1. What is Shag? The Shag (or "Carolina Shag") is a partner dance in the Swing dance family. It is related to Lindy, Jitterbug, the Bop, East Coast Swing & West-Coast Swing etc. Shag was traditionally a male lead and focus-oriented dance, but today it has evolved into a dance where it is a more balanced dance with shines for both the male and female. The Shag is danced in a "slot" (think the surface of a diving board), with the partners moving in an accordian fashion, rather than in a circle or side-to side. The Shag is distinct from many of the other Swing dances because of it’s fancy footwork and the overall smoothness and flow which gives the dance a graceful, effortless look.
2. Do you dance only shag at your club sponsored dances? No. There are folks who come to dance with us that do Jitterbug, West Coast Swing, Cha, Hustle and even some line dances (Tush Push, Electric Slide, etc.). Some people simply come to listen to the great music. Others come out for a social evening with some dancing. We enjoy having all dancers join us.
3. Where do you dance Shag? We dance Shag at The Watermelon Dance - the monthly club dance at Haddonfield School of Dance in Haddonfield, NJ. We also have some members join in at The Westie Wednesday Dance at The Atrium located in Pennsauken, NJ for dancing. You can dance Shag just about anywhere you go.
4. Is Shag hard to learn? The Shag is not a hard dance to learn at the social level! It’s fun. It orginated along the Southern beaches in the bars and was focused more on the fun and the social aspects. While The Shag definitely offers a challenge to dancers at any level, it’s easy enough to learn how to dance it with our instructors and members helping out. We offer introductory lessons everywhere we meet. There are classes offered at our monthly dances and Shag Crash courses offered in Collingswood, NJ.- see the website for class schedules and content.
5.. Who belongs to the Del Val Swing Club? The Club has about 70 members so far and continues to grow. Our average membership age is 35ish - 60 ish, with some members in their 20s & 30s, as well. We have both singles and couples that dance regularly with us. What keeps this diverse group together is the love of the music, dancing and the fun we have at our dances. We even have some members that don't Shag at all but love the music and want to help keep these fun dances going!
6. Can I come to either The Watermelon Dance at The Haddonfield School of Dance or The Atrium alone and feel comfortable? Yes! for both of the venues we dance at The Watermelon Dance and The Atrium you can come alone and fit right in. Our club members make everyone feel welcome and before you know it you’ll have new friends you look forward to seeing and dancing with. Both venues have free parking and have well lit parking lots. Anyone with security concerns can get a club member to walk with them to their car.
7. I don't dance so why should I join? You don't have to dance to have fun with our group. Do you enjoy listening to music: rhythm & blues, blues, contemporary music, gospel or music with a good beat? Maybe you’re just looking for some new friends to share time with. DVSC dances are safe and relaxing places to mix and mingle. Learn to dance or improve your dancing, meet new people, get exercise, hear great music. There are also lots and lots of other Shag events and parties you will find out about and maybe even travel to.
8. Do I need a partner for the dance lessons? No, we rotate plenty so everyone gets an opportunity to dance lots regardless of the makeup of the classes. At our social dances everyone dances with each other so everyone gets lots of opportunities to try out new material as well as polish their basics.
9. I have two left feet. How can I learn to dance? Take group classes. Take a private lesson with one of our instructors! You’ll find that almost everyone you meet at any of our social dances felt that way at one time or another. It’s a wonderful experience to find that you do indeed have only one left foot and one right foot and that with training they work quite well to move you around on a dance floor! You’ll find at our dances everyone is friendly and willing to lend a helping hand. We all have fun, regardless of our dance ability.
10. What do I wear to attend one of your dances? Most folks come casual. Slacks and jeans are acceptable. We recommend leather bottomed shoes or dance shoes as it makes dancing much easier.
11. Do I have to be a member of the Del Val Swing Club to come to your functions? NO! You do not have to belong to the club to come out and dance with us! .Please join us! While we would like everyone to belong to the club, there are many folks who don't belong to the club that dance with us.
12. Why should I join the club? Because our club offers lots of dancing opportunities not only to our members but to the dance community at large. Members receive discounts to club sponsored dances. We have a video library only available for club members, you receive a quarterly club newsletter and the club sponsors FREE introductory lessons for anyone wanting to learn the dance. That's alot of bang for only $20 a year!!
