Swing Dance Party with Come Back Buddy

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Get ready for a night of Swing dancing that you won’t soon forget! It is that time again where we feature live music in different genres from Country to Swing and Argentine Tango to Salsa at Dance FX Studios in Mesa, Arizona. This time, Come Back Buddy, a throwback band who features oldies hits from Buddy Holly and beyond, will pay us a visit on Saturday, March 9th for great music and FUN!

Dance FX Studios’ Swing dance party kicks off at 8 pm with a complimentary Swing dance lesson for beginners. That’s right, bring your friends to this “open to the public” event and get them hooked on Swing dancing too! After our Swing dance class, you can get out on the dance floor with dancers of all levels, from beginners to advanced, in a non-intimidating space and enjoy great music until 11 pm.

“What is so great about Swing dancing?” you may ask. Well, how many hobbies can you think of that are not just fun and exciting, but are a great source of exercise, stress relief and romance? Swing dancing offers those benefits and so much more. If a challenge is what you are looking for, the amount of moves that you can learn while Swing dancing are endless! If you just want time with your special someone, what else can give you that “swept off of your feet feeling” besides Swing dancing? Lift your spirits with Swing dancing and swing dance music and learn to dance to see for yourself how much fun there is to be had.

For a great way for beginners to join in our Swing dance party with confidence, it’s not too late to try come in to Dance FX Studios for an introductory Swing dance lesson. Our introductory lessons are just $40 for an hour-long sampler of several styles of Swing dancing. Did you know that there are 24 variations of Swing dancing? We will show you just a few during your introductory lesson along with how to have a proper Swing dance frame and how to establish a connection with your dance partner. Private introductory lessons are set up by appointment Monday through Friday from 12 to 8 pm and on Saturdays from 11 am to 4 pm. We would LOVE to share our passion for dancing with you!

Get your tickets now for our Swing dance party on March 9th! You will be guaranteed an evening of amazing music, dancing and FUN!

Learn the “Jitterbug” Swing Basics

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istock_000014389223mediumThe Jitterbug is a fun and easy variation of Swing dancing if you are just learning how to dance. It is fun for all ages and is a great way to relieve stress. In the next couple paragraphs we will cover some of the dance steps for the Jitterbug just to give you an idea of what it is like.

The Jitterbug can be danced in either an open or closed dance position. An open dance position is where you are primarily connected to the other dancer at the hands. The closed dance position is where you hold your partner’s hand in one hand and have your other hand around their shoulder blade or shoulder. This depends on if you are the leader (usually male) or follower (usually female).

Surely you have heard of dance steps referred to as slow and quick steps. In the Jitterbug the steps are as follows: slow, slow, quick, quick. The first step uses two beats of the music and has men stepping with the left foot and women stepping with their right foot. This first move is going to be done with your feet about shoulder width apart and you will be stepping onto that first foot in place. The second step will also be in place, men with their right and women with their left. This step will also take two beats to the music. The third step is where it gets fun. Men are going to take their left foot and step backwards, the placement should almost be in line with the back of their right heel. Women will do the same with the right foot and place it in back of their left heel. It does not have to be touching the other foot, but place it comfortably behind the other foot. The final basic step is to step in place with the right foot, for men, and left foot, for women. Both of the last two steps, the step back and the step in place, take up one beat of music each, so it is rather quick.

Those are the four basic steps that make up the Jitterbug basic. They are going to be the foundation of your dance and will repeat often. Other moves will be added in, but these four are the basics. After you have completed all four steps, when you go to repeat your first step again you will have to move the left foot (men) or right foot (women) back under you from the rock step to the position where your feet are about shoulder width apart.

This is merely the beginning of the Jitterbug.  If you would like to learn all of the tricks, spins, and dips, you will need to take a  Swing dance class. After all that is what makes the dance really fun! Learn about Jitterbug Swing dancing with private lessons at Dance FX Studios in Mesa, Arizona. The fun of Swing dancing is just about to begin!

Get to Know the Jitterbug

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istock_000003278041medium1A fun, lively, and great dance to learn is Swing dancing. With its easy and playful moves, Swing dancing will leave you coming back for more. Just like with many other dances, there are several styles of Swing dancing. One style that you can learn is the Jitterbug.

The Jitterbug is a Swing dance that was popular during the 1920’s that was influenced by the Charleston and Lindy Hop. It was during this time that swing bands also became popular. During a concert at the Paramount Theater, teens started dancing in the aisles in a way that one newspaper reporter described as “jitterbugging.” What started as a slang term for an alcoholic’s tremor (the jitters) became the new name for a jerky type of dancing that we know today as the Jitterbug.

The Swing dance moves of the Jitterbug gave it its name because of the left and right, front and back rocking motions that make up the dance. Although the basics of the Jitterbug sound very simple, they can also become very advanced. Once you progress through the Jitterbug, you can learn more advance moves like spins, turns, and even aerials!

Like many other dances that were just starting out, the jitterbug was pushed aside and regarded as too suggestive and obscene. It wasn’t until the 1930’s and 1940’s that the Jitterbug broke through the society’s views of proper and became a social dance. The Jitterbug made its way across the United States and even into Europe. By the mid-1940’s, the Jitterbug mad a great breakthrough and was even considered to be a form of Ballroom dancing.

Come into Dance FX Studios in Mesa, Arizona, and learn how to Swing dance! Dance FX Studios has both private Jitterbug Swing lessons and group Jitterbug dance classes. Take advantage of our introductory offer of $40 for an hour-long private Jitterbug dance lesson to get started with Swing dancing today.

