why I love west coast swing

Maxence & Emeline... two of my favourite west coast swing dancers.

While the bulk of my posts on this blog have been about Lindy hop don't let that fool you into thinking that Lindy and I are in a monogamous relationship. West coast swing also vies for my affection and, as I mentioned in one of my first articles, choosing a favourite between these styles would be like asking a parent to rank their offspring.

However, in my home city of Belfast, Lindy hop is on offer at least four nights a week but west coast swing only comes out to play on Wednesdays.

A comparison of the size of these two communities in Belfast is stark as I reckon we could rustle up well over 100 Lindy hoppers just in the city alone while until recently, the entire island of Ireland might have struggled to fill a WCS party in an elevator.

One of the reasons I also love west coast swing as much as I love Lindy hop is because of the entirely different way it makes me feel and it caters to a vastly different form of expression. Comparing them using the simplest analogy I can think of: the difference between my two favourite styles is similar to that of my two favourite instruments.

Dancing Lindy hop is like playing the drums. Steady rhythm is king, the beat pulses through you and you can use the full dynamic range of the music to bounce lightly or build up to an almost unsurpassed manic euphoria.

Incredible satisfaction can come from a slower tempo and the opportunity to go to town on musicality, but it can be at its most intoxicating when you're fighting against exhaustion until you absolutely must stop to rehydrate or change shirts. Or use a defibrillator.

However, west coast swing, is more like playing an acoustic guitar. It allows for limitless personal expression and an emotional intimacy I've yet to experience from any of the other instruments or 20+ dance styles I've tried.

And west coast swing is definitely not just about schmaltzy fluff as I'm a long-time fan of hip-hop and it's amazing to finally be able to dance to its heavy bass and blindingly obvious breaks. I've thankfully grown out of my 'Eminem phase' when a younger, skinnier me was was regularly attired in clothes more befitting of an overweight rapper with an aversion to belts, but I still love the music.

In fact, one of the greatest virtues of west coast swing is its sheer versatility. You can dance it to anything the DJ can throw at you: hip-hop, R&B, pop, deep house, funk, dubstep, electroswing, dance, salsa, indie, country, blues, classical... I've west coast swung to all of them and I can't think of another dance style that can claim to have even half of its dexterity.

It's through WCS that I've recently discovered that funk isn't actually such a terrible genre after all, and that the chorus of dial-up modems known as dubstep actually provides some of the most challenging but exhilarating experiences you can have on a dance-floor. The instant adrenaline kick I get listening to Lindsey Sterling's 'Crystallize' or the Omega remix of Ellie Goulding's 'High for This' just gets me pumped!

But considering its mastery of myriad music genres I'm amazed WCS doesn't have a more ardent following, especially since you really can pull it out anywhere; including club nights and, that ultimate test of rhythmical insecurity: weddings.

However, I think that this versatility is also a double-edged sword because it doesn't benefit from the same identity by association that other styles do: I immediately think of Lindy hop when I hear big band music and if I hear blues, salsa or tango music my thoughts go to those dance styles. But west coast swing just doesn't have that same dance monopoly on a particular music genre.

It also doesn't have a specific affiliation with one city, country or culture the way some dances do - Lindy hop hails from 1920-30s Harlem, and tango from late 19th century River Plate basin of Argentina and Uruguay - and these dances benefit from the proud promotion of a civic or national heritage and identity in a way that west coast swing can only dream of.

Additionally, every so often a style (re)appears that benefits from 'cousins' in the dance style family. Blues dancing appears to be undergoing a bit of a revival and as it appeals to the greater retro swing fraternity and has elements that can be interchanged with Lindy hop, balboa and solo jazz, there is a natural attraction for dancers of one of these styles to learn another. The same can be said of a number of Latin or ballroom dances but in the case of west coast swing it is distantly related to all but close to none; and must forge its own path.

So, and possibly for these reasons, west coast swing is rarely the first dance someone learns with salsa, tango, Lindy hop, or ballroom often providing the first taste of the partner dancing experience. For some, learning one dance style is enough, but there is an additional problem that comes from starting with another style that can sometimes act as a discouragement: pride.

Particularly if you've already reached a (high) level of competency in one dance style, the idea of starting afresh at the bottom of the ladder is frustrating in the extreme, and I know I've experienced it. Getting things wrong again and again really melts your head and can have you craving the comfort of familiarity.

