&B bands were playing the beaches and the clubs. As time went on the music slowed down considerably

as well as the shaggers. Billy Jeffers, Chicken Hicks and "Big" George Lineberry are credited for developing the Shag that we see today. The

music and the times changed the dance up to its current look and feel (It has a great feel by the way.) Dancing on the beach (sand) helped

change this dance as well, plus that's how it got it's nickname "Beach Dancing" and/or "Beach Music." In 1954 Hurricane Hazel had demolished

most of the old dance pavilions and Rock and roll music was taking over the airwaves. By the 1960s almost all couples dancing was in a steep

decline, including the Shag. It got a second wind during the 1970's and has been getting more popular than ever before.

Today, it is basically a slotted East Coast Swing style dance with a splash of the West Coast Swing slot or a kind of slotted east coast swing,

including both 6 and 8 count patterns. The "Shag" consists mainly of fancy footwork by the leader, with the follower matching the leader's

footwork occasionally. In the past it was the lady who called out the footwork she wanted to "mirror" or follow (The follower occasionally will

call out a name of footwork or a sequence and the leader will then lead it with her). Choreography usually is not done socially or competitively

(but that's slowly changing) except in team competition. There are very few patterns/spins done in Carolina Shag (originally due to beach/

sand dancing) however there is an immense amount of "footwork." The dance has a very laid back and easy look to it as well with the shaggers

mainly focusing on each other rather than showcasing the audience (looking at the audience more than each other.) Generally, there are very

few times when both hands are used when leading ... (like two handed patterns/wraps etc.,) with almost the entire dance using only a one

handed connection.

Some claim the Carolina shag as pre-existing the Lindy Hop due to some music title's having the Shag in its name or description, however

they are confusing the earlier "Collegiate Shag" with the later Carolina version. The earliest mention of the Carolina Shag I have found, with the

actual words "Carolina Shag or it's modern day description" of the dance is 1938. (if anyone has other information, I would like to see it ... and

will gladly make corrections ... not hearsay, myths etc.) There are basically four dances known as Shag ... Carolina Shag", "Arthur Murray Shag"

aka "Collegiate Shag" and "Saint Louis Shag" all are different to one another except Collegiate/Murray Shags while the Carolina Shag is the only

one that is a main swing form/style, the others are companion dances to swing like the Charleston, Shim-Sham Shimmee, Balboa, Truckin',

Black Bottom etc.

Carolina Shag became known as "Beach Swing" and was done to "Beach Music," which was basically old Motown, Blues and Oldies music today.

The Shag is done primarily in the Southern States such as Florida, the Carolina's, Virginia, Georgia, etc. and has a very smooth, and very con-

nected feel with your partner and the music. Today, West Coast Swing and Shag are starting to merge by some folks in both dance worlds due

to the US Open Swing Dance Championships with the best qualities of each of the two together and forming a newer, but not as popular a

style called SWAG! It's really cool though, unlike the name lol. However, the Carolina Shag will always be a mainstay in the Carolina Swing

Dance communities. Shag became the official state dance of South Carolina in 1984.

Many folks ask what style of swing (aka Jitterbug) is best, West Coast, East Coast, Whip, Push, Lindy, Shag, etc. However, there is no best style.

The best style would depend on what type of music you are dancing to at the time, Geographies, who your partner is, the theme of the dance

being held, the speed in which the music is played and the dance knowledge of you and or your partner. If you're partner only knows one style

of swing, then their style would be the best style to dance with them at that time. If they only know one style they usually will declare that the

style they know is the best style above all other styles and usually will make derogatory statements for many varied reasons.

Swing (aka Shag, Whip, Push, New Yorker, Jitterbug, etc.) is a wonderful dance form in all it's versions that fits all types of Music, Personalities,

Finances etc. Calling yourself a swing dancer means you can at least do the basics in many forms of swing and a few well. So learn to swing

dance whatever style, you're unique and your dances should be varied and your style should represent your knowledge of dance that other,

newer dancers (and they are the majority) don't possess, not limited to only one. However you will eventually find you like them all and soon

you will understand the importance of them all as well as understand why there are different styles to begin with. So enjoy them and mainly

smile, laugh and have fun!

The Carolina Shag…

By Sonny Watson’s (StreetSwing.com)

Pictures from our September 8th dance @ OKI VFW…

The September 8th dance at the OKI VFW had a nice crowd of 57 SOBS, 4 members from other

shag clubs and 2 guests. We brought back DJ Eddie Baker from last year kept us entertained and

dancing the night away. Thanks to John Hutton & Chuck Boney who grilled all the hotdogs and

hamburgers “on the club” and to all who helped decorate and brought great sides and desserts!

Pictures from our September 16th “Free Pour” @ OD Pavilion…

Our September 16th Club “Free Pour” at the OD Pavilion had a nice showing of at least 70 SOBS. It

was beautiful hot & sweaty afternoon as we drank our “Free Pour” budget in about 2 hours! A

great time for the club and shag fellowship!

Pictures from our September 22nd dance @ OKI VFW…

Our September 22nd dance at the OKI VFW had 59 SOBS and Jim & Pam Bruno from Coastal Shag Club. Jim

Bruno was also our DJ for the evening and kept the floor playing all his classic shag songs. Thanks to

those who brought those great snacks & desserts! The highlight of the evening were the incredible Jr.

Shaggers who gave us an exhibition of how the dance is in good hands for years to come! Thanks to Pres-

ident, John Hutton for setting that up!

SOBS Membership Application Form (PLEASE PRINT!)…

Documents

2017 The Beach Beat!