Nothing warms our hearts like a sweet father-daughter dance. Even if they are informal and just for fun, they are sweet to watch. But we won’t lie: They get extra points if they are professional dancers.
Sam West and Sydney Kemble West are father and daughter, and they also happen to be champion dance partners.
What a great partnership to have in the family.
Earlier this year, the pair participated in the 2020 National Shag Dance Championships (NSDC), which took place in Myrtle Beach.
You can probably guess that this dynamic duo took home the championship status that they so clearly deserve. It was all thanks to their impeccable dance routine, which was set to the classic song, “Stand By Me.”
The father, Sam, has a long history of dancing. He’s won multiple awards and titles throughout the years, thanks to the Shag dance, which he started learning at the age of nine.
Interestingly enough, he has actually earned the title Overall Champion of the NSDC multiple times over the years. One was back in 1995 with his sister, Sarah. He has had a few others with his wife, Lisa.
He and his daughter, Sydney, are now the latest duo to spread their love of the Shag across the nation. They are so passionate about the dance style, they have even had workshops in other countries.
Sam and Sydney were named the Professional Division’s first-place winners just last year at the NSDC, so it only made sense for them to return this year to compete in the Professional Division.
The dance style can be so subtle at times but what they are doing is truly impressive. As soon as the jazz rendition of “Stand By Me” starts up, their feet start moving and they make each movement look so smooth and seamless.
Their feet really don’t stop moving — they move at the speed of light as they constantly move throughout the song. They do several effortless spins and transitions and overall, make it look way easier than it actually is.
They nail every move perfectly. There are even some moments where they face away from each other, back-to-back, and do the exact same footsteps in perfect unison. Without looking at each other! That is not something that is so easy to do.
You can just tell by their performance that they are total professionals who have put many hours into their art. The dance feels so well-rehearsed as there was not a step out of place for the duration of the entire routine.
Plenty of people watching this routine at home even admitted that it tore at their heartstrings.
“I know Sam has to be so proud to have danced with his daughter in the Nationals and they will have special memories that they will NEVER forget. While I was watching the video my eyes were leaking,” one person commented.
It must be so amazing to be born into such a talented family whom you can collaborate with endlessly. We love this father-daughter duo!
Check out the epic performance below.
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