Swing Dancing Near Tempe, AZ

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Swing dancing is quite popular here in Arizona, and for good reason! With so many variations and styles, you can swing dance to all different genres of music from Country to rock and roll, oldies and big band. Did you know that you can even dance the West Coast swing to hip hop music? It’s true! Swing dancing itself can be everything to sweet and cute (Jitterbug swing) to sultry and playful (West Coast swing), making it a must-have dance almost anywhere you go. From weddings to dance clubs, learn to swing dance and you will find yourself out on the dance floor for at least half the night.

In Tempe, AZ and surrounding cities, swing dancing classes and places to go swing dancing can be found at the local bars, resorts and dance studios. This popular, ageless and timeless dance is a wonderful workout and too much fun to not know how to do. Here are a few of our favorite places to go swing dancing and to learn to swing dance in and around Tempe for you to enjoy:

Places to Go Swing Dancing:

Graham Central Station: Graham’s is located in Tempe near the I-10 highway on Priest and Elliot. We love to go swing dancing there for several reasons.

1. They play a large variety of music from Country to oldies. (You can even find disco, hip hop, techno and salsa dancing over at Graham’s)

2. The dance floor is huge! You can go into the main room for mostly a Country dance experience, or head into one of the smaller rooms for a variety of other dance styles and music.

3. Generally, the dancers who go to Graham’s are respectful of others and can actually dance quite well. With a large age group from young to old who attend Graham’s, you never know what you might get, but everyone seems to work it out on the dance floor. You won’t find too many crazy swing dancers looking to show off, but more of the refined dancers who appreciate the large dance space and who want to have fun with it.

San Tan Flat in Queen Creek: While San Tan Flat is about 30 minutes from Tempe, they offer a very different, yet equally fulfilling dance experience. The dance floor at San Tan Flat is very tiny, round and has a large, solid pole in the middle of it. Here’s why we love San Tan Flat for swing dancing:

1. Because of the small dance floor, everyone is extra mindful of their “dance space”. Generally, you can find real cowboys shuffling along to live Country music as they circle around the pole.

2. The dance floor at San Tan Flat is outside under the stars. On a nice evening in Arizona, it is wonderful to dance in open air. What a treat!

3. San Tan is authentically “Arizona”. As mentioned above, you will find real cowboys strutting their stuff on the dance floor, swing dancing with style!

If you live in Tempe, Arizona and want to know how to Country swing dance BEFORE you try out one of these places, come check us out! We love to share the fun and excitement of the swing! Beginner swing classes are offered as well as beginner private swing dance lessons. If you do have swing dance experience, we would love to show you even more! Try out our introductory offer for just $40 to learn to swing dance today.

See upcoming blog posts on the many more places that we recommend to go swing dancing near Tempe, AZ.

 

Styles of Swing

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istock_000001582768xsmallWith the, what seems to be, endless amount of Swing dance styles, it is sometimes hard to keep them all straight. Dances that can be referred to as Swing dancing include the Lindy Hop, Charleston, West Coast Swing, East Coast Swing, Jive, Shag, and many other dances developed around the 1940’s. To help you identify some of the key identifiers of these dances, a few of the Swing dances will be discussed further.

You may recognize the first Swing dance, the Lindy Hop, by its basic move, the swingout. The swingout involves one partner pulling the other into a closed position from an open position. While doing so, they pivot 180 degrees, and then the other partner is swung back into the original position. The Lindy Hop also has characteristics similar to the Charleston because it was based off of it. Just as the Lindy Hop was developed from another dance, it helped to inspire the East Coast Swing, Balboa, Shag, and Boogie Woogie.

The next dance listed as Swing dancing is the Charleston. As stated previously, the Charleston was the inspiration for the Lindy Hop. However there were different styles of Charleston dances, the one from the 1920’s is quite different than the one in the 1930’s that the Lindy Hop is associated with. If you are wondering, the first one, the 1920’s Charleston, is the dance that became popular and associated with flappers. One key feature of the Charleston, apart from other Swing dances, is the swaying arms and quick foot movements that the dancers have that helps to spot this dance.

Another dance associated with the Lindy Hop is the West Coast Swing. This form of Swing dancing is distinguished by having an elastic feel to it. Dancers in West Coast Swing use an extension and compression partnership, which gives that elastic appearance. Additionally, West Coast Swing is more linear and slower than other Swing dances.

