East Coast Swing
Learn seven styles of Swing, including Street, Six Count, and Triple Step Swing, Charleston, Lindy Hop, Collegiate Shag, and Solo Jazz.
At the University of Dance, we use the phrase "East Coast Swing" as an umbrella term for the closely-related family of dances that grew out of the Swing Era, which can be mixed and matched with each other on the dance floor. Throughout the ages, this family of dances has gone through a variety of evolutions, many of which we will explore in this course.
We'll start with Street Swing (a fun and easy way of dancing swing moves to pop music) then build on the skills you gain through that dance as we progress through Six Count Swing, Triple Step Swing, Charleston, Lindy Hop, and Collegiate Shag. Then we'll round everything out with a sampler of Solo Jazz steps to really find your swing character!
Welcome to East Coast Swing!
How We Teach
Lead and Follow
Dance Positions
Music
Basic
Outside Turn and Back Together
Turning Basic
Butterfly
Double Face Loop
R-in-R Free Spin
Inside Turn to Change Hands
Behind-the-Back Hand Change
Inside Turn
Waist Slide
Waist Slide to R-in-R
Review
Practice with Music
Music
Basics
Swing Moves
More Swing Moves
Tuck Turn
Practice with Music
Follow's Dishrags
Follow's and Lead's Dishrags
Lead First Dishrags
She Goes, He Goes
Swiveling Fingers in She Goes, He Goes
Cradle
Wrong-Way Cradle
Cradle Yo Yo
Wrong-Way Cradle Yo Yo
Cradle Sendout
The Intermediate Dancer's Approach to Cradle
Loop de Loops
Swing Kicks
Tips for Swing Kicks
Music and Basics
Triples and Singles
Swing Moves
Practice with Music
Sliding Doors
Revolving Doors
Charleston Kicks
Hand Styling for Charleston Kicks
Charleston Rollaway
Combining Charleston and East Coast Swing
Cross Kicks
Visual Partnering in Cross Kicks
Hand-to-Hand Cross Kicks
Tandem Charleston
Rules vs. Guidelines in Social Dancing
S-Turn Entrance to Tandem
Inside Turn Exit from Tandem
Tandem Inside Turn
Here's a preview of some of the music this course will teach you to dance to:
In this course, you'll learn the basics and many popular variations of Street Swing, Six Count Swing, Triple Step Swing, Charleston, Lindy Hop, Collegiate Shag, and Solo Jazz. Whether you choose to learn to lead or follow, after taking this course, you'll have a good understanding of how to dance this family of dances.
In our online classes, everyone gets the best view, instead of having to crane their neck to see what the teacher is doing. In addition, when learning online, you can watch the lessons over and over again (now, and any time in the future), as well as rewinding or slowing down the video if you need more help with a particular step.
Unlike many other sites that offer online classes, where you might only get a quick demonstration of the steps, in the hours of detailed instruction you will receive in this course, you'll actually get a step-by-step breakdown of each variation as well as many specific tips about the finer points of leading and following them. In addition, in developing this course, we thought carefully about how to arrange the variations so that each lesson builds on what you've learned in the previous lessons, so you'll always know exactly what's going on.
No! In addition to teaching the variations in a partnered context for students who are learning with a partner, in each lesson, we virtually dance the steps with you so that even if you're learning solo, you'll have us to dance with.