East Coast Swing
East Coast Swing is a fun, lively upbeat dance. Distinguished by it’s swing hip motion and rock step, it is a non-progressive dance suited to rock ‘n’ roll, faster big band jazz & swing music.
The East Coast Swing can be traced back to the original Swing dance -the Lindy Hop, which was created in the late 1920′s by the African American youth who frequented the famous Savoy Ballroom in Harlem. Danced to the popular swing and jazz music of big bands of the day, such as Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway and Benny Goodman, Lindy Hop was dynamic and athletic.
By the mid 30′s, Lindy Hop (also called Jitterbug and Swing) was popular with young people everywhere. It was widely danced in the US and Europe through the end of World War II. In the early 40′s Lindy Hop was tamed and simplified by dance schools to become a ballroom dance called Eastern Swing. In the late 70′s the name was changed to East Coast Swing.
East Coast Swing has three different rhythms – single, double and triple time which allows it to be danced to a wide range of music styles and tempos. “Shake Rattle & Roll” by Bill Haley is a suitable rock ‘n’ roll example while Benny Goodman’s “Sing Sing Sing” is a very typical big band piece.
East Coast Swing is one of Firefly’s core dances. It is introduced in the casual Dance Sampler class where you can try a few basic steps and in Partner Dancing for Beginners Level I – both suitable for absolute beginners. It is occasionally taught as an individual dance in an 8 week series group class for those just interested in Swing.
If you are interested in learning East Coast Swing:
- Check the Dance Sampler schedule.
- Talk to Firefly on 1300 725 977
- Check the Group Timetable for the next Partner Dancing for Beginners Level I class.
- Enquire Now
