We’re constantly seeing kids on the internet doing the latest choreographed dance on social media outlets like TikTok.
But Ethan Alban, of Florence, South Carolina, and Karysn Fold, of Atlanta, Georgia, have something different.
Instead of learning the latest dance trends, these have dedicated themselves to studying the art of the Shag.
The Shag is a dance that was started on the beaches of South Carolina that rose to popularity in the 1940s, according to Southern Living.
It was a laid back social style of dance that served as an alternative to stuffy traditional styles.
The Shag is a one-and-two, three-and-four, five-and-six pattern and involves stepping forward and back to the beat while switching weight between the right and left side.
“Another key idea for learning the Shag is that it should generally feel and look as if the partners are mirroring each other’s movements, completely in sync” Southern Living writes.
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“The man leads with his left foot, the woman follows suit with her right foot, and so on. In the basic form, each partner is doing the same step, but with the opposite foot.”
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“Once you get more experienced, you’re able to have more fun with it and try faster more complicated steps. Watching tutorials is easily the best way to get familiar with the basic steps.”
I’m not sure how Ethan and Karysn learned how to Shag but it looks like they’ve watched a lot of tutorials already at their young age.
That’s because those two seriously rocked the Junior 1 Shag Division at the 2012 National Shag Dance Championships (NSDC).
The NSDC was started in 1984 in Myrtle Beach and is the longest continuously running Shag dance contest in the U.S.
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The NSDC is held over two weekends each year with the Preliminaries Qualifying Round happening near the end of January and with the Finals occurring in March.
Past winners of the NSDC have performed in film and television shows like Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, PGA Annual Banquets, and NBA Games.
I’m not sure if Ethan and Karysn won their division that night but they were dancing like winners.
They chose to dance to the classic 1960 Shag tune “Ta Ta” by Clyde McPhatter.
McPhatter was an American rhythm and blue, soul, and rock and roll singer.
Source: MrShaggerDJ
According to Wikipedia, he was one of the most widely imitated R&B singers of the 50s and 60s.
He is considered a key figure in shaping doo-wop and R&B.
McPhatter is the founder of The Drifters and later performed as a solo artist.
McPhatter’s unique beloved sound can be heard in his song “TaTa.”
And Ethan and Karysn moved extremely well to every beat in that song.
Their footwork is completely in unison and while giving their moves their own personal flare.
These two look like they can certainly rival their adult counterparts.
And the best part is that they look like they’re having a lot of fun.
Check out their dance in the video below.
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