Learn to Shag with Don Bunn
Shag Lessons Instructor based in Raleigh, NC
Comments from Students and Friends
“I enjoy getting comments and feedback from my students. Some of the comments I have received were left at past versions of my website. Some have been emailed directly and posted here by permission of the student. I invite you to read the comments below. Post your own comment by scrolling to the bottom of the page and adding your comment in the comment box, then click on Submit.”
Thank You,
~Don Bunn
When I was in Raleigh, I used to take lessons From Don almost every Monday and Tuesday night. I met a lot of great friends during the classes taught by Don, Madeline and Bonnie.
Thanks Don
Ralph and I had so much fun taking beginning lessons with Don and Debbie. Instructions were clear and reviewed multiple times until the class caught on. We were given plenty of time with music to try out the new steps. We are now anxious to take intermediate lessons and look forward to getting to TJ’s for great beach music every Thursday night.
Once you’ve completed the beginner class, don’t wait; jump into the intermediate classes for more fun. Once you know the steps taught in the beginner class, you can go dancing and have a lot of fun, but the intermediate class polishes your dance routine. If you’ve just completed the beginner class and are a little unsure if you’re ready to move into intermediate, consider taking advantage of Don’s offer to take the beginner class again the following month for $25.00, and take the intermediate class also. If you do that on Monday night, you have an hour of beginner work to warm you up before the intermediate class at 8:00. Each intermediate class adds to your choice of steps, which greatly increases your options while dancing. The other members of the classes are at various skill levels, allowing you to gain experience with others and learn from them, as well as Don and Debbie. You also have the added bonus of meeting some great people. One final suggestion: Get out and go to TJ’s on Thursday night and dance!
Phil and I have enjoyed the beginner lessons so much. We can’t thank you enough for getting us back on our feet and moving to the music. Phil gave me the lessons as my birthday gift. It has been the best gift ever. Thursday nights at TJ’s has also been something to look forward to each week. We’ve met some new friends, tried some new steps, and told everyone we know how much fun this is for us. We’ll be back for more in the intermediate classes. If you do sign up, get the DVD, it’s so worth it. We have used it over and over again. It’s a great refresher for lessons learned and a great look ahead of what is coming up the following week.
After years of delaying shag lessons, my wife finally talked me into trying them. To anyone waiting; don’t! It’s a blast. Don breaks everything down so that even someone with two left feet (me) can understand the steps. I strongly recommend taking advantage of the option to take two lessons per week. For an extra $20, you can take the Tuesday class in addition to the Monday class. I found myself concentrating so hard on Monday that I missed some of the finer points. When you follow up with the same lesson the next night, you catch all of that. It’s a great way to learn faster, and it’s twice as much fun!
New shag classes have begun again. The last classes ended with a big success! All thanks to Don and Debbie! They are the greatest!
I want to share a comment made from shaggers in 2 separate counties close to Wake County. They have see Don and Debbie’s DVD and said, “it’s the best shag instructional video they had ever seen”. This is so true! For those who do not have one of the DVD’s, please try to purchase one of them. You will be glad you did!
My girlfriend and I took two months of lessons from Don. This was the first time I’ve had actual dance lessons. We had a great time at class and have since been regularly dancing at Raleigh events including the North Hills beach music fest. After a mere two months we definitely fit in as competent shaggers and have a blast dancing through the night.
We love your shag classes! The way you break the steps of each move down makes it easy to follow, even if our feet don’t always listen. You’re also great at offering alternative suggestions for mastering a move if the first attempt doesn’t sink in. Rick and I look forward to more classes with you and Debbie.
Don and Debbie…
I would like you both to know that I very much enjoyed your classes and what you both have taught me. You are exceptional instructors, with patients and details in each step and I am grateful. I am sadden to say that I will not be attending your next class due to my work schedule and living in Angier. It makes for a very long day from 4:30am to 10pm.
I wish you both the best in all competitions that you enter.
