Learn to Dance East Coast Swing at the BDC

Why learn how to East Coast Swing:

East Coast Swing is a bouncy, happy dance that’ll add a pep in your step and a smile to your
face! It’s one of the easier swing dances to learn, and you can enjoy dancing East Coast Swing
to everything from big band music to rock and roll and top 40 hits of today.

Where it comes from:

East Coast Swing evolved from the original swing dance, Lindy Hop. Lindy Hop was created in
the 1920’s by African American kids at the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem. Danced to the jazz and
swing music of the big bands such as Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, and Benny Goodman,
Lindy Hop was a dynamic and athletic dance.
In the 1940’s Lindy Hop was tamed and simplified by dance schools to become a ballroom
dance called Eastern Swing. In the late 1970’s the name was changed to East Coast Swing,
although it is popular and danced all across the United States.

Fun fact:

East Coast Swing is part of the family of swing dances that originated from Lindy Hop (also
called Jitterbug). Other swing dances include: West Coast Swing, Carolina Shag, Jive, Ceroc
(also called Modern Jive), D.C. Hand Dance, Balboa, and Charleston.

East Coast Swing songs you may know:

“Twistin’ The Night Away” by Sam Cooke
“Confident” by Demi Lavato
“That’ll Be The Day” by Buddy Holly And The Crickets
“All About That Bass” by Meghan Trainor
“Do You Wanna Dance?” by The Beach Boys

How to sign up and learn to dance:

We’d love to teach you East Coast Swing, and other fun dances we offer at the Ballroom Dance
Center. To get started, call us at 706-854-8888 to schedule your complimentary new student
orientation and learn how to add the joy of dance to your life.