Swing Dance Variations
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.
