A Guide To Basic Swing Dance

Swing dancing is a great way to exercise or have fun for people of all age groups. There are a lot of dance studios and institutions that offer swing style ballroom dancing lessons to the beginners and even the pros. Swing dancing is an amazing full body workout and can help a person stay healthy and fit. This dance forms is usually done on the beats. So swing dancing is a six to eight step dance routine in which a person dances with their partners and the start is usually done with the basic steps.

A step by step guide to the basic steps of the swing dancing are as follows:

FIRST

“Swing dancing is a six to eight step dance routine.”

The first thing to do is to hold your partner in a proper stance. The two positions in this dance are the lead and the fellow. The left foot of the fellow, who is usually the female, is between the feet of the leader and all the feet are parallel to each other. Now the lead needs to hold the hand of the fellow in a loose handhold and the other hand of the fellow should be on the lead’s shoulder. The lead needs to put his hand at waist level of the fellow, which might vary with different heights. This is the Open Position.

SECOND

Now the footwork begins. The leader moves his left foot and the fellow moves her right in place. It is very important to remember which foot the dance routine has started with, since footwork is the basis of this dance and if it goes wrong in the beginning, the whole thing can get ruined.

“Do not stomp or tap loudly and forcefully.”

THIRD

Now for the third move, the lead moves his right foot and the fellow moves her left. This alteration of foot work is done throughout the dance unless there are any new steps introduced into the dance form. So now when both the fellow and lead become familiar with the steps and the rhythm, the tempo and speed can be increased. Remember practice is very important in getting the synchronization right. So the steps is right-left for the fellow and left-right for the lead.

FOURTH

The basic count of the steps of the beginning is first step forward and backward with the count one-two, the second step forward and backward with the count three-four and five-six is the rock step that is high tempo and requires the usage of both feet.

Here Are a Few Pointers to Keep in Mind While Swing Dancing

Swing requires light footwork so it is important to stay light on your feet. Do not stomp or tap loudly and forcefully. Most of the steps usually involves the feet lifting in place and putting them back on the ground, the elegance with which you do this is what matters.Also, looking at the partner is very important. So, as soon as you have got a hold of the basic steps, look at your partner while performing the dance.