When it comes to dancing styles, you’ve certainly seen tango, breakdance, tap, swing, or ballroom dancers, but have you seen shag dancers?
I certainly didn’t until today!
Dance styles, like clothes and beauty fads, come and gone in popularity throughout time.
These young dancers show why shag dancing is still a fun and popular dance.
Shag dancing, often known as the Carolina Shag, originated on Carolina beaches.
It became popular in the 1940s and 1950s.
Shag dancing was originally performed to “beach music,” since it originated in beach clubs.
Shag dancing, like other trends, began with the younger generation.
Once again, it is young people who want to bring the swag back, at least in the form of this youth squad.
“There were several beach club pavilions with decaying outsides and wooden dance floors where youngsters would sneak off and dance the night away,” NCpedia writes. “The shag was more than simply a dance at its peak; it was a social phenomenon, attracting youngsters from all across the Carolinas with its image of risk and excitement.”
More about the shag may be found at Southern Living.
“Since then, its popularity has ebbed and flowed. As if the Carolina Shag couldn’t get any more Southern, it’s now been defined as a “cool beer on a warm night with a hot date and no plans for tomorrow.”
How awesome is that?
The youth are taking the lead once again by reintroducing the shag. The Junior Shag Dance Team was formed with the goal of becoming
“… a group of teenage Carolina Shag dancers, aged 14 to 20, from around the South.” Their purpose is to share the dance they love with the globe in the hopes of preserving the Carolina Shag and its deep-rooted traditions.
When you think about it, that’s quite fantastic.
These youngsters would prefer to dance than spend numerous hours on the internet or even hang out with their buddies in public areas.
Six females and six boys make up this dancing squad.
It is essential in shag dance for all participants to seem to be reflecting each other and dancing in unison.
This team does not have to be concerned because their very first dance steps demonstrate that they can move as a unit.
The joy in their expressions indicates that they are ready to demolish this dance.
It was time to break up after they had shown their unity.
The dancers are divided into four groups of two boys and two girls.
The dancers may have split into smaller groups of four, but viewing the complete team dance in their groupings, they still appear to be dancing as one.
These young people have incredible ability, and they appear to be having so much fun that it makes me want to learn the shag!
As each dancer takes only one partner, the groupings of four get progressively smaller.
The original shag dancers of the 1940s often performed with only one partner. As a result, it is critical for this team to highlight the major event of a shag dance. This is when the dancers really get going.
They are still able to demonstrate that they are dancing as one team when dancing with their partner.
Their music adds to the enjoyment of seeing this dance!
They have set their choreography to well-known songs like “Think” by Aretha Franklin, “Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone” by The Temptations, and “Midnight Special” by Little Richard.
These classic tunes are always enjoyable to dance to, and you can see they like them as well.
After all, the shag dance is all about the party atmosphere!
This shag dance was supposed to win first place, and the team received what they deserved: they won the tournament!
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