As west coast swing tends to be a dance people discover after they've reached a certain grade of mastery elsewhere, some just can't cope with being at the wrong side of the bell-curve and give up before it gets interesting.

One of the things I most love about west coast swing is that it seems to be one of the closest dances to a 'conversation' you can have on a dance floor - the traditional 'lead' and 'follow' roles still exist but there is much greater scope for the follow to take control of a move and the exchange between the lead and follow is two way.

To further abuse this analogy: many dances are more of a 'Q&A', with the lead asking all the questions and hoping for satisfactory answers, whilst some other styles are pretty much just monologues. But west coast swing is definitely much more of a back and forth and the follow is often given the opportunity to take ownership of a pattern.

This should not be confused with backleading - that is a universal dancing taboo - but in west coast swing the intentions of a lead for a familiar pattern are usually transmitted to the follow within the first 2 beats and the follow is then given the opportunity to keep it basic or embellish. And as long as the connection is maintained it is the lead's responsibility to provide a platform for the follow to do their thing.

Since I discovered at about the age of 18 that, whilst grunts and shrugs have their place, a lot more can be communicated through actual words, and conversation has become one of the greatest joys of my life. I could easily natter away to myself until concerned white coats begin to close in but conversation with an actual person is much more fun.

The same goes for dancing west coast swing -  I could lead a follow in what I want them to do for an entire dance but what I especially enjoy is letting them express themselves and consequently having them challenge me to keep up... it gives me such a buzz.

But what truly sets west coast swing aside from the other styles I've tried is the connection established with your dance partner, and I discovered it is something that just cannot be experienced if you only dip your toe in for a few classes.

In dances like tango, blues, and bachata the lead often comes from the core/chest and the closer hold allows for the fluid transmission of rhythm and patterns to the follow, with both parties largely maintaining a close physical proximity and moving as one.

Whereas, west coast swing is more like Lindy hop and partners are generally led at arms length so the connection between lead and follow must be transmitted through many more joints (shoulders, elbows, wrists, knuckles) and so has a greater potential to be lost without good rhythm and frame.

Lindy is helped by its incredibly joyful bounce or 'pulse' that is maintained by both the lead and the follow as it keeps both partners on the same page and the same beat. In west coast swing, however, there is no pulse and the rhythm and steps are instead communicated by a more nuanced weight transfer.

This can sound more technical but as with learning any dances, nothing comes instantly and it just takes a little bit of practice of WCS, but when you first properly experience the stretch and compression that is the foundation of west coast swing... holy smokes!!

And for anyone interested in taking things up a notch and actually competing, this is a much more attractive proposition in the world of west coast swing than Lindy hop or balboa for example.

In almost all dance styles, competitions have a 'newcomer' section that are only open to those who started dancing within the previous year, but for everyone else it's just one big open heat.

The more ambitious may enjoy the challenge of competing against the best but generally that can just be an exercise in futility. For some, dancing is their life - it may be their full-time job, maybe they are simply gifted naturals or maybe they were selectively bred from pedigree swing livestock and danced their way out of the womb - immediately grabbing the midwife and throwing an aerial.

For the rest of us, however, it is a hobby. A passion that, despite it being one of the greatest joys that life can offer, must be balanced against work, family, friends and other commitments, and so our progress and swing education is slower and we simply cannot compete with everyone and anyone.

In west coast swing, however, the competitions allow for this and are accordingly split into ability levels: newcomer, novice, intermediate, advanced, and Allstar, with the best of the best then invited to compete at 'Champion' level. For the fast learners and naturals, progression is in no way hindered by this model, but for the hobbyists, the benefits are immense and as competitions always involve very generous prizes at all levels, the same incentives exist for all competitors. Why this model isn't more commonplace baffles me.

Before I finish, however, I want to add a cautionary tale, and that is about those whose loudly-voiced opinions would dissuade others from giving west coast swing a go, and self-styled 'swing purists' I'm looking right at you with my brow well and truly furrowed and my nostrils slightly flared. To again apply a parent/offspring analogy: I don't appreciate it when one gets picked on.

There is generally a lot of love between dance styles as well there should be (and this is no more apparent than at the Boston Tea Party), but sadly I have read and heard Lindy hoppers and others indignantly feigning offence at west coast swing's audacity to sully the good name of 'swing' because the music it is often danced to lacks a traditional swing element - dismissing it as an illegitimate child that they hope will take a long walk off a short cliff.

