Shag Dance Classes
Ages:10 to Adult
Grades:Grades 5 to Adult
Class Length:60 Minutes

(No partner required) The "Shag" is a partner dance native to the Carolinas. Shag today is often compared to west coast swing; however, it has some very important differences. Unlike west coast swing, shag showcases male lead steps and footwork. It consists of intricate steps (i.e. fancy footwork) and is very smooth and controlled (no lifts like lindy hop). While you will see people shag to all sorts of music, the "real" shag music is classic rhythm & blues by groups like the Drifters, 5 Royales, Dominoes, Midnighters, etc. Many of these groups were actually from North & South Carolina and the artists still live & perform here today.


Slacks or Jeans for Men & Women


Shoes with flat smooth NON-RUBBER bottoms. Flip-flops and tennis shoes do not work. Men usually wear leather loafers and women flats or sandals.


Our group shag classes are taught by Jason Cagle & Susan Funderburk. Private lessons also available by Jason, Susan, and Holly.


Jason Cagle

Jason Cagle

Jason grew up nearby in Concord, NC where he attended NW Cabarrus High School. He began shag dancing by at an early age and danced in various shag competitions throughout high school. Jason graduated from NW Cabarrus High school in 1994 and migrated north to attend Harvard University. He continued dancing at Harvard where he introduced shag to many New Englanders through the "Southern New England Shag Club." Graduating Cum Laude from Harvard in 1998, he returned to Charlotte and continued his hobby of dance as the Sunday night shag instructor at Boppers from 1999 - 2001 in conjunction with Susan Pate Funderburk.

He and Holly won the 2007 National Shag Dance Champions in the NonPro division and now compete in the Pro division of the CSA/SPA shag dance circuit as well as are members of the National Shag Dance Team. In 2009, Jason was inducted into the "Keeper of the Dance" an annual award granted by the Shaggers Hall of Fame to one male and female who were former Junior Shaggers and continue to promote the dance. Jason is on the board of the National Shag Dance Championships, the Shag Hall of Fame Foundation, and The Ellen Taylor Foundation for Junior Shaggers.

Susan Funderburk

Susan Funderburk

Susan grew up in Fayetteville North Carolina where she began shagging during the 1960's.  She took lessons for many years from notable instructors Shad & Brenda Alberty as well as Donn Bunn.  Susan competed in the National Shag Dance Championships in 1998 and 1999.  In the past she has been an active member of the Fayetteville Area Shag Club, Charlotte & Rock Hill Shag Clubs, and Competitive Shag Assocation.  Susan has been inducted into the Charlotte and Fayetteville Area Shag Hall of Famess.
 
She began teaching in 1999 when Jason & her took over the beginner & intermediate shag classes at Boppers Bar & Boogie in Charlotte.  She is also a member of Boppers Shag Club in Charlotte where she serves on the board of directors and choreographs their synchronized dance team.

Holly Griffin Cagle

Holly Griffin Cagle

Born into a dancing family in Eastern North Carolina, Holly was exposed to dance at a very young age. Her parents have been shag dancing since the early days of the dance and were inducted into the Myrtle and Atlantic Beach Shag Hall of Fames. Holly studied jazz, tap, & ballet from the age of three until graduating from high school. She furthered her dance studies by majoring in dance at East Carolina University where she was a member of the East Carolina Dance Association.

Holly brings to the classroom 25 years of dance experience and 15 years of instructional experience at various studios in the Carolinas. She has choreographed award-winning routines for several Little Miss North Carolina & Little Miss Mecklenburg County winners and countless dance competition teams including the East Carolina Dance Association Team. In addition to her award-winning lyrical, hip-hop, and tap choreography, Holly is a member of the National Shag Dance Team and 2007 National Shag Dance Champion in the NonPro Division.

Here is a sample of pictures from some of our Charlotte shag dance classes as well as a video clip from some of our shaggers.