With the countless dance styles that we have today, not many people give so much attention to the old ones.
However, there are some people and groups that are still active in practicing even the types of dances that we have decades ago.
And if you’re thinking the younger generation gives no care for what their ancestors have before, then you’re terribly mistaken.
This video, in particular, shows two youngsters dancing to something that’s probably even older than their parents and grandparents. And who doesn’t want a good old dancing competition?
We sure do! After all, they’re so much fun to watch. With all of the various styles and techniques, they never get boring.
Case in point, the lesser-known style of dance referred to as ‘shag.’
Let’s talk about history. You might ask, “What is shag?”
Shag is a style of dance that originated along the Carolina coast in the 1940s. Thus, it is also referred to as the Carolina Shag.
The Carolina Shag is a descendant from the Carolina Jitterbug and its predecessor, Little Apple. These two styles of dance are considered to be the white versions of the extremely popular dance, Big Apple, originated by African Americans around the 1860s.
According to Wikipedia, Carolina Shag, or the Shag, is a “partner dance done primarily to beach music (100-130+ beats per minute in 4/4 time signature.”
Shag is also being performed in dance competitions. Now, if you haven’t seen one, then this is your lucky day!
The USA Grand National Dance Competition offers a place for shag lovers to watch legends as well as new talent. Though the competition started in 1995 by shag dancing greats, Charlie Womble and Jackie McGee, the competition continues to go strong today.
In this particular video, we see young shag dancers, Mack West and Trinity Davis.
They perform to “Queen of the 88s” by Kelley Hunt.
They are not your average young dancers.
They are both young and all but they’ve already built quite a reputation for themselves with all the awards that they have.
At the beginning of the video, they dutifully take their positions.
The audience patiently waits for the routine to start. Before it does, you can see the anticipation and excitement on their faces. One woman is actually leaning out of her chair.
The couple is sporting attire that would be perfect for the time period in which they dance. This of course, only sets the tone for what the audience is expecting to see and hear.
The two waste no time at the start of the routine.
Their feet shuffle across the floor towards their dance partner to the rhythm of the piano.
Mack takes Trinity into his arms with ease and the two smoothly move in rotating circles on the dance floor. Both dancers move their feet in ways that look wildly complex but they do it with so little effort, it’s completely fascinating.
If Trinity can spin, so can Mack!
Trinity smiles throughout the routine at her partner, clearly having a fun time. At first, Mack isn’t showing much expression but soon enough, he can’t keep the smile off his face.
Before we know it, Mack is bending his knees and getting low to the floor, all while spinning in circles.
You’ll marvel at how easy he makes this look.
These two have their audience’s full attention; hook, line, and sinker.
Their eyes never leave the couple’s impressive routine. In fact, when Mack performs a fast-paced, knee-raising, side-skip to his partner, the audience goes nuts.
These youngsters can sure dance and their performance is something that you wouldn’t want to miss.
It’s no wonder why they bagged the first-place award in the competition.
It’s such a delight to see young fellas like Mack and Trinity loving something that’s already born long ago before they even existed. We just hope that more people will be more acquainted with this type of dance style that is not only beautiful to the eyes but also to the heart.
See how Mack and Trinity convinced judges to give them 1st place below!
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