Respectfully,
Jill Schaut
Don, The new class format is a huge hit with Kathy and me! We really like the new ‘Advanced’ group concept. It’s great that you and Debbie are now free to quickly describe and demonstrate the new step and we spend the vast majority of class time focusing almost entirely on performing and polishing the sequence itself, rather than on learning/reviewing the component parts. As a result, I think we all reach a much higher level of performance by the end of the night. Great steps this month! Can’t wait to see what you come up with next!
Terry and I met back in 2007 in beginners shag class. We married in 2008! We continued to take intermediate classes up to the present time. Why so long? We really enjoy learning new steps as well as getting together with a group of wonderful people we now dance with regularly. This month, Don and Debbie started an advanced shag class. We love it because we no longer have to practice basic shag steps so newbees can catch up. We learn new steps each week. We find the more advanced class challenging us to work harder at getting better! We now have absolutely no excuse for being bored with the same old steps on the dance floor. Generally speaking…it is much more fun for those of us who have been shagging for a while. Don and Debbie are patient to a pure fault! They can laugh with us as we stumble and progress. They will work with you till you “get it”. Thanks Don and Debbie! You two are very talented and just the greatest!
I have truly enjoyed my first 4 weeks of beginner Shag lessons. Don & Debbie are so very kind as were all the other “beginners”.
Had such a great time!
I have shaged for years but didn’t know the fancy smooth steps and so I e mailed Don and he gave me the information I needed and I started in Dunn with Shirley Weaver Tuesday night but plan to go to Don. Also I know I am going to enjoy the lessons. Thanks Don. I have never taken lessons before until now. Thanks again. Barbara Johnson
This is the first time of ever taking any kind of dance lessons and it was so much fun. I was not really sure what to expect. Don and Debbie made it relaxing,fun and easy to learn how to shag. I can tell a big difference from the first lesson in basic and the last lesson so I am excited to be moving on to the next phase.
Thanks to Don and Debbie for the lessons this month. Great instruction! My daughter and I had so much fun and really enjoyed learning and being around such nice people. Looking forward to continuing to master this great dance.
Randy and I took shag lessions about 20 years ago and in time have lost the art. After some investigating we chose Don and Debbie! You guys are great and even though we started all over and are a bit older(which makes learning harder) we have enjoyed each class and look forward to each week of learning. Yours and Debbie’s style is a little bit different than what we are used to but we have learned alot and think you two are the best!!
Don, Your website looks great and so do you. Seeing the old dance photos of you and Linda made me smile. You were so good to me when I was at ECU.Hard to belive that was 1988! You always let me be creative and try new things in our shagging. Do you remember the weekend at Norfleet’s club when I did not let you sit down. I still Love the pivot we invented!
Don, Your website looks great and so do you. Seeing the old dance photos of you and Linda made me smile. You were so good to me when I was at ECU.Hard to belive that was 1988! You always let me be creative and try new things in our shagging. Do you remember the weekend at Norfleet’s club when I did not let you sit down. I still Love the pivot we invented!
Thank you so much for the shag lessons this past month! My fiance and I thoroughly enjoyed it and learned SO much. Don, you are a fantastic instructor and great to dance with! We plan to take your intermediate class as soon as our work schedule allows 🙂
Don and Debbie – Thank you for the wonderful beginner dance lessons! Lee and I had never danced before so were not sure how things would go. You are both such great teachers, we felt confident with each step you taught and, therefore, not overwhelmed when a new step was introduced. I never imagined that we would have so much fun and that we would make friends along the way. Thank you!! Looking forward to taking more lessons.
An excellent class. Don and Debbie are exceptional educators, not to mention dancers. They made the classes not only informative but fun as well. I wholeheartedly recommend these classes to anyone interested in learning the state dance of North Carolina.
Don and Debbie are both awesome instructors! Thanks for teaching us to shag and making it fun. We are looking forward to the intermediate class!
The classes are so much fun. We are enjoying learning new steps and meeting new friends. Don and Debbie are terrific teachers. I encourage anyone who loves to dance to come to TJ’s on Monday or Tuesday nights for a great time!
