Spirit of South Carolina will shine for 17th annual Shagging with the Stars competition
The soul of South Carolina’s coast is coming alive and stepping out for the 17th annual Shagging with the Stars event.
The competition is set to take place at 7 p.m. Friday at the Spanish Galleon in North Myrtle Beach.
Grayson Free will be competing in the event as a professional dancer for the first time, showing off his 16 years of talent and skills on the dance floor along with his “star” partner.
Free said he fell in love with the music from the start.
“I’m tapping my foot and [dad] was like, ‘Do you want to learn how to do it?’ And I was like ‘yeah,’ and that was pretty much it,” Free said.
At the young age of 7, Free was hooked on shagging.
“Without the music, I wouldn’t have even gotten into it,” Free said. “Everyone I know in shag is practically family.”
Not to mention, it’s in his blood, as it’s a generational dance for the Free family.
“My grandparents did it, and they taught my dad, and then he taught me,” Free said. “Eventually, I will teach my kids, and it will just keep going.”
The dance will stay in his soul forever, much like it has in the Grand Strand. For nearly a century the fun, quick step has become a tradition at the beach said Barry Thigpen, the founder and president of the National Shag Championships.
“It’s a beautiful, smooth dance, and if you want it to be, you can hype it up a little bit, but it’s not a lot of hopping,” Thigpen said.
This year’s contestants had a short time to learn the dance, but according to instructors they are picking it up quickly, Thigpen said.
“Practice has been really good actually,” Free said. “A lot better than … not saying I was expecting worse, but I’m saying that, usually, it takes some people some time to get the rhythm down, the beat down, the counts and all, but she picked it up quick.”
Free’s star he’s teaching is News13’s very own Jackie Librizzi.
All proceeds from the event benefit the Beth Mitchell Memorial Scholarship. Hoping to raise more money this year with a second event, the 2nd National Champions Mixed Doubles will take place on Saturday night at the same location.
WBTW is a proud sponsor of Shagging with the Stars.
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Adriana Cotero is News13’s weekend evening anchor and a morning reporter. She joined the team in July 2023 after working in the island of Guam. Adriana is from Saline, Michigan, and graduated from Central Michigan University. Follow Adriana on Facebook, X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram and read more of her work here.
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