Mack West and Trinity Davis.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with these names, wonder no more! These two have been dance partners, stealing away across the floor for years now. They are proud participants of the National Shag Championships, participating at the junior level.

Held every year, the National Shag Championship is a three-night event that hosts over 50 contestants across six divisions.

West and Davis know how to glide right across the floor to steal first place in the Junior 1 division. Not only did they take it away in 2017, but they also came back for it in 2018.

Shag is a unique style of southern dancing that was born on the beaches of South Carolina. It has been known as the “Swing Dance of the South”.

The dance moves are noted for being smooth and quick, and gained popularity in the 1940s. People glided, stepped, and twirled around floors to “beach music”. It never had a reputation as a particularly classy dance, but it was rooted in tradition.

The Carolina Shag still exists today, being kept alive by many, including those that participate in the championships. The dance style has often been likened to an easy-breezy feeling such as:

“A cold beer on a warm night with a hot date and no plans for tomorrow.”

Where do we sign up?!

The Shag consists of a lot of forward and backward stepping, following counts. When done seamlessly, the partners should look as though they are effortlessly mirroring one another’s moves in complete synchronicity. The man leads the woman with his left foot, and so the woman steps to with her right foot. The better the partners get, the faster they can move.

And move is exactly what West and Davis do!

With the most fluid form, they sweep the dance floor with moves perfected by most of their childhood. Way to steal the show!

In their 2018 video the partners glide about to the song “Thirsty Ears” by the Powder Blues Band. Their moves are smooth and precise. A delight to watch, they step, spin, and dip one another as if they were made to do just this.

The song gives them a canvas of smooth rock and roll, to which they take every opportunity. They shake their feet and move their hips, trusting in one another to know exactly what’s happening next. West bobs his head to the tune, getting completely into it, while Trinity Davis’ smile is the perfect complement to the act.

With each twirl and dip the crowd erupts with pleasured cheers and applause, just begging them to do more.

Their impressive choreography is truly a sight to behold, it’s almost as if they’re dancing on air. The young dancers groove and glide across the smooth dance floor, moving with elasticity and grace.

The judges carefully observe as the young couple lights the entire dance floor on fire!

As their act progresses, so does their speed and they show the crowd exactly what they came for.

Their act ends with an explosion from the crowd as they hug each other. A flawless performance!

Watch them steal the show for yourself in the video below! And check out an additional performance from the same year.

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Sources: YouTube/Stages Video Productions, Southern Living, See It Live