The beaches of South Carolina gave birth to the Shag. A smooth yet quick dance that gave the beach folk in the 1940s more reasons to party. And party they did, as they twirled, spun, and stepped to beach music with the Shag described as, “a cold beer on a warm night with a hot date and no plans for tomorrow.”
Organized groups and competitions made sure that the dance was here to stay, and those older Shag folk kept the fire alive that even their kids and grand kids got in to the shag fever. The USA Grand National Dance Championship has played host to many spectacular displays of Shag, including this one by a pair of preteen Shaggers.
Here’s Ethan Alban. Eleven years young from South Carolina during this video was taken, he partnered up with Karsyn Folds, a young lady from Atlanta, Georgia who was ten years old in this one.
The dance duo walk on to the floor as announced dressed in matching colors, getting ready for a little razzle dazzle.
Now while Shag dancing is more commonly associated with beach music, Ethan and Karsyn prefer Studio All-Stars’, “Mercy (Tribute to Duffy)”.
If you’ve been having a bad or boring day then this should cheer you up!
Alban and Folds have the energy and the stunning footwork that even seasoned Shag dancers would be in awe of! At eleven and ten respectively, it is hard to believe that these kids can move like this when most kids their age still fall and trip over on their own two feet.
See, the Shag is done to a basic pattern of six counts (eight steps). It’s a lot of stepping forward and backward with the dancers shifting their weight from left to right, mirroring each other’s movements all throughout the dance.
Well these two kids have a few tricks up their sleeves.
They throw in a little flavor to their routine, spicing things up a bit while having fun doing so. The audience love it, cheering on the two kids as they Shag their hearts out.
Ethan may be from South Carolina and Karsyn from Georgia but the chemistry is undeniable. They have this spark on the dance floor which is so important to accomplish a perfect performance.
Even online viewers are impressed!
“Lovely to watch, and they both seem to be enjoying it without any pressure. Love the way that they still manage to chat whilst doing their routine.”
So true. Look at them so calm and cool!
“They are amazing! These two kids put on the moves and I absolutely loved it! I’m just now learning or trying to learn the Shag and I don’t think I could ever get this good LOL”
He’s right. Sometimes, there are those born with natural talents. It’s not hard to imagine these two dancing until they’re 70! But of course, they still spent lots and lots of hours practicing. Gotta’ polish those dance shoes!
They’ve got the splits and spins, fancy footwork and Ethan’s own special dip. Listen to the crowd! These kids put their own youthful flavor to a classic dance and the future looks very bright for the Shag.
What were you doing when you were ten or eleven? Check out these two by clicking on the video below!
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Source: YouTube, Southern Living
