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West Coast Swing classes

New format for 2024

Our new format is designed help our new dancers have access to the practice party.  The beginner dancers get so excited about learning to dance they want more after those first few classes.  We feel the practice party is the right place for our new dancers to build their skill and practice their basics.  It is also designed to help the intermediate class be a truly intermediate level class.   Dance Boulevard will be working hard to promote our beginner classes and help the beginner dancers build a strong foundation before that jump into intermediate classes.  

Thank you in advance for supporting Dance Boulevard and our efforts to be a great dance studio.  

7:00 pm Intermediate West Coast Swing

8:00 pm Beginner West Coast Swing

9:00 pm West Coast Swing Party with DJ Richard Kear $20 Class & Party, $16 Party Only

As an intermediate Dancer you are welcome to stay and help the beginners at no extra cost or you can take the intermediate Salsa Rueda Class with Sammy Maker between 8:00 and 9:00 pm. 

Rueda and WCS class combo $32 drop in.   (use a cool card for a discount)

Etiquette for West Coast Swing

Socially, it is considered good etiquette (particularly on a crowded floor) to use a fixed slot, in order to allow dancing without incident. Having danced the slot repeatedly, the couple “has a claim” on the area, and other couples usually cooperate and establish their own slot parallel with the dancers. If the dance floor is not crowded and the couple is afforded more space, such as during a competitive event, the dancers may move the slot around the floor more liberally.

 
The origins of the dance that became known as West Coast Swing can be traced to the swing era. During this period many jazz, blues, and western musicians incorporated, or emphasized, the “swing” in their music. Lauré Haile, who first described “Western Swing”, listed the following songs/records as “Good Swing or Fox Trot Records”

Music For West Coast Swing

West Coast Swing can be danced to almost any music written in 4/4 time at speeds ranging from very slow to very fast; 15 to 45 Measures per Minute, ideally at 32 Measures per Minute (15×4=60 bpm, 32×4 = 128 bpm, 45×4=180 bpm). The character of the dance changes over that range. At the slowest speeds the dance tends to exhibit a highly elastic connection with the possibility of very sexy, “slinky” walks for the lady, and a slight backward leaning poise at the full extent of the connection. At faster speeds the partners become more upright and the connection shortens with more of a “push and pull” feel and look.

West Coast Swing Tempo

The “ideal” speed for WCS has been cited as 32 Measures per Minute (32×4 = 128 bpm), compared to advice to choose “records that are around 28 mpm” (28×4= 112 bpm) for “Western Swing”.
 
In 1988, West Coast Swing was pronounced the Official State Dance of California.
West Coast Swing