Who doesn’t love a good ‘ol 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 and point, the lesser-known style of dance referred to as ‘shag.’
What is shag, you ask?
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.”
Like many styles of dance, the shag has a place in the world of dance competitions. So if you were hoping to see the dance in action, you’re in luck!
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, perform to “Queen of the 88s” by Kelley Hunt.
The two are well-known in the dance community and for good reason. Despite their young age, they have garnered quite the following and racked up many awards for their dancing skills.
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 looks wildly complex but they do it with so little effort, it’s completely fascinating.
Not only does Mack spin Trinity around throughout the piece, he takes on several spins himself.
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.
This is a performance you don’t want to miss! You can see how this young couple received first place in the video below!
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