Shimmy
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- This article is about a dance move. For the song, see Toxicity (album). For the engineering effect, see Hunting (engineering).
A shimmy is a dance in which the body is held still, except for the shoulders, which are alternated back and forth. When the right shoulder goes back, the left one comes forward. It may help to hold the arms out slightly bent at the elbow, and when the shoulders are moved, keep the hands in the same position. Flappers performed this dance in the 1920s. The origin of the name is attributed to Gilda Gray, a Polish emigrant to America. An anecdote says that when she was asked about her dancing style, she answered, in heavy accent, "I'm shaking my chemise". In an interview Gilda denied having said this, and also earlier usages of the word are recorded.
The move is also known under different names in various folk dances, in Gypsy dances. In Russia language this move is called "Cyganochka", of "gypsy girl", and is done by gypsy female dancers to produce a chime of costume decorations made of the sewn-on coins, which probably explains why Gilda Gray would want to "shake her chemise".
When done fast, shimmy produces an erotic effect because of moving breasts.
The dance move with this name is used in various modern dances.
Members of the historically African-American fraternity Kappa Alpha Psi often use a form of this dance to distinguish themselves in casual, social environments. The members form a single-file line and shimmy side-to-side in unison, often to the beat of background music. [1]