West Coast Swing has multiple acknowledged origins. Dancer Dean Collins is said to have adapted dancing in a slot in order to make better camera angles for film. Others believe Lindy Hop evolved into West Coast Swing due to crowded blues clubs and slower music.West Coast Swing is danced in 4/4 time to blues, country western, funk, disco, rock, and pop. The dance allows for syncopations and encourages improvisation. It has an elastic feel that utilizes leverage and compression within a slot.
West Coast Swing has multiple acknowledged origins. Dancer Dean Collins is said to have adapted dancing in a slot in order to make better camera angles for film. Others believe Lindy Hop evolved into West Coast Swing due to crowded blues clubs and slower music.
West Coast Swing is danced in 4/4 time to blues, country western, funk, disco, rock, and pop. The dance allows for syncopations and encourages improvisation. It has an elastic feel that utilizes leverage and compression within a slot.
It is considered good etiquette for partners to dance in a slot the same way other dancers in the room are dancing the slot. This allows for less collision and maximizes the floor space for dancers. In spaces with more room, it is considered permissible to move the slot while dancing.
Born in California in the 1940s, West Coast Swing was originally known as Western Swing and sometimes known as California Swing. It is the California State dance, but is danced in the United States and throughout the world. It was renamed to West Coast Swing in 1959 due to mention by that name in a newspaper article and popular teacher Skippy Blair acknowledging that when he referred to Western Swing, he really meant West Coast Swing.
Today West Coast Swing is danced socially and competitively at Jack and Jill competitions.
