Welcome

West Coast Swing is a fun, fluid, expressive partner dance recognisable by its slotted shape and focus on connection between partners. It is best danced smooth and grounded but allows full freedom of creativity and musical interpretation. It can be danced to a varied range of music from Blues to Country Swing, from Soul to Pop, making it probably the most versatile of couples dance forms. Elasticity is the key, creating speed contrast and the stretchy look that most WCS dancers aspire to create.

West Coast Swing is the perfect progression not only for the more experienced dancer wishing to take their partner dancing to a new level, but also for the novice dancer interested in learning some sexy, sassy moves along with vital technique which can be applied to a range of couples dances.

WCS dancers stand out from the crowd… it could be YOU!

Yes! We offer FUNdamentals tuition for everybody at each of our venues every week, followed by FUNdamentals review classes with one of our teaching team in a separate area running simultaneously with our main Improver/Intermediate level classes. Our monthly workshop packages are specially designed to accommodate all experience levels from complete beginner upwards.

No! West Coast Swing is a very sociable dance and we encourage partners to rotate within our classes and workshops. Our weekly classes are open to everyone and no pre-booking is required. Our workshops and events are gender-balanced but please feel free to book on alone or with same-sex friends and the promoter will take care of the rest!

West Coast Swing is a trendy street dance, so informal attire is best for social dancing. Comfort and fashion are key so jeans are perfectly acceptable. Men, if you sweat during dancing then please make sure you bring lots of spare t-shirts and deodorant. Breath mints or gum and a towel to wipe yourself down will be greatly appreciated by the ladies!

We also sell a selection of stylish T-shirts, Grandad tops, vests and slouches for both men and women, specially designed and developed for West Coast Swing UK and for our London SwingVitational event. Please ask for details…

For competitions, it is generally expected that men wear shirts and dress pants. Ladies, skirts and dresses are uncommon as they can be quite restrictive for this dance. Smart trousers with more dressy tops are the norm. Avoid jeans and t-shirts for comps!

Ladies, avoid a high heel as the dance involves a lot of walking forward with a heel lead. A comfortable shoe with either suede or leather sole with a short heel is advisable.

Try Supadance for the most widely worn dance sandal or International Dance Shoes for a recommended closed toe practice shoe.

Gents, a Cuban heel is commonly worn among WCS dancers, giving you a nice leg line and assisting with your body pitch for compression and stretch. However, any shoe with a suede or leather sole that is comfortable and does not have a protruding edge around the sole will be fine.

Check out International Dance Shoes or Freed Of London for a recommended swing shoe.

The current trend for men and women is to wear fashionable Toms sneakers which are very comfortable especially for long periods of social dancing. The added bonus is with every product you purchase, Toms will help a person in need. “One For One”! Winner!

And for ladies, the newest trend is the SwayD “Magic” dance boot, designed “By dancers, For dancers”! West Coast Swing UK are the exclusive distributors for SwayD UK so please look us up for more information about colours, styles and prices including the limited edition purple “SwingV” boot!

West Coast Swing can be danced to a varied range of music from Blues to Country Swing, from Soul to Pop, making it probably the most versatile of couples dance forms.

For an up-to-date list of suitable WCS music regularly shared by top international WCS deejays, check out www.globalswingdjs.com.

You can also check out www.radiowcs.com to listen to the hottest WCS tunes live or download the app!