Shim Sham Shimmy

The Shim Sham Shimmy has a long history as a choreographed dance sequence, starting as a common tap routine from the 1920's and 1930's, and evolving into the sequence of jazz steps that is danced by Lindy Hoppers today.

Traditionally, the routine is performed to Benny Goodman's "Stompin' At The Savoy"; more recently, "Tain't What You Do" or Bill Elliott Swing Orchestra's "The Shim Sham Song" are common choices.

The routine as a whole is divided into 10 sections, where each section consists of 4 eight-beat phrases. The first four of these sections are repeated twice through, but on the second iteration each of the Break phrases is replaced with an eight beat freeze (so the overall pattern of sections is ABCDABCDEF).

At the end of the routine, it is traditional to grab a nearby partner and begin normal dancing. Often at this point an organizer will grab a microphone and shout instructions to the dancers—freeze, dance, change partners and so on.

SectionPhraseMove
A 117Stomp And Shimmy (RLRR)
A 218Stomp And Shimmy (LRLL)
A 319Stomp And Shimmy (RLRR)
A 420Break (first time) / Freeze (second time)
B 521Pushes and Cross Over (L to R)
B 622Pushes and Cross Over (R to L)
B 723Pushes and Cross Over (L to R)
B 824Cross Overs
C 925Tack Annie
C1026Tack Annie
C1127Tack Annie
C1228Break (first time) / Freeze (second time)
D1329Half Breaks
D1430Break (first time) / Freeze (second time)
D1531Half Breaks
D1632Break (first time) / Freeze (second time)
E 33Boogie Back
E 34Boogie Forward
E 35Boogie Back
E 36Boogie Forward
F 37Boogie Back
F 38Shorty George
F 39Boogie Back
F 40Shorty George
left side view right side view facing view
Stomp and Shimmy
8. S:TbeFR Start with the dancer's weight on their left foot. The dancer stomps slightly forward with their right foot, shaking their shoulders with their hands forwards, arms bent at the elbow. This upper-body shimmy action continues throughout this section.
1. S:TR The dancer closes their right foot to their left foot.
2. S:TbeFL The dancer stomps slightly forward with their left foot.
3. S:TL The dancer closes their left foot to their right foot.
4. S:TbeFR The dancer stomps slightly forward with their right foot.
5. S:CoR The dancer brings their right foot next to their left foot without putting weight on it.
6. S:TbeFR The dancer stomps slightly forward with their right foot.
7. S:TR The dancer closes their right foot to their left foot. This section now repeats on the opposite foot (so the stomps are left-right-left-left), and then on the original foot (right-left-right-right) again.
Freeze
8. S:DfR The dancer takes a step diagonally forward on their right foot, swinging right knee to right hand side and clicking right hand out to right hand side.
1. S:0B The dancer moves their right knee to the left, swinging right hand back in front of the body. These two beats repeat through this 8-beat section.
Pushes and Cross Over
8. S:DfR The dancer takes a step diagonally forward on their right foot, pushing hands forwards.
1. S:RL The dancer replaces their weight on their left foot, swinging hands back.
2. S:DfR The dancer takes a step diagonally forward on their right foot.
3. S:RL The dancer replaces their weight on their left foot.
4. S:DfR The dancer takes a step diagonally forward on their right foot.
5. S:KefL The dancer performs a kick slightly forward with their left foot, swinging right arm in a circle over the shoulder.
6. S:XL The dancer takes a step with their left foot across and in front of their other foot.
7. S:DbR The dancer takes a step diagonally backward on their right foot.
Cross Overs
8. S:DfL The dancer takes a step diagonally forward on their left foot.
1. S:KefR The dancer performs a kick slightly forward with their right foot.
2. S:XR The dancer takes a step with their right foot across and in front of their other foot.
3. S:DbL The dancer takes a step diagonally backward on their left foot.
4. S:DfR The dancer takes a step diagonally forward on their right foot.
5. S:KefL The dancer performs a kick slightly forward with their left foot.
6. S:XL The dancer takes a step with their left foot across and in front of their other foot.
7. S:DbR The dancer takes a step diagonally backward on their right foot.
Tack Annie
&. S:SR The dancer takes a step to the side on their right foot.
8. S:SL The dancer takes a step to the side on their left foot.
1. S:TaHR The dancer taps with their right foot back and behind their other foot, pulling elbows back behind body.
