How to do swing dancing

How To Swing Dance For Beginners (Step By Step Guide)

Table Of Contents:

Swing Dance History & Character
How To Count In Swing
Swing Basic Step #1 – Video
Swing Basic Step #2 – Video

Learning how to Swing dance isn’t rocket science…

Like all Ballroom dances, Swing dancing is based on specific basic steps that once mastered can be applied to all kinds of turns, hand swaps and spins. Below you will learn the 2 main basics steps of Swing.

What is Swing Dancing?

This style of Swing is East Coast Swing which originates from Lindy Hop. It is a Stationary partner dance that doesn’t travel much – Meaning it is pretty much danced on the same spot – As opposed to a traveling Ballroom dance like Waltz. The character of this dance is playful and lively. There are a lot of turns and spins that make this dance really fun for couples.

Swing Songs To Practice To:

* Many of the popular songs played on the radio fit this dance including:
Zac Brown Band – Loving You Easy – Slow Tempo
Michael Bublé – Haven’t Met You Yet – Faster Tempo

How To Count The Swing

Beginner Way of Counting the Swing:

Rock Step, Triple Step, Triple Step.

The Count using numbers:

1,2 (Rock Step), 3 a 4 (Triple Step), 5 a 6 (Triple Step).

* We strongly recommend that you count in the beginner way for a while. However, it is important to understand that the rocks step has two full weight changes to 2 beats of music. And the triple steps (3 a 4 Or 5 a 6) have three weight changes to only 2 beats of music. This makes the triple steps faster.

How to Swing Dance – Basic Step #1:

Breakdown of the Swing Steps (East Coast)

Men:

Starting with left foot
Rock step – Step back with left and replace on right.
Triple step to left – Side, close, side (left, right, left)
Trip step to right – Side, close, side (right, left, right)

Women:

Starting with right foot
Rocks step – Step back with right and replace on left.
Triple step to right – Side, close, side (right, left, right)
Triple step to left – Side, close, side (left, right, left)

The Lead:

* Connect fwd to each other before starting to dance.
Leaders: Apply pressure fwd using the entire body but mostly the left arm (For the rock step). Make sure to extend the elbow slightly. Now, after the rock step, using your body weight and right arm connection, lead the followers to triple side steps in both directions. Ladies, don’t anticipate the lead – Simply connect forward to your partner to feel his lead.

Basic #2: Swing Outside Turn (Right Underarm):

Breakdown of Outside Turn (Above)

Men:

Starting with left foot
Rock step – Step back with left and replace on right.
Triple step to left – Side, close, side (left, right, left)
PIVOT 1/4 to left (On left foot)
Trip step to right – Side, close, side (right, left, right)

Women:

Starting with right foot
Rocks step – Step back with right and replace on left.
Triple step to right – Side, close, side (right, left, right)
PIVOT 3/4 to right (On right foot)
Triple step to left – Side, close, side (left, right, left)

The Lead:

* Connect fwd to each other before starting to dance.
Leaders: Just like in the most basic step, extend your left arm to the followers to allow her to do her Rock Step. Immediately after, as you do the side triple step to the left – raise the left arm just above the follower’s head (indicating a turn coming up). Now on count “&” circle the left arm over the follower’s head as she turns underarm. Make sure to extend your arm to clear your partner’s head.

Other Swing Moves you should learn:

– The Inside turn
– Changing hands behind back
– The Cuddle turn
– The Stop and Go
– Kicks & Flicks

Check out all our Swing dance lessons

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Learn Basic Swing Steps

Swing is a lively, non-progressive partner dance that can be danced to a wide variety of music, from blues to rock & roll. Non-progressive means it's mostly performed in one spot, so it's very convenient on a crowded dance floor.

Basic steps
Instructions & Diagrams
Video
Recommended Video Lessons »

Quick intro

Swing is one of the most versatile partner dances you can learn - very social and beginner friendly. Easily adaptable to a wide range of tempos, it involves movements with lots of swinging, spinning and rhythmic, creative footwork.

There are many different styles of swing, the term actually refers to a group of dances that developed from the swing style of jazz music in the first half of the last century. There's Lindy Hop, Boogie-Woogie, Jitterbug, Shag, Charleston, West Coast and East Coast Swing, just to name a few. Each of these dances has its own distinct flavor.

One of the most popular and very suitable for beginners is the East Coast Swing. It's a bit more social and relaxed than other versions. It's also a formal ballroom dance and the easiest to learn. Perfect for beginners, which is why we'll focus on this version here. It will create a good foundation and is the base for other more complex versions.

East Coast Swing can be danced to a variety of music styles. If it's written in 4/4 time and has a tempo between 135-170 beats per minute, you can swing it.

To dance swing you'll need a partner, a sense of humor, and a bit of endurance. It may seem a bit intimidating at first, especially if you're watching those who really mastered it. But as with all things, you have to start with the basics. And the basics are easy. Once you learn the fundamentals, you'll be swinging in no time. Always remember, wear comfortable shoes. Now let's go swinging.

Basic steps (East Coast Swing)

Beginners usually start with East Coast Swing, because it is the easiest of all swing styles. Here we will show you the basic 6 count step for East Coast Swing.

