If you are looking for the UK’s very best in West Coast Swing, you have come to the right place! West Coast Swing UK is without doubt the UK’s leading force in WCS to date.
West Coast Swing UK is a friendly, well established group introducing WCS tuition and social dance time to every level of dancer, from complete novice to seasoned veteran, in the form of weekly classes, courses, monthly specialist workshops, freestyles, fun competitions and party nights. All will be made welcome and we are delighted to provide loyalty scheme membership incentives in the form of our SwingClubCard®.
As well as offering the highest level of tuition and producing the most experienced and accomplished level of social dancer, we also boast the highest, most consistent level of competitive success from our dancers in WCS comps both nationally and internationally.
We are pleased to have hosted some of the world’s top International WCS Pros including Jordan Frisbee & Tatiana Mollman, Kyle Redd & Sarah Vann Drake, Robert & Nicola Royston, Jake Haning & Taletha Jouzdani, Robert Cordoba & Deborah Szekely, Christopher Hussey & Katrina Branson, Myles Munroe & Tessa Cunningham-Munroe, John Lindo, Heidi Burns (Groskreutz), Chuck Brown, Ben McHenry, John Kirkconnell, Patti Jobst, Maxence Martin, Maxime Zzaoui & Virginie Grondin, Erica Berg, Michael Kielbasa & Brandy Richey, Michael Kiehm & Sue Fries, Olivier & Virginie Massart, Henriette Koefoed, Torri Zzaoui (Smith), Markus Smith & Trendlyon Veal and Brandi Guild (Tobias). Dancers travel from far and wide, attending from the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, all over Europe, Russia and even Iceland!
We are especially honoured that the late Jason Colacino graced us with his presence back in May 2009, inspiring us with his immeasurable talent in dance and good spirit as a person. His tragic and untimely death sent shock waves throughout the international dance community… he will be sorely missed!
We are always interested in your feedback so please let us know if you feel there is anything we can do to improve your WCS experience with us!
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!
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