The Carolina Shag is one of the smoothest dance styles out there. It’s a partner dance that is typically performed to beach music with a tempo of around 100 to 130 beats per minute.
However, if you really want to understand what shag dancing is all about, you have to see it in action.
We recommend checking out this incredible video of Kristal Taylor and Sam West — two well-known industry veterans at the top of their craft. Their routine at the National SHAG Dance Championships won them first place in the professional division.
If you are a fan of dance, it’s something that you just have to check out for yourself.
“The three night competition is held every year in North Myrtle Beach and features the best competitive shaggers competing in six divisions – Junior I, Junior II, Non-Pro, Pro, Senior’s and Master’s,” the video description reads.
The song that Taylor and West chose to perform to was “I’m Ready” by Fats Domino.
It’s a real classic rock and roll track. The groovy tune was written and recorded back in 1959, right when the genre was just starting to take off. It turns out, it’s also the perfect song for shag dancing.
As the music continued, the performance really heated up.
West spun Taylor around the dance floor like a top and it was so cool to watch. The way they flowed back and forth appeared almost effortless. When you have been dancing as long as they have, the steps become second nature.
According to West’s website, he has been dancing all of his life.
He first started doing the Carolina Shag at the age of nine when his mom became really interested in it. After that, he fell in love with the rhythm as well.
“Sam is a 7 time champion of the Carolina Shag Division at the USA Grand National Dance Championships and a 3 time US Open Shag Champion,” his website bio reads.
One of West’s regular partners these days is Taylor.
The two of them have performed together in multiple competitions over the years. However, their performance at the NSDC was definitely one of the best that we’ve seen.
Hundreds of people in the crowd looked on in amazement, including the five judges who were positioned just to the side of the dance floor.
In the end, it was no surprise when Taylor and West were awarded first place in the competition.
Their moves were very similar to what one might call a swing dance. Although, they certainly put their own unique spin on everything.
Our favorite part about the performance was definitely their smooth footwork.
Even when their knees were bent with their bodies crouching all the way down towards the floor, they glided just as easily as ever.
They never lost their balance once, and the whole time, they were exactly on the beat.
Anyone who has ever tried shag dancing before knows that keeping the beat isn’t something that is easy to do.
It takes years of practice to really learn how to move to the music.
“I love his moves and he sure knows the beat to the music. I have watched people that doesn’t know the beat at all. In my younger days I danced a lot and I had a husband that didn’t try to learn the beat but I danced with him anyway,” writes YouTube user Becky Roberts.
Other viewers of the video were all in agreement as well — it was a spectacular show.
To date, Taylor and West’s competition-winning shag dance has been viewed over 200,000 times and received hundreds of likes. Once you see it for yourself, you’ll understand why.
Check out the full NSDC Professional Champions shag dancing video below.
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