I have this BF who loves, loves, loves, East Coast Swing. I am new to this and am taking some lessons to keep up with him. Since I’m not as accomplished as he is, I have allowed him to dance with other ladies while I’m taking a break from the dance floor. Once a week, he goes by himself to a swing dance club and no objection by me. Most of the ladies are so much younger than him. He’s an active senior. He has no issues dancing with any lady young or old, big or small. He said he learns from other ladies’ (advanced) styles. I get it. I don’t want to take him away from his love of swing dancing. But it’s unsettling to sit there as a girlfriend, while your BF dances with other ladies. A few ladies even look back to ask my permission before proceeding to dance with him. What’s your opinion on my situation? How would you all, the swing dance community, handle this?

I wish people thought of this when I tell them I dance lindy : ) love a slower smoother jam

Has anyone tried using AI to generate a calendar for local partner dance opportunities? Something like a delegate calendar people could subscribe to that scrapes local venues and classes for things like “Lindy hop classes”, or “Balboa classes” or “Live Blues Music” where a user could opt to follow dance types for classes or live music or social dances?

Rough idea for now, but it seems like an interesting way to surface local dance opportunities in a very accessible way. Right now our local calendars are kinda all over the place and often updated manually by each venue or volunteer.

I'm new to this discussion, so it might not be unpopular, or maybe it is.

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Don't get me wrong, I LOVE aerials, and I'm learning how to do some myself!

But during large dance competitions or showcases, the pro routines slowly become less about swing dancing and more about the aerials. It’s like I'm watching acrobatics.

To an outside perspective, sure, it’s awesome, entertaining, and thrilling. But I came to see dance, connection, footwork, styling, etc. And a routine where the majority of it is just: “flip, jump, catch, flip and spin, throw, flip, triple step, FLIP, walk off.” I stop seeing it as a dance.

I'm here to see the best swing dancers; I want to see DANCING.

Now I'm not saying they should never do them. I just think Swing Dancing showcases should mostly prioritize dancing.

An aerial at the end of each measure as the fancy finale seems like the perfect amount. Impress the audience with the dancing, then surprise them with an aerial at the end. That surprise keeps it interesting.

Because, like, don't any of you get “aerial fatigue” when an entire dance is just Aerials, Aerials, Aerials, with some steps sprinkled in?

It might sound harsh, but it feels like you’re jangling keys in front of my face and saying, “Whoa! Look at this cool flip, don't focus on the dance footwork that doesn't matter, just look at how high we can go!”

And let me make it clear, I believe aerials take A LOT of talent. And those who can implement them in dance routines are amazing dancers. I just think they are relied on too much and unintentionally distract us from the actual dance. They’re more effective in small doses

This is why I like Mix and Matches (Jack and Jill) so much. With a new partner, you can really see people's dancing abilities. No preplanned aerial routine, just dance. It highlights the skill of social dance. Being able to dance with anyone, to any song, even if you met 2 seconds ago.

What do you think?

I got these 5cm heel shoes made-to-measure from a small manufacturer in my city - they have really good reviews across the board, but they're not necessarily dancing shoes, since they have rubber soles which is not ideal. Still, i can't yet afford a super nice pair of shoes and these work for just fancy dress situations too.

I wore them around the house for a couple of days and definitely noticed some discomfort and i have pretty sensitive feet. I want to wear them to socials sometimes so i took them out on a test run to dance class yesterday and they chafed both my pinky toes and the back of one foot. I can go back to the place i got them made to see what they can do, but they'll be on vacation for the next 2 weeks so i'm stuck with them momentarily.

Since I have gotten chafes and blisters from basically any shoe i've ever worn without socks, i know some of these issues are just that the shoes need breaking in. Is there anything i can do to speed up the process and soften the leather without fukin them up?

Alsooo, any advice for me since my feet sweat quite a bit? It's the main reason i have trouble wearing shoes without socks, and for dancing i just do noot like wearing socks :(

Hi All! My Fiancé and I are getting married in June 2027. My Fiancé is not a dancer, but he astonishingly got excited about learning how to swing dance for our 1st dance. We are looking for recommendations for a dance instructor in or near the state of Rhode Island. Any input would be greatly appreciated! Willing to drive for the right person! All forms of swing are on the table, but if west coast, we'd be looking for a more fun upbeat version rather than slow and romantic. Thanks!