Get Carefree with Swing Dancing!

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Country Swing dancing Scottsdale azOne simple and very fun style of dancing is Swing dancing. The lively music and playful attitude of Swing dancing gives people a fun and carefree feeling. With the quick and exciting movements, you are bound to have a ball when you dance any type of Swing dancing.

There are over 20 versions of Swing dancing, but one of the most common from the late 1950’s is the Jitterbug. The Jitterbug was one of the most popular fast moving dances from American Bandstand, a popular music-performance show from that era. Usually danced to Big Band music, a characteristic of the Jitterbug Swing dance is that it has a little more bounce to it than say a Country Swing dance would. Country Swing dancing differs as it has more dips, lifts, and spins to it. Another difference is the kind of music that is played with Country Swing dancing. As you may have guessed, Country Swing dancing is done to country music.

The Jitterbug and Country Swing both offer slight variations that can leave you feeling youthful and give you an overall sense of happiness. It may even transport you from the stress of the daily grind to a simpler time. Whether you want to dance to learn something new, become more confident, or build relationships, Swing dancing is fun and exciting way to do so.

Dance FX Studios, located in Mesa, Arizona, offers both types of Swing dancing mentioned above. Group Swing dancing classes (Jitterbug Swing dancing classes and Country Swing dancing classes) are 4-weeks long. The classes provide an hour-long class each week that builds upon the previous class’ dance moves. Jitterbug Swing dance classes are held Mondays at 7 pm, while Country Swing dancing classes are held Thursdays at 6 pm.

Did You Know??? Fun Facts About Swing Dancing

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Jitterbug Swing dancing for couples and singlesFun Facts About Jitterbug

The Jitterbug is a fun, playful, fast-paced swing style dance that everyone can fall in love with! But there’s more to it than meets the eye. Did you ever wonder where the name came from? Or why it’s one of the more upbeat social dances? The Jitterbug is full of fascinating history and facts:
* Jitterbug is a broad term that can cover a multitude of dances, including the Lindy Hop, Jive, West Coast Swing or East Coast Swing.
* The jitterbug is a partner dance that is usually performed to big band or jazz music. It consists of a variety of steps, kicks, jumps and turns that are based on set basic movements. It is more lively than salsa, country two step, or other popular social dances.
* The Jitterbug name came from witnesses of the dance style describing the dancer’s movement. The upbeat, bouncy movements from the swing dance appeared to be slightly frantic. The original word came from a description of alcoholics who suffered from the “jitters” or the shakes.
“Jittersauce” was once used as a slang word for alcohol.
* During World War 2, Europeans were warned not to involve themselves in Swing dancing because it was a “rude” American dance. However, in preparation for D-Day, thousands of people came out to learn the dance, which assisted in boosting Jitterbug dance popularity.
* The word Jitterbug was coined by trombonist and drummer Harry Alexander White for first using it in the 1900’s. However, Cab Calloway is often incorrectly given credit for the term because of his 1934 song titled “The Jitterbug”. The song is what made the swing style a household name.
* In the 1950’s, Jitterbug overtook the Lindy Hop as the more popular or “in” dance form. The Jitterbug is said to be a slightly less aerobatic version of its predecessor.

History of Swing Dancing

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learn to swing dance mesa azVarious forms of swing dancing emerged from the 1920’s through the 1950’s in African American communitites with the evolution of Jazz music. Charleston and Lindy Hop are two key Swing dances that came from Harlem, New York in the 1920’s. By mixing African cultural dance, various ballroom dances, tap, creativity and the jazz music of the day, Swing dancing began to grow! At the time, American Society of Teachers and Dancing as well as the Dance Teachers Business Association believed Lindy Hop to be a fad that would not last.

Little did they know that Swing dancers would develop more styles including Shag, Balboa, West Coast Swing and Jive, to name a few. In the 1930’s, a Swing dance variation named the”Jitterbug” was created when a band leader compared the dancers to jitterbugs bouncing on the floor. There was even a song introduced called the “Jitter Bug” in their honor.

By the late 1930’s Lindy Hop, Charleston, and Jitterbug were sweeping the United States. However, dance schools did not formally recognize, document or begin teaching them until the early 1940’s when they realized it could no longer be ignored. They decided to “refine” and standardize Lindy Hop for easier instruction at dance schools, where we get what is now known as East Coast Swing.

A smoother style of Lindy Hop called “Smooth Lindy” was soon created in California by Dean Colllins. Mr. Collins, who was originally from Harlem, NY, began to dance a more fluid and slower swing which caught on very quickly on the West Coast. The dance took on a slotted motion rather than having a circular look to it. The dance was soon re-named the “West Coast Swing”, which is the official state dance of California to this day.

Swing dancing has developed as a mainstay in American dance culture throughout the years. The dance known simply as the “Swing” has managed to remain a staple dance attracting young and old alike.

Famous original Swing dancers included: “Shorty George” Snowden, Frankie Manning and Dean Collins.

YOU can learn how to dance Swing at Dance FX Studios in Mesa, AZ. We offer the most popular social Swing dances including East Coast Swing, Jitterbug and West Coast Swing. You will find yourself using these dances everywhere in Arizona from Country bars to weddings and other social dance events. It is popular amongst all ages as a FUN and PLAYFUL dance with many looks and styles. Express yourself on the dance floor in the Swing!