West Coast Swing: Swing Reimagined
Workshop | Available
Not your grandparent’s social dance! Learn the rhythm, connection structure, and improvisational building blocks of this smooth and grounded social partner dance, often danced to blues and contemporary pop music.
West Coast Swing originated in Lindy Hop and the swing, tap, and jazz family of African diasporic social dances born in the United States during the early to mid-20th century alongside jazz music. WCS has evolved in movement style through different popular musical eras, slowing down and leaving behind the bounce of Lindy Hop in exchange for lateral motion and a fluid, stretchy linear connection as dancers adapted their physicality to express the sounds of disco/funk, blues, R&B, and now contemporary/lyrical pop music.
WCS has a rich social dance culture and is danced around the world—Alex once went to a West Coast Swing social in Kraków, Poland! The tools you gain in this class can enrich your partnering in contemporary/modern dance or get you ready to step onto the WCS social dance floor and start improvising with a partner and a song!
Note:
Participants should bring a full water bottle and wear comfortable clothing that allows for freedom of movement. We recommend dressing in layers during cold weather, as the temperature can fluctuate inside the studio.
Our Spotlight Series welcomes youth Grades 7+ and adult dancers with intermediate experience to learn from guest artists sharing their artistry and expertise.
Financial aid available. Contact us for details.
Alex Kronz
Alex (Alexandra) Kronz is a professional contemporary dancer, choreographer, theater artist, social dancer, and educator. Alex’s childhood training in competitive ballroom and improvised social partner dance created a rich foundation for their partnering and musicality in every style they have danced since. As a movement educator, Alex believes cross-training in movement disciplines—anything from swordplay to clowning—is a critical component of developing rigor, playfulness, creativity, physical strength, and body awareness for long-term health and injury prevention for every body. When Alex is not dancing contemporary for companies such as The Guild or Jerboa, you can catch them intimacy-directing and fight-directing stage combat for theater and film, choreographing musicals, acting, social dancing, and creating original dance-theater works around Seattle.