Shim Sham Dance History

   The "Shim Sham" or "Sham" was originally a pre Tap dance routine done by Vaudeville performers in the early 1900's and consisted of a mixture of standard steps but done in no particular order. The Shim Sham-Shimmy is said to be the creation of Willie Bryant and Leonard Reed and was changed to accommodate a larger group in the theatres they were working at the time, some say around 1927. The three Little words saw it and performed it in 1931 at Connie's Inn when they got everyone involved in doing it at the end of the show, which is how they got the credit for it says Leonard. Vin and Roberto based a whole act upon the Shim-Sham and were known as one of the best dance teams around at the time (1935).

   The Shim Sham was changed somewhat by Bryant and Reed over the years into the Shim Sham Shimmy for swing dancers and is done by lindy dancers today, similar to a type of Line Dance today ... Originally the Shim Sham - Shimmy could be done as a solo, couple or group dance (2 or 3 couples up to the whole room), and as a group each person's arms were around the next (see above photo) but today is done apart. The Sham was done at one time at the Savoy ballroom to the song entitled "The Song of the Freaks," written by Luis Russell. The music usually builds in intensity as do the dancers making a sort of Crescendo and Diminuendo.

   The Sham's basic is the "Time Step" that is done by Tap dancers, except the dancers use a more shuffled rhythm than lifting of the feet. a double shuffle, the cross-over step, the Tack Annie and Falling off the log . The Sham also incorporates the "break" (or stop-time) which can be as short as 3 beats and as long as a minute. Usually the dancers would sing along with the music, such as "Oh, Shim-Sham ---- Shimshamshimmy! - shim - sham ---- ShimShamShimmy!" When the dance would end everyone would "truck" back to their tables etc. Around the early 1930's the Shim Sham Shimmy became a favorite Finale on the Vaudeville stage.

   Cab Calloway's "Jittering-Jitterbugs" musical short has the original group form of the shim sham shimmy routine and is led by Calloway. Dean Collin's can be seen doing it on the Marv Griffin Show as well.

Films

Ballets / Stage

Instructional Videos

Publications

$ Shim Sham-Shimmy (by Leonard Reed)

Other Related Dances of the time...

Apple Jacks

Eagle Rock

Peelin' The Peach

Snake Hips

Balboa

Funky Butt

Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition

Soft Shoe

Ballin' The Jack

Jazz

Suzy-Q

Big Apple

Jitterbug

Shag

Tap

Black Bottom

Lindy Hop

Shimmie

Truckin'

Breakaway

Little Apple

Shorty George

Charleston

Mooch

Dancers, Choreographers etc.

Political

Al Minns

$ Leonard Reed 

Alice Whitman (sisters)

Leonards Reedettes

Bojangles

Cab Calloway

Sammy Davis Jr.

Cholly Atkins

Dean Collins

Vin and Roberto

Books, Magazine Articles on the dance...

Title

Author

Date Published

Publisher

Musicians

Singers

Poets / Writers

Chick Webb (1909-1939)

Clarence Williams (1898-1965)

Count Basie (1904-1984)

Duke Ellington (1899-1974)

J. Geils Band

Johnny Brandon

Luis Russell (1902-1963)

Rachel Rachel (Davids Dance)

Ricky Lyons (c.1960s)

Will Osborne Orch. (c.1937)

Misc. Research Words that may be related ... to help your searches

Related Shim Sham Items

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