The last form of Swing dance we will cover is the East Coast Swing. To distinguish itself from the other forms of Swing dancing, especially the West Coast Swing from California, East Coast Swing was appropriately named. The East Coast Swing is going to have a little more bounce and pep to it than some of the other forms of Swing dances. It is also more standardized as it was originally developed for instructional purposes.

No matter what type of Swing dancing you choose, you are going to have a blast. Some may be easier to start out with than others, but Swing dancing is a great dance to learn for any occasion. To start your Swing dance lessons today, come into Dance FX Studios located in Mesa, Arizona. Dance FX Studios has private Swing dance lessons and group Swing dance classes for your enjoyment. See YOU on the dance floor!

Keep Your Family Connected with Swing Dance Lessons

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Brown-N-White Dance ShoesAre your children grown up and leaving the nest, but you want to still spend some quality time with them? Or do you have some family members that you wish you could bond with a little more? Maybe you should invite them to take dance lessons together! It is an ideal situation because you would have a set time to meet up each week where you could enjoy each other’s company and see how the other is doing.

A great way to start your dance lessons is with Swing dancing. Swing dancing is a style of dance that is loved by many ages and people. It is hard not to like it with its fun and peppy movements, which are great for beginners since they are also easy to learn. You can even extend your time together by going out to a special Swing dance event or dancehalls.

You may even enjoy yourself so much that you will have to take another lesson for a different style of dance! With all of the different styles, levels of dance, and classes available, you are sure to find something that suits your interests. Don’t let precious time with loved ones slip through your fingers; sign up for Swing Dance lessons today!

If you live in the Arizona valley, Dance FX Studios in Mesa offers private dance lessons and group dance lessons. Currently, Dance FX Studios has an Introductory Offer of $40 consisting of 1 hour-long, private dance lesson. Come see how much fun it is to learn to Swing dance for yourself!

Swing Dancing, A Great Workout

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swing classes mesa arizonaDid you know that Swing dancing is a fun and easy dance to learn, but it is also a great aerobic and anaerobic workout? It is an aerobic workout because the constant movement gets your heart pumping and your lungs working. If you didn’t know already, this form of exercise is the best way to burn fat. Your muscles are getting oxygen, which allows them to use your fat as an energy source.

Swing dancing can also be anaerobic after a longer period of time. When your body is not able to rely on your increased breathing and heart rate, it then depends on your muscles. This state of exercise happens because your body cannot give your muscles the oxygen they need to burn fat and will start to use the carbohydrates in your muscles instead. It will tone your muscles and make them stronger.

In addition to its wonderful aerobic and anaerobic workout benefits, Swing dancing can also help you boost your confidence, improve flexibility, increase your coordination, decrease stress, and help with other important physical, mental, and spiritual benefits.

If you would like to start using Swing dancing as your fun aerobic and anaerobic exercise, visit Dance FX Studios in Mesa, Arizona! Dance FX Studios offers Private Swing Dance Lessons and Group Swing Dance Lessons. The Introductory offer includes 2 thirty-minute (or 1 hour-long) private Swing dance classes for $40. More information about Private Swing Dance Lessons can be viewed at https://dancefxstudios.com/swing-dancing-arizona/

If you are interested in the Group Swing Dance Lessons, they start up again during the first week of April. Group classes last for 4 consecutive weeks and the material builds upon the previous class. To see a schedule of available classes, please go to https://dancefxstudios.com/dance-classes-mesa-arizona/

Swing Dance Soiree!

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Arizona Swing dancingHere at Dance FX Studios, we had our annual Valentine’s swing dancing party on Friday night! The evening was a big hit, with laughs and smiles for all. The wonderful band Come Back Buddy played tunes all night for us to jitterbug, country swing, and lindy hop along with.

But that wasn’t all! Even though it was a swing dancing event, there was a whole collection of different ballroom dances to enjoy! Waltz, salsa and nite club two step were only a few of the many other dances that were enjoyed by our guests. Nicole led an introduction to jitterbug swing dance class for beginners, which brought the whole crowd out to the dance floor to learn how to swing dance. Some of our more seasoned dancers showed off their moves while also teaching some of our first time visitors how much fun swing dancing at Dance FX Studios can be.
There was also a chance for some of our married couples to show off how much they know about their spouse. With questions about first dates, graduation years, and favorite foods there were some challenges providing lots of laughter and entertainment.