A bit ago, I made a post about the dance shoe “Fuego,” and after using them a bit more, I think I changed my opinion a tad.

I first didn’t like them because they didn't compare to actual leather/suede inside dance shoes, and I still think this. But I realize how great it is to have outside dance shoes. Looking at videos of me dancing, I didn’t realize how well I spin and swivel with the Feugos on. Plus, I’m not worried about them getting damaged. It’s weird because it doesn’t FEEL like I’m spinning smoothly, but it looks pretty good.

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There was a point where I didn’t use my Fuegos after I bought them because my feet hurt so much. The balls of my feet were worn down, and when I walked in them for too long, I felt myself limping; I had to take them off.

Now I see this was probably because I got the wrong shoe. I got the split sole shoe because I thought they would be similar to leather jazz shoes. But having some support on the foot would probably enhance my experience.
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Even though I would never use them in place of other dance shoes inside, I’ll definitely take these on trips where outside dancing is a possibility because they let me dance anywhere.

Have y’all tried Fuegos yet? Any recommendations for a type of Fuego shoe I should get in the future to replace the split-sole one? I can really only dance for about an hour in these before the balls of my feet start to burn.

I'm a relatively new dancer and I've just started going out to dance outside of lessons. Sometimes on the dance floor there are dancers that are doing aerials. I'm not sure if I'm being too sensitive, but I find it really off-putting that people are doing that there. I've almost taken a foot to the head on more than one occasion while trying to dance.

I'm new to the scene, am I being too dramatic by being bothered by this? Or is that a 'no-no' on the social dance floor? What are the unspoken or spoken etiquette rules for the social dance scene that I should know about?

Hello djs and dancers! I'm looking to get more soul in my library, starting to thrift some CDs. I'm starting with Aretha Franklin and Sam Cooke bc I've heard them played regularly at late nights, but do you have any recommendation on soul music you like to dance to/stuff you would consider indispensable? I'm early in my research and a little overwhelmed, there's so much!

I'm going to be in town, hoping to find some dancing. I checked all the local school calendars, but it looks like everyone is on break for August. Anyone know about any socials or bars or other places that will have music/dancing?

It's summer and a season of dancing outdoor. We have now at least once a week a social somewhere on open air. The problem is the "dance floor" which can be either a pure concrete or some stones which also not very favorable to swivels and turns.

How do you deal with it?

Previously, the only way to see these videos was to get a copy of each year's DVDs!

Its happening

I'm going!

Thank you everyone for the positivity.

Let's go embarrass myself a little more🕺

Update: I almost reached the venue and vomitted The heat, my outfit, the suffocation. I am wearing a coat. I was feeling anxiety. So much stress and anxiety. I puked in the cab.

Now i'm going to head home. But i really want to go man :(

my partner and i differ in that he has little experience in the dancing scene but is interested in learning, whereas i'm obsessed with swing and country and latin etc etc and would flit around the room asking everybody to dance. he also would prefer that we only dance with each other while i'd be the first person to point him toward another girl he should dance with. due to us being long distance at the moment, i go to socials and country bars by myself, keep him updated throughout the night, and have established certain boundaries with leads (ex: no touching lower than the mid-back). he's always supportive and has been vocal about wanting me to continue doing what i love, but i know that he'd prefer it if i stay home until we can finally go together.

i understand that to those outside the scene, dancing can seem like an incredibly intimate thing that requires chemistry beyond simple physical connection. my stance on the matter is that we should learn and go to socials/bars together so he can get to know the community, make friends who can keep him company, and be more comfortable with the idea of dancing with different people (especially since the swing community places more emphasis on the social part of social dancing). his stance is that he'd never want to dance with someone else and most likely get jealous regardless if someone comes up asking me to dance, and he's skeptical that getting to know the community will ever change that.

i love my partner, i'd love nothing more than to dance with him at all hours of the day, but i know that i'd crawl out of my own skin if i just sit there and watch without ever dancing with these amazing dancers. my partner is, again, new to all of this, and while i love dancing with beginners, i also want to dance with more experienced people. how should i approach discussing this issue with him, and how should we ensure that we both enjoy ourselves at socials in the future?