I do agree to a point: R&B and pop make up the bulk of WCS playlists at the moment and that music rarely swings the way Benny Goodman or Count Basie did. But when I Lindy hop to unconventional music, as I recently did to one of the many nonsensical offerings of German EDM masters Scooter (to "The Logical Song"... it was quite the experience), I don't believe the dance steps ceased to be Lindy hop just because the music wasn't swing.

If the music doesn't move you then I have no axe to grind. I imagine everyone who dances the styles they dance has chosen these styles because, first and foremost, they love the music it is associated with, and for some maybe the current WCS playlists just don't do it for them.

Although, as 'pop' music is so named because it is the most popular music genre, how the popularity of west coast swing in Northern Ireland doesn't quite mirror the popularity of the music baffles me, especially considering that, after salsa, west coast swing is the fastest growing partner dance in the world.

But for a Lindy hopper of all people to write off another style simply due to what amounts to unabashed snobbery implies that they don't actually appreciate the history of our beloved Lindy hop at all.

It takes little research on Frankie Manning - you know, that guy who's pretty much responsible for Lindy hop - to learn that he and his fellow Lindy hop pioneers were commonly the subject of dismissive and pejorative statements from event organisers, agents, and other dancers who all viewed Lindy hop with utter disdain throughout its early years.

In fact, Frankie used these negative experiences as an additional incentive and stated in his autobiography that he hoped his legacy would see the elevation of Lindy hop to the same level of international recognition as more established dance styles like ballroom and ballet. I believe Frankie succeeded (and as it is currently Frankie Month there are a couple of ways we can celebrate his legacy!), but when a Lindy hopper makes disparaging remarks about another dance style that's attempting the same I find it really saddening.

As an aside: what does the word 'football' mean to you? I imagine if you are from the USA or New Zealand or Australia or the Republic of Ireland or England you'd each offer very different responses. American football, Australian rules football, rugby union football, rugby league football, Gaelic football, and association football are all vastly different sports. Association football (known as 'soccer' to some) may lay claim to the original use of the word and certainly has more foot-to-ball contact than the rest, but try telling players or fans of the other versions that you find their appropriation of the term 'football' offensive without sounding sanctimonious.

Just as with football, what I think the varied use of the name swing demonstrates is a celebration of a shared heritage and a provenance considered worth retaining.

Lindy hop begat west coast swing, and the evolution of the latter has mirrored that of popular music. Just two decades ago west coast swing was most commonly danced to blues and other genres with a more obvious swing, but as contemporary R&B and pop came to the fore, displacing longer established music from the mainstream, west coast swing adapted to stay relevant.

In comparison, the demise of big band and the advent of bebop almost spelled the beginning of the end for Lindy hop, which obviously relies on a more rhythmically accessible variant of jazz, and it would not exist today were it not for Frankie and retro revivalists. For that I ecstatically grateful, but if other dances have had to evolve and adapt to keep people on the dance-floor I think that's a good thing.

Frankie introduced an iconic style of Lindy hop that differed from that of Shorty George and his peers, and decades later, by the time Frankie returned from his war-induced swing hiatus, the new kids on the block were swinging a different way yet again. In fact, Lindy hop has changed notably just in the past 20 years and if you look up Youtube clips of competitions from the 90s, the style changes between then and now are considerable - but it is still Lindy hop.

The same goes for west coast swing, and if you watch the video below of 'Team USA' strutting their best WCS stuff at the US Open in 1991 the Lindy genes are much more obvious than they may be today.

In short, I hope people won't be put off by the swing Pharisees. And hey, if Frankie Manning himself called west coast swing 'swing' (as he did in his autobiography) then who are we to say otherwise!

I'd love people to check out their local west coast swing scene and especially if you're in Belfast! I've seen what can happen in only two years in Israel so if anyone is interested you'll find a bit more information about local WCS classes on our website: West Coast Swing NI, but, in brief: they are on Wednesday evenings, from 7:30pm, at Windsor Tennis Club.

And, as knowing a few people always helps, if any Belfast Lindy hoppers are curious to give it a go, if you come along to class you'll recognise a number of familiar faces as the people teaching and learning west coast swing in Belfast are also pretty much all Swing Belfast Lindy hoppers!