“Everytime I dance I am always having fun,” Junior Shag competitor Capri Laughlin said.
Seven year old Capri is one of the youngest competitors at the Shag Nationals this week.
Her dance partner is just eight and is actually a part of three generations of shaggers.
“It was something my daughter and I could do together,” Renee Scott said.
The tradition continues from one generation to the next.
“My mom (Autumn) started dancing and she’s a pro so I wanted to be a pro like her,” eight year old Connor Sanders said.
“I get really nervous when he’s out there because I know what they are supposed to do,” mother and Shag Dance pro Autumn Jones said. “I get nervous when they start going into a step and I think Oh my gosh oh my gosh are they going to get it.”
Renee says originally she wasn’t sure how her daughter would respond
“When I first tried to teach her, the child had no rhythm and I thought she will never do this,” Renee said.
A quick spin on the floor shows that changed and changed quickly.
“I didn’t push him (Connor) to do it,” Autumn said. “I wanted him to decide to do it on his own.”
No worries eight year old the young man is already following in their footsteps
“It’s really fun to me because we get to dance in front of a lot of people,” Connor said.
It’s a shagging community that always comes together
“It’s amazing to see,” Shag Dancer Gene Pope said. “I’ll use Junior SOS as an example. The kids come back every year and see how much improvement they’ve shown.”
“I think that is why shag is so special,” Shag Pro Brennar Goree said. “It’s one big family with no blood lines.”
Brennar and Autumn have been dancing together since 1999 and won multiple contests.
If you’d like to get your kid involved in shag dancing you can visit juniorshaggers.com