Woman heads to shag Hall of Fame

Charleston native a national champ

Linda Oltmann Walker was born and raised in Charleston, so perhaps it seems only natural she would love dancing the shag.

"It seems like shagging has been around forever for me," she says.

Now, thanks to two recent honors, Walker will have her name officially linked to the popular dance in the history books. Earlier this month, she and dance partner Bill Young of Charlotte won first place in the Masters Division of the 25th annual National Shag Dance Championships, which were held in Myrtle Beach.

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Linda Oltmann Walker

She also learned recently that she is one of eight 2008 inductees into the Shagger's Hall of Fame in North Myrtle Beach.

Walker says that participation in the Masters Division of the championship is by invitation only. The female dancer must be at least 49 years old and the male at least 50, but with a total for the pair of at least 100 years combined. Walker is 59; Young is 66.

No novices or amateurs are permitted in the Masters category. At least one dancer in each pair must be in the Shagger's Hall of Fame. Young qualified on that count; Walker will not be inducted until this fall. Unlike the other divisions, Walker says, the Masters Division is all about the dancers' feel for the music and the dance itself.

"The judges want to see more of a dance from the gut and the soul rather than a routine," she says.

The more modern version of the shag puts equal emphasis on the male and female partners with inventions such as mirror steps, where both partners do the same moves. But in the more traditional style of the dance, the man is the center of attention, doing spins and other gyrations, and the woman's steps complement his.

"We didn't do one mirror step in our whole routine," Walker says.

Couples in the Masters Division are judged on smoothness, togetherness and showmanship.

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Linda Oltmann Walker and Bill Young won first place in the Masters Division of the 25th annual National Shag Dance Championships in Myrtle Beach.

Walker, who owns Trudy's School of Dance, says she was thrilled when Young asked her to be his partner in the contest.

"Bill's wife didn't want to compete this year but wanted him to do it, and he asked me. He and I have known each other for a few years and he's a great shagger. It meant a lot to be asked," she says.

There weren't many opportunities for Walker and Young to practice since they live in different states. "I saw him one time at Ocean Drive to go social dancing and to get a feel for each other," she says.

The dancers selected their own music and wore outfits that complemented each other. "The rest was just kind of spontaneous from knowing the dance and doing it growing up," she says.

There was tough competition among nine couples from the Southeast. "I was very pleasantly surprised we got first place because there were some fabulous dancers there," Walker says.

This was Walker's second time competing in the championships. Last year, she and her partner did not place.

When she was younger, Walker participated in several shag competitions but eventually began to shag purely for the fun of it.

"I love beach music and the shag is our state dance. I feel if you're going to live here and be around beach music, you ought to learn to shag, too," she says.

The shag traces its roots to the 1920s, when white teenagers were inspired by black dances and music, leading to the birth of the shag as a spinoff of the jitterbug.

Walker has fond memories of being taught to shag by her older siblings in the 1950s and heading to Ocean Drive to go dancing. "Being around back when it all started is very different from what it's like now, but the reason for competitions like this is the same for young and old," she says. "We're all just trying to preserve the shag."

The National Shag Dance Championships originated in March 1984 and are the longest-running shag contests in the country. The contest itself is the winner of two Feather Awards as "Best Swing Event in the USA."

In addition to Walker, another Lowcountry resident, Jessica McAlhaney of North Charleston, won the contest's Pro Division and the overall title with her dance partner, Sam West of Hamlet, N.C. The Post and Courier was unable to reach McAlhaney for comment.

Reach Lauren Adderley at ladderley@postandcourier.com.