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Shim Sham Dance History

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You Are here: Page Updated:  August 15, 2007
Streetswings Dance History Archives: Shim Sham
Group Shim Sham Shimmie dance history page photo
Shim Sham ~ Shimmy

   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.

Birth Place

Creation Date

Creator

Dance Type

New York 1927 Reed / Bryant Jazz / Swing
 

Swing Posters, Lobby Cards etc.

Sheet Music Covers

Music Titles

Black Thunder Swing

Sugar Hill Shim Sham

David's Dance (Shim-Sham)

Cabin in the Sky (Swing Movie)

     

Doin the Shim-Sham

Chick Webb and Ella Savoy (Swing)

     

Shim Sham Shimmy

Daddy-O (Swing Movie)

     

Shim Sham Shimmie At The Cricket's Ball (1937- Osborne)

Groovie Movie (Swing Movie)

     

Hellzapoppin'(Swing Movie Poster) 2

     

Shim Sham Shuffle (Lyons-1966)

HI-DE-HO (Cab Calloway)

     

Sugar Hill Shim Sham (Ellington)

Hot Mikado (Swing Play)

     

The Song of the Freaks (Russell)

Juke Girl (Swing Movie)

     

$ Shim Sham Shimmy Dance

Keep Punchin' (Swing Movie)

     

Up in Harlem every Sat. Night

Micheux Swing (Swing Art Print)

       

Prisoner Of Swing (Swing Movie)

       

Private Buckeroo (Swing Movie)

       

Rock, Rock, Rock (ECS Swing Movie)

       

Shag The Movie (Shag Dance)

       

Stormy Weather (Bojangles, Horne)

       

The Girl Can't Help It (Swing Movie) 

       
 

Night Clubs

Theaters

Locations

Apollo Theatre (NY)

Apollo Theatre (NY) USA

Cotton Club (NY)

Empire Theatre (1935)  

Club Ritz (Reno, NV)

Nixon Theatre (Philly 5/1938)  
Club Southtown Lafayette Theatre (NY)  
Club Zig-Zag (IL)    
Connie's Inn (NY)        

Dickie Well's Shim Sham Club (NY)

       

Grand Terrace (IL)

       
Martin's Tavern (TX)        
Pine Grove Inn (Middleton, NY)        

Savoy Ballroom (NY)

       
Shim Sham Club (San Diego, CA)        

Films

Ballets / Stage

Calloway's "Jittering Jitterbugs" 1928 - Blackbirds (Doin' the shim-sham)
Follow the Fleet ? (Lindy, Taxi and Shim dancers were hired) 1930s- Rhythm Bound
History of the World pt.1 (Ethiopian Shim Sham - Gregory Hines aka Sand Dance) 1935 - Hot Cha Review (Vin and Roberto)
  Shim-Sham Follies (Burlesque)
   

Instructional Videos

Publications

$ Shim Sham-Shimmy (by Leonard Reed)

 
      7/1/1920 - Syracuse Hearld (The Shim)
      12/22/1933 - Hammond Times (Kitty O'Dare is said Sham inventor)
      7/31/1935 - Daily Gleaner (Carol McKay Shim Sham)
      12/11/1935 - Daily Gleanor (Vin and Roberto)
      2/1939 - Esquire Magazine
           

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 

n/a

Alice Whitman (sisters)

Leonards Reedettes

 

Bojangles

Norma Sedan (Pine Grove Inn)  

Cab Calloway

Ozie Anderson (Club Southtown)  
Carol McKay

Sammy Davis Jr.

 

Cholly Atkins

Savoy and Stawych (Martins Tavern)  

Dean Collins

Sherry Adair (Club Zig-Zag)  
Evelyn Mann (The Ritz) Trudy Calville (1935)  
Frankie Manning

Vin and Roberto

 
Grant Sisters (1935) Virginia O'Brien  
Helen Hendricks (1937) Willie Bryant  
Kitty O'Dare (1933) Williams and Williams  
Leon James    

Books, Magazine Articles on the dance...

Title

Author

Date Published

Publisher

n/a - - -
       

Musicians

Singers

Poets / Writers

Chick Webb (1909-1939)

Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996) n/a

Clarence Williams (1898-1965)

Ma Rainey (189?-1937)    

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

Cramp Roll Time Step   -
Shuffle off to Buffalo        

Related Shim Sham Items

wingin' at the Savoy by Norma Miller  (one of the Whitey's Lindy Hoppers)
$ Read about the
Savoy Ballroom

Leonard Reed's
Shim Sham Shimmy
     

Other...

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