NVSC History - 1997

MORE PARTIES AND STRUCTURED LESSONS

IF EVER I HAD A GOOD THING (Johnny Adams)

• John Belt, President
• Valerie Swiger, Vice President
• Vesta Jones, Secretary
• Pauline Easby-Smith, Treasurer
• Members-at-Large:
• Betty Abshire
• Janis Grimes
• Craig Jennings
• Joan McKinney
• David Rodgers
• Committee Chairpersons: 
• Capital Shag Classic - Charlie Price
• Charity - Pauline Easby-Smith
• Communications - David Rodgers
• Dance - Janis Grimes
• Hospitality - Vesta Jones
• Membership - Valerie Swiger
• Music - Craig Jennings
• Newsletter - Janis Grimes
• Promotions - Sales, John Belt
• Social - Betty Abshire and Joan McKinney

One of John Belt’s first endeavors as President was to host a Super Bowl Party at the McLean VFW, Sunday, January 26.  National competitors, Larry and Shirley Jones taught a free shag workshop.  Chili was served.  All who attended the party surely remember the fun.

Next he planned a Valentine’s Dance at a place called Kilroy’s.  There was a buffet with roast pork, oysters on the half shell and chicken wings plus dancing to beach music played by Craig Jennings.

SHO’ ENOUGH (Tommy Castro)

It was announced in January 1997, that Brent Key and Shea Carver had won First Place with a flawless performance of Carolina Shag at the 1996 U.S. Open Swing Dance Championships in Anaheim, CA, in the new Carolina Shag Division.  Michael Norris and Jackie McGee won Second Place and Geoff Burdick and Melissa Goebel finished in Third Place.  Charlie Womble and Jackie McGee won First Place in the Classic Swing Division, winning over all the other dancers in a swing category.  The National Shag Championship Team won First Place over all other dance teams.  It was a stunning year for Shag and shaggers at the most prestigious of swing dance competitions in the country and it started right here in Northern Virginia at the VA State Open Competitions!

Shag thanks you, Rick Hendrix for unrelenting persuasion to motivate and bring shaggers together.  For inviting others to come and participate with us, teach us, and enter the competitive categories at the Virginia State Open.  It was you who encouraged Brent Key and Shea Carver to teach at our party, and to show shag in its most beautiful form, which led to their competing at the Virginia State Open.  Little did any of us know their win would make shag history in Virginia, go on to dance at the U.S. Open, and help to place Carolina Shag on the National map! 

BELIEVE IT OR NOT (Billy Griffin)

We would be remiss not to give credit right here to Club member Craig Hutchinson, local guru of West Coast Swing, member of the National Living Legends Hall of Fame, and Feather Award nominee.  According to the book SHAG, published in 1995, he was the first to bring shag out of the Southeast.  Back in the 1980’s, Craig saw Charlie Womble and Jackie McGee dance in Myrtle Beach and invited them to a national swing dance workshop in Oklahoma.  That event opened the door for shag to become known competitively coast-to-coast.  When he included shag as a division at the VA State Open Swing Dance Championships in 1994, he opened the door for shag to become a permanent part of the local swing community.  He opened the door for shag’s expansion to its highest potential.  A BIG “Thank you, Craig!”

AIN’T NO STOPPING US NOW (The Embers)

On January 24th and 25th, club members, Chris Pax and Bill Hopkins were the first NVSC couple to compete in the preliminaries for the National Shag Dance Championships in Myrtle Beach, SC.

Treasurer’s report in January 1997 was $1,336 in the bank.  Struggle days appeared to be over when members had to donate money to keep the treasury afloat and enthusiastically recruit new members and brainstorm ways to bring notoriety to the dance. The club transferred its emphasis from promotion to teaching, and learning the basic fundamentals, pivots and intermediate steps became the focus. 

On April 26th, Sam and Sarah West were invited to give instructional workshops at Blackie’s Steak House in Springfield.  Cost for each of three workshops was $10 for members and $15 for nonmembers.  Later that evening, thanks to a suggestion made by Mark Rollings, Sam and Sarah performed a stunning dinner show exhibition at Barry Durand’s Eastern Invitational SWING FLING bringing the audience to their feet and setting the stage for Carolina Shag to be included thereafter as a competitive division with instructional workshops offered at Barry Durand’s Annual Swing Fling.

JUST YOU AND ME (Delbert McClinton)

Rumor had it that there was a clique in the NVSC…good dancers vs. not-as-good dancers, and concern about who should or could ask whom to dance.  The Shag Rag proved to be the perfect tool for pro and con on the issue.