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The "Ring Shout" is recognized as one of the oldest surviving African performance traditions, deeply rooted in the coastal Georgia and South Carolina lowcountry, including Savannah, where enslaved people maintained their Gullah/Geechee culture. It is a religious, dancelike movement performed in a counter-clockwise circle. Developed by enslaved Africans in the 18th and 19th centuries who merged West African traditions with American experiences, The ring shout evolved by blending African spiritual traditions with American Christian religious practices, such as spirituals. It combines singing, call-and-response, and a rhythmic, shuffling, "shouting" motion. The ring shout is still practiced today as part of the Gullah heritage in the region.