West Coast Swing (WCS) Dancing
My favorite hobby since the spring of 2004 has been West Coast Swing dancing. After working so hard on my graduate degree, I wanted to take a class in something completely different. I had no idea it would become such a big part of my life.
What Is WCS?
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WCS is a partner (i.e. lead/follow) dance, which means the leader initiates various 6 or 8-count "moves" through his or her connection with the follower (e.g. a held hand), who then knows what to do based on that lead. The beauty of WCS is that it can be danced to a wide variety of popular music. (Personally I like the R&B stuff.) In addition, leaders typically like showing off the followers they dance with, and so the follower has a lot of individual opportunity to show off (if she is daring enough to try). WCS was derived from Lindy Hop, which you may remember from the Gap commercial awhile back. Some sites that have good descriptions of West Coast Swing dancing include Wikipedia and The 'What Is Swing Dancing?' FAQ. (Go to the latter if you're dying to know the difference between West and East Coast Swing, which is usually the first question people ask me.) |
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What Does WCS Look Like?
The best way to understand what I'm talking about is to see it in action. You can find a lot on YouTube these days, but here's my latest favorite clip. It's Patty Vo and Nicholas King at this year's Summer Hummer (August).
Of course this is a choreographed routine that's a bit different from doing it socially! For something that looks more like what I do a few times a week, check out this one. It will also give you an idea of how WCS is different from Lindy Hop:
Where Can I Go WCS Dancing?
In Massachusetts there are many places to go dancing on a regular basis. Here are just a few:
Dancing Feats: W. Newton, MA -- 3rd Saturday dances at Neal's are a blast! And this is the studio where I started dancing. (They're very beginner friendly.)
Dance Boston: Arlington, MA -- Tuesday nights are smashing, and they have classes nearly every day of the week in some form of dance. Some Saturday night paties as well.
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Seaside Swing: Danvers or Wakefield, MA -- Larry and Heidi have classes and dances in both locations. Check their site for details.
What Dance Events Are There?
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There are dance events (i.e. weekends) taking place all over the country in any given month. My favorites are New Years Dancin' Eve (Boston), America's Classic (Houston), Boston Tea Party, Liberty Swing (New Jersey), and Swingin' New England (Boston). Each event offers more workshops with great instructors than one brain can reasonably process, fun-to-watch competitions, and into-the-wee-hour social dancing (my record is still 6:00 am)! Here's the full list if you're interested. Consider Swingin' New England if you want to see some crazy competitions. I must admit I'm biased though, since I'm on a team of two-time, "Bookends" (i.e. all female) division champions! See our performances on YouTube: Like, Totally Dead! (2009); Deborah's Dance Divas Do Gaga (encore performance at NYDE 2010). Deborah Székely is our amazing choreographer. Also, if you're interested in more photos from west coast swing dance events, check out my buddy Sam's web site, or my Picasa albums. |
