Jr. shag team raises the bar at US Grand Nationals
The Carolina Shag is a partner dance (male and female), particularly a male-led dance, that is usually performed to beach music.
It is now a recognized dance in national and international dance competitions that are being held across the United States of America. The Carolina Shag is Carolina’s official state dance since 1984.
One of the popular teams in the state is the Junior Shag Dance Team.
It is a non-profit public charitable organization that promotes the education, preservation, & promotion of the Carolina Shag.
Three years ago, the Junior Shag Dance Team took the center stage to compete in the USA Grand Nationals Dance Championships.
The Carolina Shag was born in the beach towns along the coasts of North and South Carolina in the early 20th century. Since then, the modern Carolina Shag has been developed and has evolved tons of folds from its origins.
According to StreetSwing.com:
“The name, Carolina Shag originated at Myrtle Beach in So. Carolina in the 1930’s, when back then, the dance was originally a mix of the Charleston and Collegiate Shag …with some of the original basic steps being called the: Cuban Step, Shuffle, Twinkle, etc.”
The Carolina Shag was first known as a “beach dance.”
Aside from the fact it was created in beach towns, it was called beach dance before because
“There were many beach club pavilions sporting dilapidated outsides and wooden dance floors where teenagers would sneak off and dance the night away. Probably the most famous of all of these dance clubs was the Pad in Myrtle Beach, S.C. In its prime, the shag became more than just a dance; it was a social phenomenon, with teenagers from all over the Carolinas drawn to its image of daring and excitement.”
Carolina shag’s popularity declined during the 1960s but resurfaced the dance floor in the 1970s.
It actually became more popular on its comeback. The Carolina Shag was developed and improved, thus resulting in the creation of today’s modern Carolina Shag.
“a slotted East Coast Swing style dance with a splash of the West Coast Swing slot or a kind of slotted east coast swing, including both 6 and 8 count patterns. The “Shag” consists mainly of fancy footwork by the leader, with the follower matching the leader’s footwork occasionally.”
Going back to the Junior Shag Dance Team’s 2017 performance…
This group of talented shag dancers is composed of teenagers between the ages of 12 and 17. Their members were of course from the states of North and South Carolina.
They performed a modern Carolina Shag dance routine that was choreographed to Sam Cooke’s classic “Unchained Melody.”
Matching the beautiful song’s rhythm, they start slow by dancing gracefully with their respective partners.
Though it’s a slow start for a grand competition, you can immediately see their coordination, they are already one with the music.
They are able to display their fancy footwork right off the bat, considering that it’s a slow type of music. You can simply tell that they are preparing for something big and explosive in the latter part of their performance.
The music starts to fade away, but not them! It’s showtime!
They form a small circle with the partners dancing cheek-to-cheek.
The music is fading away, but just when we thought that it’s already the end of their routine…
The livelier part of it comes bouncing in and so do they! They all switch partners, and not only that, but the music also switches to something louder and funkier!
Everything from their routine takes one level up in an instant! Their movements become faster, they are like refueled engines!
Have you noticed it too?
Aside from their exceptional talent in modern Carolina Shag dance, we’ve also noticed another beautiful thing with these talented teens – their smiles!
They are all gifted with a talent for dancing, that’s already a fact- but their smiles throughout their performance don’t seem to fade away. It simply shows that they love dancing Carolina Shag.
The joy that it brings them or anyone who dances it is basically the story behind the then called “beach dance” and these young fellas will surely continue dancing to it for the rest of their lives.
Do they deserve a standing ovation? Watch their awesome performance in the video below and be the judge.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
Source: Shareably, The Junior Shag Dance Team, NCPEDIA, StreetSwing.com