2. S:SR The dancer takes a step to the side on their right foot, pushing arms forwards.
3. S:TaHL The dancer taps with their left foot back and behind their other foot.
4. S:SL The dancer takes a step to the side on their left foot.
5. S:TaHR The dancer taps with their right foot back and behind their other foot.
6. S:SR The dancer takes a step to the side on their right foot.
7. S:SL The dancer takes a step to the side on their left foot.
Break
8. S:FR The dancer takes a step forward on their right foot, pointing forwards towards the ground with right hand.
1. S:TaHL The dancer taps with their left foot back and behind their other foot.
2. S:BL The dancer takes a step backward on their left foot.
4. S:SlFL The dancer slides along the floor forward on their left foot.
&. S:HR The dancer takes a step with their right foot back and behind their other foot.
5. S:SlFR The dancer slides along the floor forward on their right foot.
&. S:TL The dancer closes their left foot to their right foot.
6. S:SlSB The dancer slides along the floor to the side on both their feet.
7. S:SlTB The dancer closes both their feet to their feet.
Half Breaks
8. S:FR The dancer takes a step forward on their right foot, pointing forwards towards the ground with right hand.
1. S:BL The dancer takes a step backward on their left foot.
2. S:KfR The dancer performs a kick forward with their right foot.
&. S:TR The dancer closes their right foot to their left foot.
3. S:TL The dancer closes their left foot to their right foot.
4. S:FR The dancer takes a step forward on their right foot, pointing forwards towards the ground with right hand.
5. S:BL The dancer takes a step backward on their left foot.
6. S:KfR The dancer performs a kick forward with their right foot.
&. S:TR The dancer closes their right foot to their left foot.
7. S:TL The dancer closes their left foot to their right foot. The next three 8-beat phrases continue to alternate the last two sections, ending after the third iteration of the Break. The sequence then starts at the beginning of the routine again, with one exception: on the second time through, each of the three iterations of the Break is replaced by a eight beats where the dancers freeze in place.
Boogie Back
8. S:KfR The dancer performs a kick forward with their right foot, clapping.
&. S:BR The dancer takes a step backward on their right foot.
1. S:TL The dancer closes their left foot to their right foot. These two beats repeat through this 8-beat section.
Boogie Forward
8. S:PxR The dancer points with their right foot across and in front of their other foot.
1. S:FR The dancer takes a step forward on their right foot, sweeping the foot in a semicircle and pushing right hip to the right side as the step is taken.
2. S:PxL The dancer points with their left foot across and in front of their other foot.
3. S:FL The dancer takes a step forward on their left foot, sweeping the foot in a semicircle and pushing left hip to the left side as step is taken.
4. S:PxR The dancer points with their right foot across and in front of their other foot.
5. S:FR The dancer takes a step forward on their right foot, sweeping the foot in a semicircle and pushing right hip to the right side as the step is taken.
6. S:PxL The dancer points with their left foot across and in front of their other foot.
7. S:FL The dancer takes a step forward on their left foot, sweeping the foot in a semicircle and pushing left hip to the left side as step is taken. At this point, both the previous section and this section are repeated. After this, another Boogie Back section leads into the Shorty George section.
Shorty George
8. S:KsR The dancer performs a kick to the side with their right foot, clicking fingers of right hand, straightening right arm down by the right side.
1. S:eFR The dancer takes a step slightly forward on their right foot, slightly bending both knees and moving them to the left, lowering left shoulder so that left hand points down, raising right shoulder.
2. S:eFL The dancer takes a step slightly forward on their left foot, slightly bending both knees and moving them to the right, lowering right shoulder so that right hand points down, raising left shoulder. Beats 1 and 2 repeat for beats 3-6.
7. S:eFR The dancer takes a step slightly forward on their right foot, as for beat 1. Following this section is another repeat of the Boogie Back section, then finally a repeat of this section to end.
 
 
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