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How to Know if Swing Dancing is for you…

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Swing dance lessons near Chandler ArizonaAre you looking for a fun way to relax after work? Have you been wanting to try something new and exciting? Does meeting a few new friends with similar interests sound like something you need more of? Then learning to Swing dance may be just what you’ve been missing!

How do you know if Swing dancing is for you? Let’s start by identifying what kind of music you listen to. If you like Oldies, Big Band, Rock and Roll, Hip Hop or Country music, Swing dancing has you covered. There are actually 24 variations of Swing dancing, so your favorite types of music are sure to be included in this versatile dance. How cool is that!?

If you didn’t select any of the above music genres, that’s OK. You just may learn to love them after you see how much fun it is to Swing dance. With Swing dance lessons you’ll discover how easy it is to spin and turn with the best of them. You will also most likely be smiling from ear to ear because of the feel-good characteristics of the Swing. To sum it up, Swing dance lessons are a wonderful way to relax and unwind at the end of a hectic day. There will be a little skip in your step and a second wind from your lessons that will put you in a great frame of mind before you have to go to bed and do it all over again.

Once you’ve taken Swing Dance Lessons at a dance studio near you, you can find local places to dance the Swing, from Country bars to retro venues around town. What a creative and cool way to connect with others who also love to dance! Start putting your skills to the test in the real world and before long, you’ll have a new group of buddies to share in your new hobby.

Swing dancing is not only relaxing, fun and a fantastic way to meet people, but it also is quite aerobic, which is amazing. When you think about it, Swing dancing checks off many boxes. You can virtually skip the gym as long as you Swing dance on a regular basis because you’ll be burning up to 450 calories per hour….just by dancing! With an increased heart rate, your fitness goals can align with your social and personal goals to make Swing dancing your all-in-one cure for many areas of your life.

Have you decided that Swing dancing is for you? I hope so! Give beginner’s Swing Dance Lessons a shot and see how it opens you up to new possibilities, and provides an incredible outlet for endless hours of fun.

Swing dancing in AZ

Swing, Swing, Swing Dance!

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Swing dancing in ArizonaHow much do you know about the ever-popular Swing dance? Did you know that there are more than 25 variations of Swing dancing? If not, read on for a short history of the development of a timeless and universal dance, known as the Swing.

Swing dancing emerged from the 1920’s through the 1950’s in African American communities during the evolution of Jazz music. The Charleston and Lindy Hop which came from Harlem, New York in the 1920’s are two of the key Swing dances. Due to the mixing of African cultural dances with various ballroom dances, the music of the day and Swing dancing began to grow even though most of the dance world assumed the Lindy Hop was a passing fad that would never last.

Instead, Swing dancing grew as those who did it developed even more styles like the Shag, Balboa, West Coast Swing and Jive. In the 1930’s, a Swing dance variation called  the “Jitterbug” and a brand new song called the “Jitter Bug” catapulted Jitterbug and other forms of Swing dancing into the limelight!

Later, when the Lindy Hop was “refined” and standardized for easier instruction at dance schools, it got a new name, the East Coast Swing.

Around the same time on the opposite coast in California, a smoother style of Lindy Hop called “Smooth Lindy” was created by a man originally from Harlem, NY, Dean Colllins. This fluid and slower style of Swing caught on very quickly and was called the West Coast. As the dance grew in popularity, West Coast was slated the official state dance and was re-named as the “West Coast Swing”. Not so surprisingly, the West Coast Swing continues be the official state dance of California to this day.

In 2005, USA Today stated that “ballroom dancing, as a media phenomenon, sport, hobby and business, is enjoying its biggest resurgence since the 1940s”.  That is surprising since it seems that a year after Swing was born, it should have been the peak of its popularity, especially because of Swing dancing’s numerous benefits! Yet, we here at Dance FX Studios in Mesa, Arizona know this trend to learn to dance Swing, and many other styles of social ballroom dancing, is still going strong. Swing dancing in particular is highly popular throughout the United States and is a staple here in Arizona.

Swing dancing attracts students both young and old to our studio everyday. YOU too can learn how to dance Swing! Dance FX Studios in Mesa, Arizona offers the most popular social Swing dances including East Coast Swing, Jitterbug and West Coast Swing. These are the dances you see everywhere in Arizona happening at Country bars, weddings and social dance events.

If you haven’t tried to Swing dance yet, book an appointment with one of our talented instructors using Dance FX Studios’ New Student Offer. What are you waiting for? It’s time for you to take dance lessons and Swing, Swing, Swing!!!