I watched my parents Shag for years, they grew up in Durham but would go to Myrtle Beach and shag on the boardwalk. So I could not wait to learn. Then my girlfriend and I started lessons with Don in May, and it was just the most fun that have had in long time. Don is a great instructor, and just one heck of a nice guy. So we will be back for the intermediate classes in June, and I can’t wait. Thanks Don for everything!!
Don,
Your program on the “Shag” and Carolinas Beach Music at the Cary-Kildaire Rotary Club was a huge success! Everyone (including the transplants from the Northern states) were impressed with your knowledge and skills on the dance floor. Several of our members are exploring having a regular event with music and dancing for our club members and guests.
Please offer our special thanks to your students, John and Susan Leggett. They were terrific ambassadors for shagging and their dance was “smooth as the shimmer on a lake”.
Our club will be making a donation to the Ellen Taylor Foundation for Junior Shaggers in your name. Thanks again for a special night we will all remember.
Dennis
Don, I spoke to you before coming to the last beginners class in Feb. to decide if I needed to refresh the beginners steps or go into Intermediate. I’ve been shagging since I was 15 and was taught by my twin sister,as well as Judy Duke 2007, et al since then, but never has anyone made the steps easier to learn than you and your crew of Madeline & Debbie.
Two things you can do all your life are Golf and Shag and I’m grateful for both.
Thanks for having the time and patience to work with new learners and old guys who need refresher courses.
Sam jackson
CONGRATULATIONS DON ANB DEBBIE, YOU GUYS ARE SO GREAT, VEGA MAYBE?? EMMA VANCE
I was just wondering if you offer senior citizens discounts? The reason I was wondering was because you ARE a SENIOR CITIZEN and I thought you might understand. Da Grump
We are pretty new to the shag world. Not only are we having a wonderful time in you class, we are learning wonderful steps with great technique. You are excellent teachers that have mastered the dance and the ability to teach it! Thanks so much.
We just finished the beginners series and can’t wait to start intermediate – we had so much fun! Don and Debbie, you were so patient and made things easy. I have always wanted to learn to dance with my husband and after 33 years we finally got to it – like having a date every week. Thanks so much.
Don Bunn provides a fantastic social environment for fraternity events. His style of teaching gets the girls and the guys to mingle and meet each other. Everybody is dancing and having a fantastic time. We will have this event for many years to come!
Thanks Don,
Mike
MIKE SULLIVAN, Recruitment Chair, PHI DELTA THETA, NCSU
Photos, Click Here: Phi Delta Theta/Delta Zeta January 2008 Rush Party
What a great time I had taking my recent beginner shag lessons with Don and Madeline. They’re fabulous instructors and leave you wanting to learn more and more. Taking shag lessons with Don and Madeline is a great way to have fun, learn to dance and make new friends. I’m really looking forward to continuing my lessons and would, someday, like to join the Raleigh Shag Club. Try it …. you’ll like it!!!!
Don-
Thanks so much for the Beginner Shag lesson month! I really had a blast and was excited to learn something new I can use! You made things easy to learn and kept it fun! Look forward to a few more lessons!
Katie
Thanks for the lessons – I had a great time and plan to keep dancing
My girlfriend and I took beginning lessons with Don and Debbie this spring. The whole experience was great and well run. Don is a fun teacher, with a style that is easy to understand and grasp. We plan to be back for Intermediate classes soon.
Thanks Don!
Travis.
Don,
I enjoyed visiting your class recently and look forward to it again in the future. It looks like your students are doing well even with your help…
lol
Mike Pace
Madeline and Don,
Thank you so much for the enjoyable times I had in January. I took the beginners shag lesson on Monday nights. My sister encouraged me to get out and I am so glad I did. You were great instructors, never thought I could shag:)My sister and I went for the party on Thursday night with the Shakers and really enjoyed getting out there and trying my steps out. The people at TJ’s are very friendly and encouraging.
Thanks again
I took beginner and intermediate lessons with Don and Debbie and I hope to continue in the future. I live in Greenville so I had to travel to Raleigh for lessons… and it was totally worth the drive! I’m definitely still a “beginner” but I absolutely love the dance! Shagging is fun whether you’re a beginner or a pro. Classes were a blast! Don and Debbie are awesome dancers and instructors!
