West coast swing is a very versatile dance style that works with several music genres from rock, blues, pop, contemporary, hip hop, and more. It’s characterized by being a slotted dance, meaning it moves in a straight line and never rotates. It evolved from east coast swing as it traveled from the east coast to the west. Compared to its east coast cousin which is more energetic and bouncy, west coast swing is comparatively more mild and tame, but it doesn’t have to be.
Another primary characteristic is its heavy emphasis on connection between the dancers, which makes it a more difficult dance to learn compared to others. With other dance styles learning one’s own role and applying it while one’s own partner does theirs can still make a dance work even if the connection is suboptimal, but west coast swing has very little forgiveness in that regard. Once a certain level of proficiency is gained a whole new world of improvisation is possible, which is where the massive popularity of west coast swing comes from.
Where to learn?
I teach west coast swing every Thursday at Tacoma Dance Studios. Here’s the schedule:
Thursday
6:00pm – Beginner west coast swing