You could hear the music from blocks away, but if you walked past the Statehouse on Sunday afternoon, you would have seen something unexpected. It wasn’t protestors. It wasn’t a political rally. It was 2015 Year of the Shag, a festival celebrating the South Carolina State Dance.
There were countless lawn chairs erected in the shade, occupied by members of the Capital City Shag Club, although none of them stayed there for long. A dance floor was set up at the bottom of the Statehouse steps, and there was never a time where at least one couple wasn’t out there dancing the day away; more often than that, it was absolutely full of excited shaggers.
Dressed in their Sunday best and glistening with Southern charm, the festival’s attendees were eager to show their love for dancing. Among them was CCSC President Otis Paris, who didn’t hesitate to share his enthusiasm.
“This is my first year of the presidency,” he said, although he’s been shagging for 15 years. “It’s an honor to be doing this for the first time.”
He proved to be a pretty good shagging teacher, too.
Paris also explained that Gov. Nikki Haley was the one who proclaimed 2015 to be the Year of the Shag. Apparently, Mayor Benjamin wants the event to be an annual occurrence.
The Sensational Epics, clad in matching Hawaiian shirts and led by lead guitarist Jimmy Davis, provided live music for the dancers. When they took a break, CCSC DJs took over. With each new song, especially the popular ones like “Sweet Caroline,” a new crowd of dancers swarmed the dance floor.
Marie Kiesel, CCSC Co-Chair, clarified that Sunday was just a continuation of a larger festival that the club had been planning for a long time.
“I met with [the Mayor] on June 30, and I told him I was reaching for the stars,” said Kiesel. “Yesterday, we had a street dance on Main and Hampton, and we had the shag contest. It was so fun. There were people from everywhere — shaggers from everywhere — and we celebrated dancing, which is our favorite thing to do.”
Kiesel’s personal appreciation for dance comes from years of weddings with her family, learning the jitterbug and eventually coming to Columbia and falling in love with the shag.
After the street festival Saturday, there was a spotlight dance in the Marriott hotel that evening The amateur shag contest winners attended, along with 2014 National and Grand National Junior Shag Champions Jeremy Webb and Kayla Henley.
Kiesel described the collaboration as “the past, the present and the future of the shag.”
“Our club is unique,” Kiesel said. “We are known for our friendliness. We welcome you. We are so happy you’re here.”
More celebration of the South Carolina State Dance takes place throughout the year. The Capital City Shag Extravaganzais a three-day shag festival coming this April 1-3 at the Embassy Suites. It’s sure to be a collection of people from all walks of life who share a love for dancing.