It's Your Dance
05.22.07

I have had some dance community members refer to West Coast Swing as "Just a social dance..." In some corners of the community it is not held in as high a regard as many of the ballroom dances.
 
The entire dance community is seeing a major surge in interest due to shows on TV. Both Dancing With The Stars and So you Think You Can Dance have shown many non-dancers what they have been missing. West Coast Swing misses out on the TV exposure, but over the course of the last 5 years has seen an explosion in weekend events occur across the nation.
 
Ballroom competitions are very pricey in comparison to these WCS events. In addition, there appears to be a pretty decent gulf that exists between the professional in attendance and the general populace of a ballroom comp. In comparison, most WCS events find many of the professional level dancers sharing their time with the average attendee on the dance floor. Such access is rare in any sport and I personally find it extremely refreshing to see this happen so frequently in the WCS community (Lindy and other Swing events are also noted for this).
 
In addition, the weekend WCS events feature contests that involve showmanship and great choreography similar to the pro contests and shows in ballroom. These contests and shows are great ways to show the world what is possible in the world of dance, no matter what style you favor. In WCS, we also have social dance relevant contests. These contests come in two flavors: 1. Strictly: A couple who has decided to dance together compete without choreography and with music selected by DJ's or judges or 2. Jack and Jills: Where you partner is determined randomly and the music is also selected by the DJ's or judges. These contests test your social dancing skills at various levels and styles (Many Lindy and other Swing events feature these same contest categories.
 
Bottom line: It is all dancing and the prejudices that rear their head in the different communities (Swing included) should be discouraged by all. The talents available in the different styles of dance are quite frankly astonishing and continue to get better. In the case of West Coast Swing, a relatively young dance is growing up rapidly and to discount the dancers as just social dabblers is not likely to fit in most areas now. Enjoy all dancing for what it is: A great way to stay young!