First Steps in West Coast Swing
You’ve seen a video or watched a group of West Coast Swing dancers in action and now you’d like to learn it yourself? You’re probably facing a few questions, such as:
- How do I start learning West Coast Swing?
- Who can help me?
- Do I need a (dance) partner to take part in a course or workshop?
- How long will it take before I can dance as well as XYZ?
I’d like to answer these questions—and hopefully a few more—here. But first, a quick disclaimer: I’m not a professional and not a teacher. Everything I share here is based on my own experience and what I’ve picked up from conversations with my WCS teachers and other dancers.
How and where do I start?
In my opinion, a taster course for complete beginners is just the thing. Here, you’ll be taught the essentials in about an hour—often in a side room at the start of a party—so you can already have some fun at the party next door after the taster session. You’ll also find dance partners who will dance a song or two with you. Feel free to check our list of dance schools for schools in the Stuttgart area that offer good WCS instruction. Some of them also host monthly WCS parties with taster sessions.
Did you know? You don’t need a dance partner for these taster courses. Just come along—whether with or without a partner.
How and where can you learn West Coast Swing?
The basics of West Coast or Modern Swing—like any other dance style—are best learnt from good teachers at a dance school or club. Here, you can learn the so-called basics, i.e. the fundamental technique, in regular lessons. As with other dance styles, these are the basic figures and stylistic elements. However, what’s especially important in West Coast Swing is interpreting or “dancing to” the music. In advanced courses and workshops, you’ll later learn how music is structured, what concepts it follows, and how you can adapt your dancing to it. Even in these courses, you don’t need a fixed dance partner, as partners are rotated throughout the lesson. This ensures that dancers don’t get too used to their partners.
If you live in a region where no dance school offers WCS courses, you can learn this dance at larger events with a bit more effort. For example, the Euro Dance Festival is held in spring at Europa-Park Rust and in summer at Ballhaus Freiburg. Here, you’ll find beginner courses for West Coast Swing alongside workshops for many other dance styles.
There are, of course, other events where you can learn the basics and get started. Use your favourite search engine to find out more.
If this route is too time-consuming or expensive, your only real option is to learn from videos. For this, make sure you find someone to practise with, use good videos (not just a random selection of YouTube clips), and try to take individual lessons with professional teachers as often as possible.
This recommendation comes from the fact that you can’t pick up many subtleties from videos. It’s easy to develop poor posture and issues with connection (the so-called “stretch”) between dance partners. Not only does this mean it won’t look as good as you’d expect, but it also reduces the fun if the figures don’t feel as good as they should.
How long will it take before I can dance like XYZ?
That depends entirely on how much effort you put in. Dancers you see in social media videos who compete in the All Star or even Champions categories are usually not only professional dancers but also dance teachers, and often have more than 10 years of dance and teaching experience in various styles.
I’ve heard of dancers who made it from beginner to their first All Star competition in three years—by dedicating most of their free time outside work. They spent nearly every weekend and many holidays attending events and taking private lessons with professionals. Not to mention the financial investment.
As is often the case: the quicker you want to progress, the more expensive (in terms of money and time) it will be.
But the question I’d ask myself is: Do I even want to dance like XYZ? What do I want to achieve by dancing like them?