Swing Dance Classes

West Coast Swing Dance Classes
Get swingin’ with a fun west coast swing dance class. West Coast Swing is often danced to R&B and Contemporary hits as well as traditional swing music and is a more sensual and elegant form of swing dancing. It’s generally a slower, more formal swing style and West Coast Swing dancers often stay within a specific rectangular slot on the dance floor.

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Join our Easy and Fun Swing Dance Classes

Want to take a great swing dance class in Los Angeles? Well you have come to the right place! By Your Side Dance Studio provides fun and enjoyable East Coast Swing and West Coast Swing dance classes that improve your dance skills and make you look great on the dance floor!

Learn To Swing Dance From The Best Dance Teachers in Los Angeles

By Your Side Dance Studio provides you with the best Swing dance instructor in a private setting so that you receive one-on-one personal East Coast Swing and West Coast Swing dance lessons custom tailored to your particular needs. We also provide group Swing dance classes throughout the week.

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Get 50% Off a Private Lesson

Private dance lessons are the fastest, most efficient way to learn to dance. (New students only.)

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Try a Group Class

Meet people and have fun dancing. No partner or dance experience is necessary.

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The History of Swing Dancing

The history of swing dancing dates back to the 1920’s, where the black community, while dancing to contemporary Jazz music, discovered the Charleston and the Lindy Hop. On March 26, 1926, the Savoy Ballroom opened its doors in New York. The Savoy was an immediate success with its block-long dance floor and a raised double bandstand. Nightly dancing attracted most of the best dancers in the New York area. Stimulated by the presence of great swing dancers and the best bands, music at the Savoy was largely Swinging Jazz music.

One evening in 1926, following Lindbergh’s flight to Paris, a local dance enthusiast named “Shorty George” Snowden was watching some of the dancing couples. A newspaper reporter asked him what dance they were doing and it just so happened that there was a newspaper with an article about Lindbergh’s flight sitting on the bench next to them. The title of the article read, “Lindy Hops The Atlantic,” and George just sort of read that and said they were dancing the “Lindy Hop” and the name stuck.

In the mid 1930’s, a bouncy six beat variant was named the Jitterbug by the band leader Cab Calloway when he introduced a tune in 1934 entitled “Jitterbug”. With the discovery of the Lindy Hop and the Jitterbug, the dancers began dancing to the contemporary Jazz and big band Swing music as it was evolving at the time.

Jitterbug swing typically requires tremendous energy because it is fast and jumpy. On the other hand the Lindy style type of swing dancing is smoother. West Coast Swing is another type of swing that is commonly practiced in California during the 30’s up to the 40’s. Of course, if there is a swing dance style on the West Coast then there is sure to be a swing dance style on the East Coast also. East Coast Swing is mainly used in ballroom dance schools.

In many dance scenes outside the United States the term “Swing dancing” is used to refer to one or more of the following dances: Lindy Hop, Charleston, Shag, Balboa and Blues dancing. Swing dance is often extended to include Jive, Rock and Roll, Western Swing, and other dances developing in the 1940s and later.

Traditionally, distinctions are made between “Ballroom Swing” and “Street Swing” styles. East Coast Swing is a standardized dance in “American Style” Ballroom dancing , whereas Jive is a standardized dance in “International Style” ballroom dancing. Street forms (evolved in dancehalls) vs. Standardized forms (created for competition) are different in appearance. Standardized forms are danced in competition usually choreographed or done strictly in established patterns. Street forms are danced in many different styles and places and are very open to interpretation and creative evolution.

Our Students Love Us!

LOVE this studio!!!! The instructors love to dance and are vested in your becoming a better dancer. No matter what your dance goals are, this is the place to go.

Dawn B.

By Your Side is the best dance studio. The teachers are fantastic dancers and excellent instructors. They strive for excellence, precision, and elegance, and do so with great encouragement and motivation. I always leave dance class feeling wonderful!

Silvia

We worked with Laura to choreograph our wedding dance. We started out with zero moves and no confidence but after four sessions we were tearing up the floor and having the time of our lives.

Zara A.

Yelp 5 Star Best Dance Studio in LA

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Adult Dance Classes Los Angeles

Group Dance Classes

Meet people and have fun dancing. No partner or experience is needed.

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Ballroom Dance Lessons LA

Private Dance Lessons

New students get 50% off a private lesson. Improve your technique and style fast! We make ballroom dancing champions.

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Wedding Dance Lessons in LA

Wedding Dance Lessons

New students get 50% off a wedding dance lesson. Look like a star with a beautifully choreographed wedding dance.

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WE'RE IN THE NEWS

Ballroom Dancing Champions

Our Salsa Team Won 1st Place at the Desert Classic Dance Competition

We're so proud of our Salsa team which took 1st place at the Desert Classic DanceSport Dance Competition which is held every year in July in Palm Desert, California. Performing in a Salsa dance team is an excellent way to build confidence and improve your Salsa dancing skills quickly. Put on your dancing shoes and join our Salsa team today!

Ballroom Dancers at Emerald Ball

Our Ballroom Dancers Placed at the Emerald Ball Dance Competition

I want to congratulate our amazing students and ballroom dance teachers Shay and Guillermo for achieving 1st and/or 2nd place in all of their ballroom dance events at the Emerald Ball! It takes a lot of effort and determination to place in a ballroom competition and we are all very proud of your efforts.

Best Dance Studio Los Angeles Award

By Your Side Dance Studio Wins Best Dance School in Los Angeles Award

By Your Side Dance Studio is rated among the best Dance Schools in Los Angeles for the second time in a row by ThreeBestRated.com. Today, By Your Side Dance Studio, a dance school specializing in Salsa dancing, adult dance classes, private dance lessons...

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