CLASSES
We extend a special welcome to everyone no matter their relationship status, sexual orientation, gender identity, race, ethnicity, (dis)ability, weight, faith, or profession.
MONDAYS
Monday’s classes take place at the Pure Havana Studio located at 190 MacLaren St, Ottawa.
The studio is on the second floor, with free street parking available after 5:30pm or for $2 at City Hall (5-10 minutes walk) after 6pm.
TUESDAYS/SATURDAYS
Tuesday night classes and our Saturday night social dances happen at our main studio location at 1574 Walkley Rd, Ottawa.
The studio is on the second floor, with parking and building entrance located at the back of the building.
- Drop-in: $20
- Four-week series: $80
- Saturday Night Intro to WCS Lesson: FREE with admission to the social dance!
Some classes may have specialty pricing or bulk discounts applied. For details go to our registration page linked above.
Overview
This is the start of your journey. In these classes, you’ll learn the basic rules and patterns of WCS. If you have no experience with WCS, you’ll start in this tier. If you have learned some WCS elsewhere or through our previous numbered classes, let us know and we’ll work with you to figure out the best place for you to start.
FREE West Coast Swing Intro
Designed for those with no experience with West Coast Swing, this is the first stop on your West Coast Swing journey. Over the course of this one hour crash course, learn enough about the mechanics of West Coast Swing to dance and have fun in our Saturday night socials.
This class is drop-in only and is free!
No previous experience required!
West Coast Swing Basics
This class is the next stop after the Intro. Learn the core 6 and 8 count patterns that make up the foundation of West Coast Swing.
This class is technically 8 weeks long, but designed so that you can start with the first class of any four-week session.
This class is our most flexible. You can start at almost any time, and may pursue it as a regular progressive class, or as a casual dropin. Note: if you are planning to take it on a dropin basis, we require that your first class be the first week of a four-week “block” (usually the first class of the month) or one of our Free West Coast Swing Intro classes. Those weeks represent weeks 1 and 5 of the Basics syllabus
Patterns: left and right side pass, sugar push and tuck, inside roll, free spin, fold, basket whip.
West Coast Swing Beyond The Basics
This special dropin class features as part of our Monday night class block at Pure Havana.
Each week will feature a new variation of the basic pattern taught in the previous hour. This class is intended for all experience levels. Whether you just learned your first sugar push in the previous hour or 10 years ago, this class is for you!
Overview
In this second tier, we have four different classes each honing in on an important pillar of West Coast Swing. While these classes will continue teaching new patterns to round out your vocabulary, they will also be more exploratory as a means to discover how even small changes in the moment can completely transform the look and feel of an otherwise familiar pattern.
Classes in this tier are all four-week progressive series, but each session can be taken in any order
ALL CLASSES ON THIS TIER REQUIRE THAT YOU HAVE TAKEN WCS CONNECT THE DOTS
WCS Concepts: Rotation
While rotation includes the technique followers especially need to master turning, it’s so much more. In addition to turn technique, learn how to use angles, over-rotation, and under-rotation as either a leader or as a follower to change the dynamic of your basic patterns.
WCS Concepts: Musicality
When learning a dance, it’s easy to get caught up in executing patterns and forget that every partner dance has an invisible third partner: the music. Learn to tune back to the songs you’re dancing to and give your WCS a more dynamic feel that you can adapt to any style of music.
WCS Concepts: Whips
You’ve learned a basic whip and maybe a variation or two by now, but whips aren’t so much a pattern as an entire archetype of patterns based on the follower passing the leader and being redirected back to where they started. In this class, learn a variety of different ways to move through that definition and create all sorts of fun remixes of this staple WCS pattern.
Patterns: right side whip, basket whip, same side whip, open whip and behind the back whip
WCS Concepts: Connection
WCS makes heavy use of momentum, constantly creating, diffusing, and redirecting it. Learn important aspects of how to manage and moreover shape this momentum to create exciting breakout moments within a dance.
Patterns: repeaters, hustle check, scrolls and slingshots.
Overview
By now, you’ve been dancing for a while and you’re really ready to take your dancing to the next level. In this tier of classes, we revisit each of the topics from the previous tier, but turn up the heat with more challenging variations, more intricate technique, and even more experimentation and exploration.