Don,
Your class was great! Really enjoyed it and will be taking the Intermediate class with Miss Shae. Regarding the hot dog party and the prizes for the drawing ……… I swear I heard you you say that Miss Debbie was a “prize”. Oh well 🙂 …thanks again for your understanding and patience with your dance students and most of all thanks for being you.
You are a true gentleman.
Don,
Thanks you for your time and patience. I am enjoying shagging so much. Ten years ago I would have told you there is no way i could or will learn how to shag. Sue has been wanting me to take lessons so I did and I Love it. Don & Madeline, thanks so much. I will be coming back. I will say Don puts alot of fun in it. I look forward to seeing ya at TJ’s.
Don and Madeline,
We have had a blast taking your class and are considering taking the Intermediate class. I have worked as a professional musician in the area, having played dances all over North Carolina for the past 38 years — but I have never learned to dance, especially to beach music! While I’m still not a great dancer, I feel like I have overcome a great obstacle in my life! Some good friends of ours (two other couples) invited us to take these lessons with them, so we have had lots of learning together. Thanks so much, and we hope to see you often.
Steve and Angela Rose
Thanks so much for the wonderful lessons in June, July and August! Nick and I are looking forward to coming back in October for more lessons!!!
Don and Madeline,
Thank you so much for finally making my dream come true! I have learned how to shag! Being from Eastern NC, I’ve always wanted to learn and your class is the place to be if you want to know the fine art of Shaggin’. I have thoroughly enjoyed the Beginner class and hope to pursue the Intermediate class. Both of you make it easy and fun. I’m glad I found your website, Don. I look forward to seeing you at TJ’s.
Tracey
Don,
Thank you for the fun time I am having @ our shag lessons!! However, I do wish the session lasted at least 1 1/2 hours. By the time we go through your talk and Debbie’s and time w/girls alone and guys alone, the time w/the couples seems to be way to short. Seems like by the time we get to start w/the guys it’s “thank you and good night”.
Just a thought from someone truly enjoying the fun!However, 1 hour goes so fast there just isn’t enough time to really get into the learning of what we are being taught.
See you next week.
Karen
Don and Debbie,
Wow, I could not believe how much fun you made my first lesson! The details from each of you were made so simple and easy to follow and the fun began when we all came in together as a group. I had a blast and felt like a teenager all over again! Where’s our pictures?:)
Thanks a million!
I just want to thank you for everything you taught us in our May – Beginner shag lessons. The trip from Wilson to Raleigh each Monday night was well worth it all. We had a blast learning from you and Madeline. Your patience and instructions made learning the dance easy. I wish you the best of luck as you continue to teach.
Thank you for all that you have done for the beach music industry.
Don thank you so much for the beginner lessons. Nick and I are looking forward to beginning intermediate next week! We love the class and TJ’s!
Don thank you for your time and patience.I like how you keep the instructions simple and the way you repeat them enough to get the “hang ” of it. This was a great class to start out with.
Thank you Don and Debbie!
Thank you! These lessons have been so helpful and discovering TJ’s Night Life is just the icing on the cake! You have taught my fiance, Peter, (a man with two left feet) how to shag! My family is all about shagging and I have tried to learn from them for years. Unfortunately, they were never as descriptive, explanatory or as patient as you and your fellow instructors have been!
Thank you so much for making it so easy and FUN to learn how to shag!
Back in 2000 my friend Danny and I took shag from Don for about a year and I fell in love with shagging. After he found a girlfriend (at shag lessons no less) we continued to dance and have great fun for all these years. After getting married and moving from Raleigh I missed shagging so much. Recently I have moved close enough to once again get to Raleigh so I am now brushing up and renewing my mind on the mirror steps and of course no other instructor would do but Don! He is the very best and Debbie is totally terrific!
If you ever want to dance, see Don and Debbie and learn to shag. It’s the most fun you will ever have.
