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 1/2/Saturdays

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 comes in two variations: weeknight and Saturday.

Saturday Basics expect that you’ve taken the our Free WCS Intro as a prerequisite and is full dropin-friendly. The Saturday dropins will cover approximately the same material as the weeknight classes, but may not

Weeknight Basics classes are standalone, with WCS Basics 1 having no prerequisite and WCS Basics 2 requiring WCS Basics 1 as a prerequisite.

Patterns: left and right side pass, sugar push and tuck, inside roll, free spin, fold, basket whip.

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: Rotation

Description coming soon.

WCS Concepts: 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: Whips

Description coming soon.

WCS Concepts: Physics

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 playground. Intended for the seasoned dancer with plenty of experience under their belt, this semi-directed class will provide prompts for exploration, and an emphasis on collaboration with peers to tap into your collective creativity and technical prowess to create the best dances possible.

This class is by invitation only. For targets to reach, we expect at a bare minimum that you have taken all of the classes in the Concepts+ tier and have been social dancing regularly throughout your journey. Experience with competition and performance are a plus, but are not required.

Hustle 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 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 1

Start your journey into Country Two-Step by learning the basic frame, patterns and transitions that will get you whirling and twirling around the floor.

No prior experience necessary!

Country Two-Step 2

Build on the concepts from Country Two-Step 1 with new patterns, positions, transitions, and timings to bring your Country Two-Step to the next level.

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.