Swing, it’s a 1940’s Big Band Blaring, Hellzapoppin’, Zoot-suit-rioting dance.  Originally from the USA this is now truly an international dance (the best annual Swing festival is held in a village in Sweden of all places).

It can be a fairly broad term referring to (but not limited to) East Coast Swing, Lindy Hop, Jitterbug, Charleston, Balboa, West Coast Swing, Jive, Rock and Roll, Shag and 40’s Charleston, with many of these styles going by two or three different names depending on where you are and who you ask.

With so many Swing variations around, at Phoenix Dance Studio we choose to focus on three original styles that compliment each other and can even be cross danced. East Coast, Lindy Hop and 40’s Charleston. That’s not to say that there is anything wrong with any of the other Swing styles, but we have found that these particular ones can be danced all around the world, to faster or slower tempos, at any and all occasions.

It doesn’t take long to get to grips with the basics of Swing but there’s plenty of scope to improve and extend your technique and repertoire. The trick is to get low, find the pulse of the music, relax and go for it.  One of the favourite dances, not just at Phoenix Dance Studio but anyplace where a bunch of people get together to have a good time on the dance floor.