13.. Who can I talk to for more information? Any of our board members or club members will be happy to tell you all about the club and Shag dancing. Come to any of our social dances. Try a series of classes and learn a little about dancing. Check out our contact page and get in touch with any of us for more information or just send an email with any questions to delvalswing@yahoo.com
1. What is West Coast Swing? West Coast Swing (WCS) is a partner dance in the Swing dance family. It is related to Lindy, Jitterbug, the Bop, East Coast Swing & Shag etc. It is a derivative of Lindy but is done more slotted (think the size of a door laying flat on a floor) and the female usually goes from one end of the slot to the other while the male stays in the middle of the slot). WCS is done to most all kinds of music. It's one of the MOST creative dances for the partners.
2. Do you dance only WCS at your club sponsored dances? No. There are folks who come to dance with us that do Jitterbug, Shag, Cha, Hustle and even some line dances (Tush Push, Electric Slide, etc.). We enjoy having all dancers join us for our dance parties.
3. Where do you dance WCS? We dance WCS at The Watermelon Dance - the monthly club dance at Haddonfield School of Dance in Haddonfield, NJ. We also have some members join in at The Westie Wednesday Dance at The Atrium located in Pennsauken, NJ for dancing. You can dance WCS just about anywhere you go.
4. Is WCS hard to learn? WCS is one of the more difficult dances to learn but if you stick with it and learn it...you'll be rewarded with some wonderful dances. It's the most creative dance going, we think. Watch out though cause once you get the "feel" for this one, it's highly addictive! While WCS definitely offers a challenge to dancers at any level, it’s easy enough to learn how to dance it with our instructors and members helping out. We offer introductory lessons everywhere we meet. There are classes offered at several local studios (see our links page) and there are many other places to dance WCS in the area.
5.. Who belongs to the Del Val Swing Club? The Club has about 65 members and continues to grow. Our average membership age is 35ish - 60 ish, with some members in their 20s & 30s, as well. We have both singles and couples that dance regularly with us. What keeps this diverse group together is the love of the music, dancing and the fun we have at our dances.
6. Can I come to either The Watermelon Dance at The Haddonfield School of Dance or The Atrium alone and feel comfortable? Yes! for both of the venues we dance at The Watermelon Dance and The Atrium you can come alone and fit right in. Our club members make everyone feel welcome and before you know it you’ll have new friends you look forward to seeing and dancing with. Both venues have free parking and have well lit parking lots. Anyone with security concerns can get a club member to walk with them to their car.
7. I don't dance so why should I join? You don't have to dance to have fun with our group. Do you enjoy listening to a variety of good music: rhythm & blues, blues, contemporary, music with a good beat? Maybe you’re just looking for some new friends to share time with. DVSC dances are safe and relaxing places to mix and mingle. Learn to dance or improve your dancing, meet new people, get exercise, hear great music. There are also lots and lots of other WCS events and parties you will find out about and maybe even travel to.
8. Do I need a partner for the dance lessons? No, we rotate plenty so everyone gets an opportunity to dance lots regardless of the makeup of the classes. At our social dances everyone dances with each other so everyone gets lots of opportunities to try out new material as well as polish their basics.
9. I have two left feet. How can I learn to dance? Take group classes. Take a private lesson with one of our instructors! You’ll find that almost everyone you meet at any of our social dances felt that way at one time or another. It’s a wonderful experience to find that you do indeed have only one left foot and one right foot and that with training they work quite well to move you around on a dance floor! You’ll find at our dances everyone is friendly and willing to lend a helping hand. We all have fun, regardless of our dance ability.
10. What do I wear to attend one of your dances? Most folks come casual. Slacks and jeans are acceptable. We recommend leather bottomed shoes or dance shoes as it makes dancing much easier.
11. Do I have to be a member of the Del Val Swing Club to come to your functions? NO! You do not have to belong to the club to come out and dance with us! .Please join us! While we would like everyone to belong to the club, there are many folks who don't belong to the club that dance with us.
12. Why should I join the club? Because our club offers lots of dancing opportunities. Members receive discounts to club sponsored dances. We have a video library only available for club members, you receive a quarterly club newsletter and the club sponsors FREE introductory lessons for anyone wanting to learn the dance. That's alot of bang for only $15 a year!!
13.. Who can I talk to for more information? Any of our board members or club members will be happy to tell you all about the club and WCS dancing. Come to any of our social dances. Try a series of classes and learn a little about dancing. Check out our contact page and get in touch with any of us for more information or just send an email with any questions to delvalswing@yahoo.com
