United States (New York), late 1920s
SHIM SHAM
The final bow that became swing's anthem
The Shim Sham was born in New York in the late 1920s as a choreographed closing bow that vaudeville tap dancers performed together at the end of shows. Attributed to Leonard Reed and Willie Bryant, it originally used metal-plated shoes before being adapted "flat" to be danced socially, without taps.
Revived by the lindy hop scene in the 1980s and 1990s during the swing revival, the Shim Sham became the ultimate community dance: when it starts, the whole room lines up and dances the same sequence together. It is a way of celebrating the history of vernacular jazz and recalling the African American roots of all swing dancing.
The vocabulary blends jazz roots steps (Boogie Back, Boogie Forward, Half Break, Tacky Annie), rhythmic stomps, and shoulder play. It traditionally ends with a "Shim Sham Shimmy" — a joyful shoulder shake that gives the whole choreography its name.
How it's danced
Technique & figures
The Shim Sham is danced in a line, without a partner, to a swing tune between 130 and 160 bpm (often "'Tain't What You Do" by Jimmie Lunceford or the Frankie Manning version of "Shim Sham Shimmy"). The figures follow a fixed order, punctuated by collective "breaks" that pace the progression.
Styles and fundamentals
The posture stays low and bouncy, typical of vernacular jazz: soft knees, body slightly forward, free shoulders. Each figure lasts 8 counts and is repeated twice before moving to the next. The feet "strike" the floor like silent taps, with plenty of sound on counts 2 and 4.
Main figures
- 01
Shim Sham step
The signature basic step: three lateral stomps linked to a shuffle, done on one side then the other.
- 02
Push and Cross
A push on one foot followed by a cross of the other in front. Emblematic of the second section of the Shim Sham.
- 03
Tacky Annie
A sequence of syncopated steps with kicks and floor stomps, inherited from 1930s vernacular jazz.
- 04
Half Break / Full Break
Rhythmic breaks used to punctuate the choreography and resynchronize the whole line before the next figure.
- 05
Final shimmy
A collective shoulder shake that closes the choreography and gives the Shim Sham its name.
Reading the music
The reference track is "'Tain't What You Do (It's the Way That You Do It)" by Jimmie Lunceford, but the whole swing culture offers its own tempo variants. The choreography is set to the typical 32-bar structure of ballroom jazz.
Did you know?
Explore the rhythms
Same family
Danses de Ligne & de Groupe