Seven pairs. Fourteen dancers. This Junior Shag Dance team are at the US Open Swing Dance Championships in Burbank, California. These kids are from Burlington, North Carolina which isn’t all that far from the beaches of the south where the Shag was born.
This quick and smooth dance rose in popularity during the 1940s when young people twirled and spun their nights away to beach music. It was the perfect party setting. The dance rose and fell in popularity but avid dancers helped keep the fire burning by teaching the dance to younger generations.
Like these guys and girls.
They make a grand entrance when announced. Walking out one by one, straight and tall with wide eyes and big smiles much to the delight of the audience. Hey, if you’re dancing with friends, might as well have fun and be confident.
The girls look lovely in red with the gentlemen matching them with red bow ties and neutral colored tops and slacks.
They march forward, slowly forming a triangle by pairs never losing their smiles in the process. They know how to put on a show that’s for sure!
Song of choice? “My girl” by The Temptations.
These boys and girls have all the classic Shag moves down. That familiar counting pattern with a lot of shuffling and transferring of weight from one foot to the other, all while moving from left to right. Except they’re doing it at a more relaxed pace just dancing along to the song’s tempo.
This is the idea of the Shag. Partners should be mirroring each other, totally in sync.
Whatever the man is doing, the woman does the same with the opposite side of her body. It’s a lot of fun as the dance is quick but not too energetic. The Shag has been described as, “A cold beer on a warm night with a hot date and no plans for tomorrow.”
It’s so cool to see them shuffle and spin with their partners. Even cooler to see them execute a spin all while slowly turning i towards each other falling in to a line. It’s like a flower closing its buds.
The guys on the left and the girls on the right, hands held, just having a great old time with the song all to the approving cheers of their audience. This team seems to rely on transitions and explosive moments, using their numbers to their advantage.
Unlike most dancers who just go through the whole dance with their dazzling moves, these guys and girls slow it down a bit, using cues from the song to deliver steps that are still Shag in their essence, but more deliberate and striking to watch.
It really is a cool take on the traditional dance.
Even when they switch to a more uptempo song, there is still that relaxed pace that they do, utilizing formations to their advantage instead. This is creativity. They took a classic dance, mixed in a little of that youthful vibe and the results are awesome.
Check out this team’s take on the Shag in the video below!
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Source: YouTube, Southern Living
