If you love music (and, seriously, who doesn’t?) and you love to dance (most people do, even if they think they could never bust a move in public….), then you’ll want to be sure to visit the Riverwalk in Yorktown Thursday evenings in July.
This free concert series takes place from 6:30-9:30 p.m. on June 13, June 20, July 11, July 18, July 25, and August 1 (it skips June 27 and July 4 for the Independence Day holiday). It’s located at Riverwalk Landing, 425 Water Street, Yorktown. Call (757) 890-3500 for more information.
Different bands will perform each week. The schedule of performers is:
June 13: The Embers
June 20: Atlantic Grove Band
July 11: The Rhondels
July 18: Mark Roberts and Breeze
July 25: The Main Event Band
August 1: The Holiday Band
This annual concert series is appropriate for all ages. Bring lawn chairs and blankets for seating. (Although, truthfully, you won’t be sitting much!)
The term “shagging” has an interesting history. No one knows for sure how the word came to be used as a term for dancing, but a book from 1890 refers to a “shag” as a performer of vaudeville. The term evolved up through the 1920s to mean more of a burlesque vaudeville performer.
In addition, many vaudeville performers did a step that was known as the “flea hop,” which was a step-hop that alternated right to left. So it’s possible that a popular dance of the 1930s which became known as The Shag, came from that. The Shag morphed over the years of the late 1930s into the 1940s into the beloved Jitterbug.
Not that anyone expects you to Jitterbug at the Shagging on the Riverwalk dance events. But if the mood strikes, your legs lead you to it and you’ve a willing partner, all the better!