Don, Thank you and Madeline so much for the lessons! Brandy and I had a ball and will be back for the intermediate class. We had learned the basic, start, male and female turn last fall but were not sure if we were doing it right. We took your class and learned from the best. You and Madeline helped us to feel much more comfortable about what we were doing by showing us the proper techniques. It made everything easier. Then you threw in the pivot and really blew our minds!! Hopefully, we can get that down during the next lessons.
I just want to encourage everyone that will to get involved. We have already made some great friends in the “shag” and beach music circles. “Shaggers” are the best bunch of folks to hang-out with in the world! I have also developed a passion for the history and legacy of shaggin’ and beach music. There is just something special about walking into “Fat Harolds” and being in the prescence of a legend and seeing all the history on the walls. It makes me proud to have been born and raised in the heart of Beach Music country. We both hope to become better dancers so we can carry on the legacy and pass it down to our kids.
I was recommended to Don by a friend who told me that if I wanted to learn how to shag “correctly”, Don would be the one to show me. His lessons are very easy and I enjoyed taking his class immensely.
I have taken beginner shag lessons twice before under different instructors and this class was the best. I think I will be able to retain more of what I learn.
My husband and I have been taking lessons since September 2005 and we love it. We find this is excellent couple time and look forward to every class. Don and Madaline are excellent instructors
Hello! I wanted to share this with you – last night we went to the Longbranch to see Sea Cruz (Mitch is good friends with Butch) and there was a group of people (18 – 25yr old) that were fantastic dancers. One in particular was sensational! After the girls finally gave him a minute to breathe, my friend Michelle ran over to ask if he was a dance instructor, dance major, child prodigy – you name it ~ turns out, he’s only been dancing a little over a year and guess who his teacher is….YOU! Wow! He was with a huge group of shaggers – some really good, some were just learning (hence the reason we thought he was the teacher!). I was amazed. So, I decided then and there, Mitch and I have got to come back! We had such a great time and it was great for us as a couple! So, please let me know when and where and we’ll bring our non-pivoting selves on over! I’m sure that guy must be getting private lessons, right?? Once I heard that you were his teacher, I could totally tell – very smooth, very good – and great turns!!!!
Mitch and Carrie
I wanted to let you know that Dan and I really enjoyed the shag lessons. We also have some good news to share – we just got engaged over Christmas. We are planning a June 2 wedding so we are very busy right now with wedding plans. We may try to get back into shag lessons after things calm down a bit. We have practiced some, but not a lot since the end of the lessons.
Hope all is well with you,
Katie Weaver
You may not remember me. I took your beginning and intermediate classes a year ago last Fall. My name is Brenda Baker. Another member of your class was a gentleman by the name of Gary Case. We were dance partners every so often. Just thought I’d write and let you know we are definitely “dance” partners now. Thanks for having Shag classes. We will always remember them. We are hoping to be one of those “and they lived happily ever after” couples.
We just wanted you to know. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Brenda Baker & Gary Case
Newsflash from Creedmoor!!! “Keep your butt still…don’t look at your feet…don’t lead”…Oh, how fun my 4 months of lessons were with you, Don and Bonnie! I am so grateful to you both for introducing me to the “shag world”…the fun, the fellowship, the dancing and the many new friends have saved my life! Not only are you both great instructors but you have become very dear friends!!! Forever Grateful! Karen
Anyone thinking about taking shag lessons needs to stop thinking and JUST DO IT! To learn from a LEGEND like Don Bunn is way too awesome to describe! He has instilled a LOVE for this dance in my husband and me.
Thank you, Don, for your expertise and THANK YOU especially for providing an extra-curricular activity that my husband and I can enjoy together!
