What is West Coast Swing?
West Coast Swing is a dance from California, USA. Born from Lindy Hop and danced to an array of musical styles. Characterised by a distinctive, elastic look that results from basic extension/compression techniques. Unlike many other styles, WCS allows both dancers to improvise while maintaining connection and harmony. It’s also adaptable to a wide range of musical genres, which adds to its universal appeal.
West Coast Swing is danced in a “slot”, a rectangular space on the dance floor widely understood to be 3 feet wide and 6 feet long. The Follower typically moves forward and backward along this slot, while the Leader steps in and out of it, depending on the pattern being danced.
The fundamental structure of the dance is built on 6- and 8-count patterns, using combinations of double and triple rhythm units (e.g. 1 2, 3&4, 5&6 or 1 2, 3&4, 5 6, 7&8).
As dancers move beyond the basics, the style opens up space for creativity. Both partners can improvise while staying connected through the shared pattern, making West Coast Swing a uniquely expressive dance with limitless potential for musicality and personal style.
Getting started
The best way to learn West Coast Swing is to attend one of our local classes or workshops. For those where that is not possible, we have developed an online subscription, taking you through some of the content that we teach at each level.
To help spread West Coast Swing in the UK, we offer our level 1 videos free of charge. These videos work great as a standalone resource, or to supplement your in class learning.
You can see these videos below, and if you’d like to see more, you can head to our online section where you can purchase extra content.