Collegiate shag

(Part of our rotating Variety Short Courses. Check the course schedule and our social media for what’s coming up!)

David and Casey at "All the Katz join in"
Photo taken by Andrew Lin Yikai

Collegiate Shag is a super-fun and energetic partner dance that spread throughout the United States in the 1920s and 1930s. Primarily danced by college kids to swing and pre-swing jazz, it is characterised by fast and flashy footwork to up-tempo tunes. Collegiate Shag sits within the same family of vernacular jazz dances that include the Charleston, Lindy Hop and Balboa. All of these have strong roots in African American dance and culture, and continue to be danced across the globe today!

Photo Credit: Andrew Lin Yikai

Canberra’s very own shag experts David and Casey will get you moving with their regular short courses! These classes operate in 6-week blocks, taking you from basic shag footwork through to fun moves and flashy styling. Each block is set around a different theme or concept, so each time you learn something new!

Want to know more about our teachers? David and Casey are Aussie shag champs, having taken home first place in the Collegiate Shag Showdown and Shag Social (follow) categories ATCJI 2020.They have both travelled locally and internationally in pursuit of shag knowledge and can’t wait to share it with our growing Canberra community!

Back to Classes Page