The

“Stag Line”, a male high school dance etiquette,chosen sitting lady and request a dance.
was certainly indigenous to Cape Breton Island inNow here is the shear brilliance of the stag line. It
Nova Scotia Canada.really was a simple male support system for those
Remember those Cape Breton school dances in thealmost always shy and awkward teenage guys
1960s?working up the courage to ask a girl to dance. If the
The community hall or gymnasium would be dimlyfemale response was affirmative, the gentlemen
lighted by a few flood lights. Whether the music wassimply escorted her to the dance floor then danced
delivered by a jukebox, a DJ or live band, the use ofto as many tunes as was enjoyable for both. When
a color organ and strobe light was prevalent —the dancing was ended by either party, the guy
you had to have colored lights pulsing to the beat ofescorted her back to her seat and then (this is
the music. Waiting in anticipation of being asked toperfect) rejoined his comrades in the stag line parade.
dance, the teenage ladies were seated along theNow, should a female's response to a dance request
walls of the dance floor while some of the youngbe 'negatory' or even a little hesitant, the "stag line
girls started things off by dancing with each other.extracted" male need simply to step back into the
In Cape Breton this familiar 1960s dance scene nowline right next to the comfort and support ( or jabs)
took a radical depart from the norm. The youngof his buddies. And likely only a few people even
gents, dressed in typical macho denim jeans 'n jacket,noticed the rejection let alone the valiant attempt.
entered the dance hall 'struttin' their stuff'. Then, likeEveryone kept face. And the recovering male, once
"the March of the Penguins", these young males, 2 orre-composed, would start the hunt for the next
3 abreast, began a deliberate saunter (always indance partner.
counter clockwise direction) around the dance floor.How did the stag line practice get started?
This procession of "eligible male dance partners"One plausible theory about the origin of the “stag
(hence the name '''stag line''') expanded with moreline” is that at a dance enters the local
guys joining their buddies in the "dance floor walk'fonzie”,tough guy with his entourage of tough
about". In short order, this stag line grew to a solidguys. Being the “top catch for any lady”, these
moving procession (2 to 4 wide) of guys. For thetough guys started to strut in front of the ladies
entire evening, this organized stag line circled theseated around the dance floor. Low and behold, the
dance floor, positioned between the dancing masses'regular', 'not so tough', 'but wanting to be part of the
and the eligible ladies sitting along the edge of thetough guy club' guys started following behind these
gymnasium.tough guys. And so the 'stag line' was born. The
What was the purpose of this Cape Bretonstage line phenomenon appears to have only
dance-matching ritual?survived the 1960's teenage generation. Not sure if
Being in the stag line, provided each male ampleany photographs have captured this social dance
opportunity (multiple loops of the dance floor) topractice.
scope out the females, both dancing and sitting. HeSo the stag line really brought a kind social order to
would spot his next potential dance partner. WithCape Breton teenage dances. No one got hurt and
both the encouragement and jabs from hismales learned to deal with rejection and ridicule in a
immediate “stag line” buddies, once he workedmore supportive (sometimes not) team environment.
up the nerve, (usually after 4-10 passes) the maleMaybe stag lines should re-introduced for those over
would simply step out of the stag line in front of the50 dances.