THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, November 3, 1995 TAG: 9511010185
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 20 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY GARY EDWARDS, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 81 lines
Shaggers came from as far away as California to dance to their music - beach music - for four days recently.
They were 750 strong and they twirled, spun and slid across the makeshift plywood dance floor at the Cavalier Hotel Beach Club and Convention Center during the sixth annual Beach Bash party last weekend.
As usual, it was a sellout.
``We could've sold 1,000 tickets,'' said Joyce Russell, head of the Beach Bash Committee for host club, the Virginia Beach Shag Club. ``We sold out in July.
``We hate to turn people away, but this is about as many as we could accommodate. And, we'd kind of like to keep it small.''
The dance floor was packed and the tables around the room were filled. The tables stayed after the shaggers went home - not so the dance floor. The 28-by-48-foot boogeying board was laid by the club and taken up after the last dance.
``The boards are signed by people who put their name or company logo on them, buy them and keep them,'' said Russell.
The Beach Bash won the 1995 Shell Award for the best weekend party. The award is presented annually by the Association of Carolina Shag clubs, an organization of more than 100 clubs, mostly in the Southeast, said Sandy Dozier, a member of the Virginia Beach club.
Roc Sarlo served as disc jockey, spinning the nostalgia-inducing rhythm and blues tunes of the '50s and '60s. Sarlo and his wife, Louise, are enshrined in the Virginia Shag Hall of Fame. ``We go up and down the coast, playing for shag contests,'' said Sarlo. He also plays at Stepping Out, a shag spot at Hilltop.
He's been shagging a long time. ``Oh, let's see, since 1950, I guess,'' he said.
Locals Larry and Kathy Williams performed perfect pivots and turns at the bash's big dance Saturday night to the tune of ``Shama Lama Ding Dong.'' In Shagger Magazine, the song currently ranks No. 36 on the Rhythm and Beach Top 40.
They are long-time members of the local club, teach the shag and work hard to promote the music and the lifestyle. Kathy Williams was the dance committee chairman for this year's gala.
Charlie Womble and Jackie McGee were the featured twosome of the evening. The husband and wife team from Atlanta has won the National Shag Competition nine times. Last Memorial Day weekend, they hosted the Society of Stranders Grand National Championships in Atlanta.
Everyone in the ballroom stopped to watch as the couple took to the floor by themselves and dazzled the crowd. They've been at it for 15 years, said Womble.
``It's easy to see why they win, isn't it'' asked Fran Harris, a local shagger.
Chris Kimmons and partner Susan Williams could be called born-again shaggers. They met at a disco three years and saw the light shortly thereafter. They became members of the Virginia Beach Shag club and started shagging.
``We go to a lot of out-of-town parties and dances,'' said Kimmons. ``This is the best right here.''
The weekend bash also included golfing at Red Wing, a Halloween costume party, a fashion show and shag lessons. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by GARY EDWARDS
Chris Kimmons and partner Susan Williams met at a disco three years,
but they have since been ``converted'' to the Virginia Beach Shag
club.
Locals Larry and Kathy Williams performed perfect pivots and turns
at the bash's big dance Saturday night to the tune of ``Shama Lama
Ding Dong.'' They teach the shag and work hard to promote the music
and the lifestyle. Kathy Williams was the dance committee chairman
for this year's gala.
Photo by
GARY EDWARDS
by CNB