Masters Level Demonstration of Swing

Swing, whether talking about East Coast or West Coast, brings up a long tradition of exciting movements in dance. Generally speaking, it is agreed that Swing is six (6) changes of weight to eight (8) beats of music. East Coast starts with a rock step, and West Coast starts with a Triple step. I'll leave it up to the experts to argue about that difference. One thing is for sure however, WCS has almost an unlimited amount of figures, and can be danced to slow, medium, and fast music. ECS has been more prevalent in studio dancing and WCS has been mainly dominated by street or gutsy type styles.

Historically, ECS probably was going on before WCS, and was hardly distinguishable from the Lindy style on the east coast of the US. However, in about 1939 things changed in Los Angeles. A Big Band under the direction of a man named Benny Goodman, introduced Swing big time on the west coast. He played his clarinet right into the hearts of the youth living up and down the west coast of the US. The floors became so crowded and close, that the dancers evolved the slot look, to keep the floor from becoming a chaotic jungle. The Big Bands played all through the war, and movements danced to today were created by the kids who were driven by the music.

As the years passed, the Big Bands became unionized, and extremely expensive for promoters to hire and still make a profit. Small bands began to appear and play at nightclubs, probably the most famous was Bill Haley and the Comets. We all remember 'Rock Around the Clock,' probably one of the top five (5) songs recognized anywhere you'd go in the world.

WCS flourished during the war years, remaining popular and stable in  form, all the way through the 1980s. The people who were active during the 1950s/60s became legends to many of us coming up later. They had contests going on nearly every night of the week for years. The stories of what happened at many of these contests could easily form the basis for a movie plot. In the 50s and 60s for example, names like Boots/Vicki, Gayle/Ilene, George Christopherson/Freda Angelo, Gil Brady/Nicky, and of course, the unbeatable Pat Eggars/Darlene Lind who ruled contests for years. Other styles and types of dancers were regularly seen at WCS events dancing to the house bands. Lindy music and traditional WCS upbeat music were identical  People that will be featured in future Swing forums, like Willy Desatoff, Maxie Dorf, George Christopherson, Dean Collins, Jimmy Davis, Bobby Hefner, and many others who developed and shaped the Swing world will be written about here. 

The experiences and stories of events that these, and other great dancers, would tell would keep you mesmerized for hours on end. All through the 1970s and most of the eighties (80s) WCS ruled contests all up and down the California coast with the best dancers in the world. The music was upbeat and fast, and continued so until the late 1980s. It was approximately at this time that the old timers started complaining about the change in music, judging, and dancers who moved to much slower and strange music. Some older dancers will fill in details about this time in future articles in the Swing forum.

It will only suffice to say that contests were going on all over the place, 5 to 6 days a week. WCS dancers dominated the contests (at least in California). !n 1973 at the Palladium in Hollywood, the World Swing Dance Championships, promoted by Mark and Marge Peters, had winners from California, with a St. Louis Shag (fast movements) couple placing high. Man what a contest that was, with Les Brown and his Band of Renown, playing live songs like Leap Frog. Following suit about a decade later was the first US Open Swing Dance Championships held in Anaheim, California.

Many Swing dance clubs have been born since these early days, all of which have contributed to the growth of Swing. Check out the links to some of these clubs and venues on this website. You'll be able to find one near you to get involved with in the greatest dance movement of all time (my prejudice is showing isn't it?).

Music of WCS came mainly from Big Band sounds like; In the Mood, Flying Home, Red Top, Woodchoppers Ball, Rock Around the Clock, and the list goes on. The beat was upwards of 200 BPM, and routines and aerials always appealed to the screaming crowds. It was common for the music to pull you right out of your seat, and you hit the dance floor swingin'. LA, and other California clubs, had their house bands like Mark Anthony, or a Norm Brown. From San Francisco to San Diego, the dancers were moving to upbeat music, punctuated during breaks with upbeat DJ music from similar bands.

In future articles, I hope to convey the excitement of traditional WCS, its driving music, and stories that were told to me from people who influenced movements, style, and presentation of WCS. I'm optimistic about the growth and future of Swing.  Where competitors get more of the gutsy moves and feeling, and audiences are involved with their favorite couples. Where the crowd is screaming for their favorite dancers, and the dancers are driven by upbeat music. The results from competition are congruent between judges, dancers, and most importantly, the audiences. I long to see that the population in the seats are more than the number of competitors on the floor. I also long for the day when I leave a contest incessantly talking about the amazing performances, and closeness of the results.

The new kid on the block in America is Rock'n'Roll, and its disciplines of Lindy-Hop, Swing, Boogie-Woogie, Team Formations, and Acrobatic Main Masters classes. The performances that will come out of these disciplines will change the face of dancing in the United States.  Join us in the excitement of the future. You'll enjoy the trip!!. 

by: Jim Lyndon