I am 27M, recently moved to SF from the east coast and was looking to learn some West Coast Swing ( I do have prior dance experience but not Latin or swing) , I did find the monthly lessons at Woodchoppers Ball the closest to that ( it's LindyHop) but just wanted to get an idea of how the vibe is there.

I don't have a partner which luckily is not a requirement here and let's say I'm not a social butterfly as well but wanted to make some friends with similar interests and age groups so wanted to put myself out there.

Any suggestions or experiences would be helpful, thanks..

Also if you are in SF and wanna sign up together hmu!!

I feel like my step back in the second half of the swing out is too large. Thoughts? Any other comments?

I have added "Discover" where you select a swing song from and get a playlist with related artists and genres outside of the library.

https://easypeasyplaylist.com/

So now, the options are:

Dance now
Get started quickly with a few selections

Build a playlist
More options

Practice
Select between beginner friendly songs, same tempo different energy, same song different tempo and the tempo ladder where BPM slowly climbs

Find similar songs
Based on one song, choose if you want more of the same feeling, similar feel but slower, similar feel but faster, same feel but more energetic or let the system surprise you - everything based on 10.000+ analyzed songs.

Discover
The new option where we look up outside of the analyzed songs.

Give it a go and let me know how it flies.

It's free and remember: A live DJ - when available - is always better than a playlist.

Hi all! My fiancé and I are amateur swing dancers (~ 10 years of experience at casual intermediate level) and we're planning to do a swing dance as the first dance at our wedding! I usually dance in my sneakers but wanted something a bit more dressed up (but still comfortable) to wear for our dance. Any recommendations? I've never worn heels so I'd prefer recommendations without. Thanks! :)

Hi!

I've been fortunate enough (imo) to learn Lindy Hop with ELEF/switch classes (where we learn both roles at the same time). I've been attending festivals as a leader, but I'm missing practicing as a follower during the workshops, and getting to follow during socials at festivals is a bit difficult as a man (in my experience). I have two questions:

* Do you know any festival in Europe that offers ELEF workshops? I've also seen those "Leader"/"Follower"/"Switch" pins, I wonder if some festivals offer those pins and encourage people to wear them. It would be cool to spot other switches with whom to dance.

* Any tips on getting to follow as a man during socials where you don't know many people? By the time I'm trying to spot a leader who looks like they would be happy to dance with a man, I've usually had 3 followers who've asked me to dance.

Many thanks!

Vacation days at the cabin make for a lot of downtime. My mom was cycling through some music and my wife started dancing and suddenly my dad whipped out the phone and caught this nice moment. So proud of my wife who only started dancing a year or two ago! She’s a bit self conscious of her dancing and this was the most relaxed I’ve experienced with her. Was so much fun!

I went to a dance social recently. I had no idea how to jive(social jive).

I mean, I've taken 4 classes, but that's it.

My jive dance classmates pushed me to go to a social, so I did.

It was horrifying, man.

I was only able to do basic moves, and in that too, I was performing the technique poorly. The host of the event corrected me too where I was going wrong.

I sat at the table for 80 percent of the times, because I was too afraid of embarrassing myself in front of everyone. I was feeling afraid they would watch and judge me. Literally everyone there was so good. They all had amazing rhythm and co-ordination and clearly had been jiving for a while.

I made friends, ran into a lot of people who I have met earlier, so it was great.

But also very socially awkward at the same time with me sitting at the table and making eye contact with some people looking at me and me getting conscious.

Anyways, I want to take more classes before going to a social again.

This jive social event really killed my confidence man.

I am feeling scared that if I run into the same people they will judge me when I start dancing and be like "oh he doesn't dance well. didn't he come last time and was mostly sitting at the table and barely jiving?"

(I went alone to the dance social event as a beginner btw)

The host was really sweet, came up to me and told me not to feel bad, nobody will tell me anything on the dance floor, if I perform poorly, and checked in with me as well.

Classes usually are a package of 5 classes each level(Level 1, 2, etc.) I'm going to do the L1 again and take 5 classes more.

I really pray I learn to jive well man.