West Coast Swing Dancing in Reno and Sparks
West Coast Swing Dancing in Reno and Sparks
Now when we say we have a swing dance club or are going swing dancing, we actually mean we have a West Coast Swing Dance Club or going to dance WCS. They don't play East Coast Swing music but the music that triples you could dance ECS to it. If you don't know anything about West Coast Swing, let me give you a quick history lesson and explain the difference between swing dances.
The origins of our dance came from Lindy Hop. Our music was faster, women wore heels and skirts or dresses. Over the years the music started changing and slowed way down. Followers put on jeans and low heel dance shoes and even the strike of the foot changed in how we dance it.
A great teacher named Skippy Blair was instrumental in popularizing it in the 50's when she was with Arthur Murray Dance Studios. She told me that it was originally called "Western Swing" and her response was, "No one is going to want to dance country swing." Sometime in the 60's it took on the name West Coast Swing.
What is different about our style of swing?
Well, to start with there is no dance called "Swing" that is just a classification of the dance. There are lots of different swing dances. I mean lots! A few are danced in a slot like WCS but we are the only ones I am aware of that will dance to any type of 4/4 music. Our music does not have to triple like other swings.
Triple Rhythm is very easily explained by saying "Dot, Dot, Dash" this shows the value of the Dot is shorter than the Dash. When a musician holds a beat longer they have to speed up the other beats to catch up. It's called "Swinging the beat". We count it as 1 & 2 3 & 4. (if you are a musician and disagree with my explanation, that is okay, this is to teach those that are new to all this stuff and as dancers, we often look at music differently. Hell, you say 1234 and we say 5678! )
We have more of a metronomic swing as well, other swing dances have a pendulum swing.
Hell, let me just show you some videos of what West Coast looks like and you can see for yourself. It is addicting and fun. It may seem challenging in the beginning but it has a HUGE payoff when you get it. I have been dancing this dance for 20 years, I have competed, won championships, choreographed, and after all that I still feel like I am learning. Our dance changes as the music changes. That is what makes it fun. When I dance waltz or any other ballroom dance it is still the same dance. That is not bad but the only thing to work on is better technique and feel. With West Coast Swing we work on musicality and partnership.
Check it out and then get your asses off the couch and come to our FREE beginner class every week!
More information below the videos. 😎
Every Monday night (except major holidays of course) I have a free beginner West Coast Swing class at 6pm at The Ballroom of Reno School of Dance. Followed by a Beyond Basics class at 7pm on Mondays.
Every Tuesday I have an intermediate/ advanced West Coast Swing class and then we go dancing at the Little Waldorf Saloon.
We have a great WCS dance club in Reno called BLSDC or pronounced Ballistic
Here is the Website http://blsdc.org/Carson has a great club as well called High Sierra Swing Dance Club HSSDC
Cheers,
J
Jeffrey has taught all over the United States but makes his home at The Ballroom of Reno School of Dance. He can teach anywhere but The Ballroom of Reno is a non-profit that touches the community through free group classes and other outreach dance programs, the 7000 square feet of the dance floor, combined with the wonderful people and no sales pressure attitude makes it the best ballroom dance studio in Reno Nv.
The dances the pros teach at The Ballroom of Reno school of dance are Waltz, Foxtrot, Tango, Argentine Tango, Bolero, Rumba, Cha-Cha, East Coast Swing, West Coast Swing, Samba, Salsa, Mambo, Merengue, Viennese Waltz, night Club two-step, Country two-step Salsa on two, Bachata dance, Cumbia dance, Bolero, your First Wedding Dance, and many other social partner dances, club dances so you can go ballroom dancing or club dancing in Reno and Sparks NV!
The Ballroom of Reno YouTube
Better West Coast Swing YouTube
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