West Coast Swing is a lively, fast-paced rhythm that is very popular among traditional (“cue-less”) ballroom dancers.  It is a close cousin of Jive (East Coast Swing), but is designed to be done “in a slot” – with the lead moving primarily side to side and follower moving primarily forward and backward.  This allows West Coast Swing to be done in a very small space, which is one of the keys to its popularity.

It is amusing to note that, although pure WCS dances exist in Cued Ballroom, most of the popular WCS dances mix in other rhythms.  Apparently, our dancers get bored with all that back-and-forth stuff and won’t accept a dance unless it moves!