I wanted to comment on here and say how much I enjoy shagging now after taking both beginner lessons and four months of intermediate lessons with you and Ms. Madaline and Ms. Bonnie. What sparked my interest in the dance of shag was when I was on a retreat with NC State and was amazed at the number of people that knew how to shag and how much fun it appeared to be. So I enlisted in lessons through the summer and now know more shagging moves than most of my friends from that retreat. Just over this past Christmas break I went on a winter conference with campus crusade and every single night after our meetings a bunch of us would get together and shag in the hotel until the wee hours of the morning…and I had all kinds of guys asking me where I learned all my fancy footwork from and I was able to teach many of them some of the footwork and they absolutely loved it. I had no idea that I would be more advanced than many of them that first inspired me to want to learn how to shag…but after taking lessons I feel so much more confident about getting out on the dancefloor and even teaching others. Several of my friends have seen me dance or hear how much I’ve enjoyed it that they have now decided to start taking lessons and I’m so happy!! I loved the way the steps are taught broken down peice by peice and by the end of the night I’ve got it down pat. I’ve enjoyed it so much that I have decided to come back and start up lessons again next week and can’t wait!!
Thank you so much,
Kristi Tutor
Just wanted to let you know how much Lara and I have enjoyed the lessons that you and Bonnie teach each month. We really look forward to Tuesday nights to get back on the floor. A great bunch of students and of course two great instructors make it a lot of fun.
Thanks for all that you have done
Thank you for being a GREAT instructor. January will be the beginning of my 5th year of lessons. (Should I be telling that? How many pivot classes would that equate to?) I’ve taken with a regular partner and without one. Not having a regular partner has not stopped me from taking the classes. I always have a great time and learn something new in each class. Remembering is the problem!!!
And have I mentioned the fun?!!! We always laugh a lot. I have made a lot friends. The dance classes are a great social outlet.
Don is not only an excellant dancer, he has teaching this dance mastered as well(if you are going to learn to shag, you might as well take from the best).
Thanks again Don!!! See you in January.
My wife and I started taking lessons from Don when we first started dating and looked forward to it every week! It was something we could laugh at ourselves and had fun EVERY week! (Actually I think it was Don laughing at me trying to get the steps down!)
While we haven’t been able to get back to the lessons lately (baby came along, so we have been trying to teach him the basic!), we are looking forward to getting back to Don’s class! (Hopefully before the child goes to college!)
What can I say to one of the people that have actually changed our lives. Bill and I are so glad that we walked into Reds one Friday night and discovered Shag dancing. Once we found it and found our wonderful teachers, you and Bonnie, or lives have never been the same.
I recommend you and Bonnie all the time and will be forever grateful for what you have taught us and the great friends we have met. Bill and I enjoy dancing and just being around the shag dancing world. So we say to you and all that you have taught us, thanks!!!!
For years I’ve been watching and admiring your shagging, Don, and finally I had the opportunity to learn from you. Your teaching style made me remember what we’d learned. Having the handouts explaining the steps will help me better retain what you taught. Kudos to you and Madeline and Bonnie for your patience, particularly when we couldn’t get the easy steps.
I look forward to the next class and the next and the next.
Thanks for providing the classes and the workshops and for keeping shag dancing alive!
I took very concentrated shag lessons from you back in the summer. I can’t believe how much I learned in the two afternoon/6 hour crash course you gave me. It was intense work but I don’t know when I’ve ever had so much fun. You made it very easy and you are a great instructor. Only problem I have now is that I can’t find a partner as good as you! I’ll be back this summer for a refresher course and new steps!
Thanks again!
Jenny Jenkins
Bobby and I started taking lessons on Tuesday nights about a year and a half ago and have been taking almost every Tuesday since then. We have learned so many new steps and techniques and it has made our dancing a lot more interesting and fun. More importantly, though, are the friends we’ve made during this time. It’s true that shaggers are great people and Don and Bonnie are superb teachers and a hoot to boot!!
Many thanks..
Hi Don,
I wanted to drop you a line to let you know that Mike & myself really enjoyed the shag lessons this month. We are hoping to attend your workshops when you have them scheduled and can’t wait to try out the steps at our Club Christmas Party.
We have been practicing our steps and are getting better every day. Make sure you pass along the thank you to Madeline as well. Hope to hear from you soon.
Thanks again,
Robin & Mike Harris
Thank You for the great step you taught us at the 2006 Fall Cyclone. It is one we will practice and get down pat and use while enjoying the dance. This is the first time we had the chance to take your class and enjoyed it very much. Thanks Again. Terry