East Coast Swing has a basic count of 1&2, 3&4, 5,6. It's known as a triple step swing. The basic pattern is triple step, triple step, and a rock step.

When you're starting out you can replace the triple step with a single step. In that case the pattern would be step, step, rock step or rock step, step, step, depending on how you start counting. The overall progression is, of course, the same.

The triple step is really not that difficult to master, it is performed in a chasse-like manner - side step, together, side step.

Instructions & Diagrams:

Basic Steps For Men: The man starts with his left foot.

1&2: Triple step (chasse) to the left (left-right-left)
3&4: Triple step to the right (right-left-right)
5: Step backward with your left foot
6: Weight shifts to your right foot

Basic Steps For Women: The woman starts with her right foot.

1&2: Triple step (chasse) to the right (right-left-right)
3&4: Triple step to the left (left-right-left)
5: Step backward with your right foot
6: Weight shifts to your left foot

Remember, keep the steps small.

Video

Leon and Kim will show you the basic steps, how to turn, and more:

Where to go next?

When you're ready for more fun, check out our recommended video lessons. Video is a great way to learn dancing.

Swing dance - style descriptions West coast swing, boogie-woogie, lindy hop, charleston, jive and many others in a certain way are descendants of swing. Swing was born along with a wave of African-American migration from the southern states of America to the more tolerant northern states.

Initially, variations of swing compositions were very different depending on the city, and this dance direction was called by the single term “swing” only in 1911 year. Since that time, Swing began its victorious march across America and Europe, energetically absorbing the unique features and characteristics of the area where it was performed. It is for this reason that there are so many varieties of swing in the modern world. But the core of the dance is still African-American folklore.

A characteristic feature of swing is close contact between partners, as well as the presence of acrobatic elements. But in view of the fact that this dance is still alive and dynamically developing, it continues to change daily.

Swing dance in Moscow can be conditionally divided into "ballroom" and "street" dances. If the former are distinguished by a certain and rather strict set of figures performed at various kinds of competitions, then the latter is danced for the soul at parties and other informal events. Roughly speaking, in "street" swing there is less technique, but more freedom and improvisation.

THIS STYLE IS TEACHED

GallaDance, dance clubs

Moscow, m. 0008

+7 (495) 786 76 36

Dance Republic, dance school

Moscow, Andropova Prospekt, 22, SEC "NORA" 1st floor

+7 (499) 551 77 71

E&8D

Moscow, 1st Tverskaya-Yamskaya, 8

+7 (977) 455-19-45

GALEX, dance school

Moscow, Borisovka

+7 (916) 484 06 25

, dance school

Penza, st. Kuprina, 5a

+7 (8412) 212-922

LightStyleStudio, dance school

Naberezhnye Chelny, Novy Gorod, Prospect Mira 13a Kam Island

+7 960 070 85 51

8 ZumbaStore

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0003 Everything for dancing

Swing dance - style descriptions swing

West coast swing / West coast swing is a modern pair dance. It is most clearly characterized by elastic movements, which arose due to a special technique of leading, based on the soft interaction of partners, and due to the peculiar sliding step of the dancers. Today, West Coast Swing is a spectacular dance filled with inner energy, which is almost the same pleasure to watch as it is to dance.

East coast swing is a circular, rotating dance that has many wraps, tunnels and turns. Since this is a fast dance, the steps should be small and light. East coast swing was derived from Jitterbug, which grew up in the dance halls of Harlem during the 1920s.

THIS STYLE IS TEACHED

GallaDance, dance clubs

Moscow, m.5) 786 76 36

D'Fox

Vladivostok, st. Svetlanskaya, 68

+7 (914) 688 71 13

Dance With Me

Novosibirsk, st. Musa Jalil, 3/1

+7 923-172-2780; +7 923-150-2156; Andreev Mark +7 952-913-6579

GallaDance, dance clubs

Yekaterinburg, st. Repina, 22, leisure center "GURU CENTER"

+7 (343) 278 48 50

La Danse, dance studio&club

St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg, Nab. Rivers Karpovka, d.16k2, lit. A

+7 (921) 903-55-37

Luxury Hall Taganka, dance school

Moscow, st. Marksistskaya, 3, building 2, entrance 6

+7 (495) 909 82 32

How to do swing dancing

How To Swing Dance For Beginners (Step By Step Guide)

What is Swing Dancing?

Swing Songs To Practice To:

How To Count The Swing

Beginner Way of Counting the Swing:

The Count using numbers:

How to Swing Dance – Basic Step #1:

Breakdown of the Swing Steps (East Coast)

Men:

Women:

The Lead:

Basic #2: Swing Outside Turn (Right Underarm):

Breakdown of Outside Turn (Above)

Men:

Women:

The Lead:

Other Swing Moves you should learn:

Want More Dance Lessons?

Learn Basic Swing Steps

Quick intro

Basic steps (East Coast Swing)

Instructions & Diagrams:

Video

Where to go next?

Swing dance - style descriptions West coast swing, boogie-woogie, lindy hop, charleston, jive and many others in a certain way are descendants of swing. Swing was born along with a wave of African-American migration from the southern states of America to the more tolerant northern states.

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8 0003 Everything for dancing

Swing dance - style descriptions swing

Learn more

8

0003 Everything for dancing