Learn West Coast Swing

West Coast Swing combines the structure and connection of lead/follow partnership dancing with the freedom of freestyle. You keep the strong, mutual feeling common to ballroom, Latin, and most swing dancing — but you also get the improvisational fun of dancing to how the music makes you feel, as both leader and follower. That “best of both worlds” combination, plus being danceable to nearly any music, is what makes it our favorite dance style.

Unlike most ballroom forms, which stay in a highly controlled two-handed connection, West Coast Swing is primarily a one-handed connection, leaving the other side of your body open for styling and expression. And while ballroom forms are danced close together, West Coast Swing spends a lot of time at arm's length, giving you more freedom to play with footwork and body styling — for a far greater feeling of dancing to the music with someone.

Building your confidence fast

Being both structured and open is what makes West Coast Swing so enjoyable — and also one of the most challenging dances to get started with.

The key to learning West Coast Swing isn't the number of patterns you know (that matters more for ballroom dancing, which has less freedom). Instead, focus on three simple basics: the push break (also called a “sugar push”), the left side pass, and the right side pass. See the instructional videos below for help, starting with “Starting With The Basic Patterns” and “6 Count Pattern Core.” Dance those patterns relentlessly until they're second nature — feel free to ask an experienced dancer if they'd mind running just those patterns with you. We were all beginners once.

Once those three basics don't need your full concentration, start spending some of your attention on the music — adjusting your footwork, shifting your shoulders, or moving your body while still following the basic patterns. Now you're truly dancing West Coast Swing, and can start expanding your pattern repertoire.