East Coast Swing

East Coast Swing is pure fun! Fast, and energetic, it’s emphasis is on looking relaxed! It’s used in dance clubs, Country-Western bars, oldies clubs, and ballroom studios. Young and old the swing pulls from a universal crowd!

History

The term “swing” came from a description used for jazz music. Jazz came into being at the end of the nineteenth century, and after the end of WWI began to enjoy widespread popularity. In the 1920s swing jazz, characterized by a repeating subtle rhythmic undulation in the music was the main music played at the immensely popular Savoy Ballroom in Harlem. The Savoy was open for nightly dancing and attracted both the best bands and best dancers of the time. Dancers developed their own steps and the outcome was the Lindy Hop, characterized by a syncopated two-step followed by a breakaway. Elements of the Lindy could be found in other dances, but the Lindy was the first to combine those elements into one dance. The popular dance swept across the country and gave rise to many variations over the ensuing decades. Two of these variations are the east coast swing and west coast swing, both of which evolved in the 1940s, both very popular in Jacksonville today, and both taught at the Dance Shack.