Swing Dance Basics

In class we learn East Coast Swing, which happens in 6 counts: slow, slow, rock-step. When you dance you need good dance frame and good springiness in your arms. If your arms are joined parallel your hands should remain about waist-height and your elbows should always be bent about 90° -- never straight!!

The man will step

1-2 left foot

3-4 right foot

5 small step back on L, take a little weight

6 step forward onto R

The woman will step

1-2 right foot

3-4 left foot

5 small step back on R, take a little weight

6 step forward onto L

This is a Basic. As you dance, the couple should rotate gradually clockwise. Your feet will always do this, unless a different step is part of a move you’re doing.

If the music is slower, you can do a triple-step Instead of a slow. A triple step means taking three small steps instead of one big one:

1 L

and R

2 L

and (pause)

Other things to do

There are thousands of things to do in a Swing dance. Here are a few. Assume you’re dancing with both hands joined parallel to each other.

Outside turn: he raises his left hand (joined with her right) and uses his right hand to encourage her to walk under the joined hands. She turns on slow, slow and they rock-step together.
Turn her under, bring her back: turn her under as above, then he’ll “stir” her back the other way – reversing the move – during slow, slow and they rock-step together.
Inside turn: he raises his left hand (joined) and releases his right. He crosses his left hand between himself and his partner, then turns it over her head, so that she turns counter-clockwise.
He turns under: he raises his left hand (joined) and walks under slow, slow and they rock-step together.
He rolls in: he releases his right hand and rolls into his joined left arm, then releases his left hand (her right hand will slide along his back), then grabs her right hand when he’s facing her again. Turn on slows, rock-step together.
Push Turn: after a rock-step and using the first “slow” he raises his left palm flat (fingers up). She puts her right palm flat against his. He releases his right hand and pushes with his left hand to turn her around clockwise on the second slow, rock-step together.
Texas Tommy: on the rock-step he steps forward and puts their joined hands behind her back where he puts her right hand in his (trades hands). On the slows he unwinds her, they can rock-step together there OR he can continue her momentum and turn her once under and they can rock-step after that.
Arm-Breaker: after an inside turn take her right hand in his right hand (or hold wrists). He raises their joined hands and leads his right hand across himself to the left, turning her under, then lowers their joined hands to rest in the small of her back (you shouldn’t need to readjust your grip), she keeps turning the same direction (counter-clockwise) until she can hold his right shoulder with her left hand, he supports her back with his left hand, and she dips to his left.
Cuddle: keeping both hands joined, he crosses his left hand over his right then over her head so that she ends up in a wrap on his right. You’ll have to do the Basic forward and back (not side to side) so you don’t run into each other. Once in the Cuddle, you can use the slows to trade sides without releasing hands, and rock-step once there.
Cuddle and turn: get into the cuddle as above. Trade sides, but rather than just pushing her forward and to the other side, unwrap her and quickly re-wrap her onto the other side by crossing his right hand over left, then over her head again.
Charleston: get into the Charleston by using one Basic to get into Closed Dance position, then another to pull her to his side (he must get his right arm all the way around her onto her right hip). When he releases their joined hands (his L, her R) that signals that the next rock-step will begin the Charleston.

HE SHE

1 left foot rock- 1 right foot rock-

2 step 2 step

3 kick L forward 3 kick R forward

4 step on L 4 step on R

5 kick R forward 5 kick L forward

6 cock R leg by L ankle 6 cock L leg by R ankle

7 kick R backward 7 kick L backward

8 step on R 8 step on L

This repeats until he offers her his left hand. She takes it. He’ll lead them back into the Basic.

Charleston Kicks: he offers her his left hand, she takes it. He moves his right hand onto her left hip. After the kick on count 5 (above) he pushes her hip to turn her around, he turns too; turn by facing each other. Kick the same leg again after the turn. Step to change feet, kick new foot, turn, step. Kick-turn-kick-step over and over until he leads back into charleston or the Basic.

HE SHE

1 left foot rock- 1 right foot rock-

2 step 2 step

3 kick L forward 3 kick R forward

4 step on L 4 step on R

5 kick R forward 5 kick L forward

6 push her hip, turn 180° 6 let him turn you 180°

7 kick R forward 7 kick L forward

8 step on R 8 step on L

9 kick L forward 9 kick R forward

10 turn 180° 10 turn 180°

11 kick L forward 11 kick R forward *return to closed dance position

12 step on L 12 step on R

13 kick R forward 13 kick L forward

14 turn 180° 14 turn 180°

15 kick R forward 15 kick L forward

16 step on R (etc) 16 step on R (etc)

He may also decide to kick 3 times in the same direction to cause the couple to kick opposite directions. She continues as above. He’ll need to kick 3 times in the same direction again to get them synchronized again, then can lead back into the Charleston or the Basic.