Classes in this tier are all four-week progressive series. They are also designed to be taken in any order and you may start on these classes once you have taken at least three of the four classes in the WCS Concepts Tier or have instruction permission. Before taking a class at the Concepts Plus Tier, it’s strongly recommended that you take the class with the same name in the previous tier. If you’ve taken Rotation, Musicality, and Whips but not Physics, we do not recommend taking Physics Plus as that class will build on the material from the previous tier.
WCS Concepts Plus: Rotation
This class will include advanced topics related to turning such as multiple turns and how to pulse them, an introduction to one-footed spins, and more.
WCS Concepts Plus: Musicality
By now you’ve probably seen some Youtube videos of high-level WCS, and the moments that always stand out most are the “hits” or “breaks” where dancers line up their movements with big changes in the music. Begin learning how to land those hits yourself, at first using simple patterns and stylings, and work your way up to bigger movements starting early to land the hit at exactly the right moment.
WCS Concepts Plus: Whips
Description coming soon.
WCS Concepts Plus: Connection
WCS is known for its improvisation and “play,” but the key to unlocking this aspect of WCS requires you to go beyond strict lead/follow dynamics and learn how to communicate intention.
Both leaders and followers will learn how to use physical connection to communicate to a partner when they need time, space, and even physical support from their partner to execute on an idea.
We’ll also look at the answers to “I’ve got all room to improvise; now what?” and “my partner is showing off; what do I do and how do I know when they’re done?”
Overview
This isn’t so much a class as a sandbox. This is intended for dancers who’ve had plenty of experience in the classroom and on the social dance floor.
These classes are more free form and encourage experimentation and analysis in both technique and creativity.
Each month carries a theme and has some continuity, but all classes are accessible to dropins. Examples of previous topics:
- One-footed spins: how to spin, how a leader can lead them, and how a follower can initiate them
- Initiate-Surprise-React: create your own “patterns”
- Technique Tune-Up: add precision and intent to your movement
- Safely navigating weight-supported moves
We expect that you’ve taken at least our full set of Basics classes at the absolute minimum, and have been a reasonably active social dancer throughout your journey.
Hustle Basics 1
Start your journey with the syncopated three-count basic and some of the key patterns that make up Hustle.
No prior experience necessary!
Hustle Basics 2
Build on the concepts from Hustle 1 while learning new patterns, techniques, and variations.
Prerequisite: Hustle 1 or equivalent
Hustle 3
Using the concepts and techniques from Hustle 1 and Hustle 2, explore the many variations of wraps, a staple Hustle pattern.
Prerequisite: Hustle 2 or equivalent.
HUSTLE 4
Deepen your understanding of Hustle with turn variations and start exploring ways to change the “spoke” you and your partner share.
Prerequisite: Hustle 3 or equivalent.
Hustle Next Steps
Progress your Hustle through challenging new patterns, techniques and drills to improve your core basics.
This class will run with variable topics and teachers and will be tailored to the needs and capabilities of the students. Most classes will be accessible to drop-ins, but some may be offered as a series. Speak with an instructor for more information.
Prerequisite: Generally, this class will require at least Hustle 3 or instructor permission, but prerequisite may vary depending on the topic.
Country Two-Step Basics 1
Start your journey into Country Two-Step by learning the basic frame, several key traveling patterns and basic turns in both directions.
No prior experience necessary!
Country Two-Step Basics 2
Build on the concepts from Country Two-Step 1 by learning how to transition into and out of common Two-Step “frames” or “positions” such as cuddle, sweetheart, and also learn about basic whip patterns.
Prerequisite: Country Two-Step 1 or equivalent.
Country Two-Step 3
Learn more advanced pattern archetypes and transitions, including weaves, multiple turns, and timing changes.
Prerequisite: Country Two-Step 2 or equivalent.
Country Two-Step 4
In this capstone course, learn more complex pattern bases and get practice chaining various moves together without having to return to a basic.
Prerequisite: Country Two-Step 3 or equivalent.
West Coast Swing
A linear dance with a smooth, elastic aesthetic and an emphasis on improvisational movement.
Country Two-Step
A dance done to country music with a strong focus on travel and turning for both partners.
Hustle
A fun and stylish partner dance modelled after the dances of the disco era in the USA in the 1970s.
Line Dance
A solo, choreographed dance with repetitive movements focusing on footwork and timing.