Speaking of food, dinner by Rosati’s Italian restaurant was delicious, and the cake by SugarLips cakery was divine! Red velvet cake; need I say more?

We also had a lot of great gifts in the raffle baskets, of which the proceeds all went to the Wounded Warrior project. This event helped us to raise over $1,000.00 dollars for the cause.

We want to thank everyone who joined us for the event, and hope that you had as much fun as we did! See you at our next dancing party featuring live Country Western music.

Dance FX Studios’ Annual Valentine’s Day Dance

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Swing Dancing with Live Music for Valentine's DayHave you gotten your tickets yet for Dance FX Studios’ Valentine’s Day themed party on Friday, February 3 at 7 pm? Don’t miss out on this annual event with live music by swing dancing and oldies band “Come Back Buddy”!

What will the night entail? We will kick off the evening with dinner (restaurant TBA) and dessert provided by one of our sponsors SugarLips Cakery. From there, our guests will join us for a beginner’s swing dancing class, general dancing, mingling and a raffle. One hundred percent of raffle monies will be donated to The Wounded Warrior Project, Dance FX Studios’ charity of choice for 2012.

If you love to dance Swing, Country Two Step, Nite Club 2 Step and other fun ballroom dances, this is the party for you. Tickets are just $35 pp or $20 pp when you sign up with 10+ people (group discount). Tickets can be purchased online by clicking here.

Dance FX Studios is a social ballroom dancing studio for adults (couples and singles) who are looking to gain social confidence, add romance and meet new people though dancing. We provide a fun, interactive service to the community that allows for stress-relief, an opportunity to improve health and to learn a life-skill that can be used at weddings, holiday parties, on dates and cruises or in the comfort of your home. Social dancing helps couples and singles to connect and add excitement to their lives.

Private dance lessons, group dance classes and first dance lessons for brides and grooms are offered at Dance FX Studios as well as Zumba fitness classes for adults. Dance FX Studios also holds dancing events with live music, special performances, dinner, a beginner dance class and a raffle for charity several times a year.
Dance FX Studios is located at 1859 West Guadalupe Rd. in Mesa AZ just off the 101 highway on the border of Tempe and Chandler.

Swing Dance Variations

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What is Swing dancing and how many kinds of Swing dancing are there? Well…here they are!
  • Lindy Hop
  • Balboa
  • Collegiate Shag
  • St. Louis Shag
  • Jitterbug
  • Lindy Charleston
  • Eastern Swing
  • East Coast Swing
  • West Coast Swing
  • Western Swing
  • Boogie-woogie
  • Carolina Shag
  • Imperial Swing
  • Jive
  • Skip Jive
  • Modern Jive
  • Rock and Roll
  • Acrobatic Rock’n’Roll
  • Washington Hand Dancing
  • Push and Whip
  • Modern Swing
  • Mo-cathy or silly swing

After condensing all of these Swing dance variations, these are the ones that can be used most socially:

  • Lindy Hop
  • Balboa
  • Shag
  • East Coast Swing
  • West Coast Swing
About these dances:
Lindy Hop, the original swing, emerged in the 20’s to 30’s. It was followed Balboa and Shag-two dances that are also in the Lindy Hop family.
East Coast Swing, a simplified version of Lindy Hop and comes in triple, double, and single-time varieties. Single time is commonly referred to as Jitterbug, although the term “Jitterbug” originally referred to anyone who danced Swing.
West Coast is a more modern version of Lindy Hop with a different twist on the style. Originally, Lindy Hop dancers looked down on West Coast dancers, or “Westies” as they called them, and vice-versa. Now, dancers tend to appreciate each other’s styles a bit more.
So what is Swing? Swing is an always evolving and changing form of dance with lots of fun turns and exciting music to match. New versions of old dances are inevitable and the rabbit hole of Swing dancing goes as deep as you want it to.
Our recommendation? We recommend starting with either Jitterbug or West Coast Swing in private dance lessons for the fastest way to becoming a great Swing dancer. This way you can dance swing to a variety of music and have fun doing it.