4/5/07

Local Shag champions, community members dance the day away with kids at MECC
By Eric Goold

ERIC GOOLD/Manning Times

County Treasurer Matt Evans and Manning Early Childhood Center first grade teacher Mrs. Robertha Harrison delight a large audience of children last Thursday while performing the Shag, South Carolina’s official state dance.

Matt and Lynn Evans have performed the Shag, South Carolina’s official state dance, for a lot of different audiences around Clarendon County, but even they may have been a little overwhelmed by the hordes of children who came to watch them dance last Thursday afternoon.

Robertha Harrison and her first graders at the Manning Early Childhood Center asked the Evans’s to perform for them, but they forgot to mention that there would be over 250 children in attendance.

“I am a little nervous,” said Lynn Evans as she watched class after class parade out back behind the MECC for the event. “I didn’t know it would be such a big audience. But it’s always a pleasure to perform for the kids. Hopefully they’ll get interested in the Shag at a young age.”

County Treasurer Matt Evans gave a little introduction speech before the dancing started, then he and his wife jumped right in and started cutting a rug.

“This is such a great group of kids,” he said. “We love dancing for them and getting involved with the school.”

Harrison never needs an excuse to do some dancing with the children and the Shagging Festival created the usual buzz of energy that accompanies all of her activities.

“Everybody’s smiling!” said Harrison. “It just means so much to us for them (the Evans’s) to take time out of their very busy schedule and come show these kids the Shag. They don’t just talk about character education, they show it.”

Also present were community members like Dwayne Thompson, who took some time out from his busy schedule at Stokes Craven Automotive to do some dancing with teachers and the Evans’s.
“Oh yeah, I was ready to do the Shag,” said Thompson, whose daughter Jordan is a first grader at the MECC. “I enjoy being here with the kids and reaching out to the community and the school.”

The biggest roars of approval came from the children when their teachers followed the lead of the Evans’s and started doing a little dancing. Many of the kids couldn’t control themselves and had to do some Shagging of their own.

“The children really respond to the Shag,” said Matt Evans. “The movements in it are fun for them, they seem to enjoy the footwork.”