Practical information on your WCS course 

This cheat sheet is designed to coach you on your first steps into West Coast Swing.

Your first series

If you register for your first Brussels West Coast Swing series, you will learn the foundations that will make you progress fast and have FUN. 

Check the “Classes” menu to find the best class for you. Once you register, please strive not to miss too many classes and to be on time. 

Sometimes the classes may start with a warm-up or a drill, which is important. Most dancing injuries are caused by lack of proper warm-up! 

Each classe teaches a progression of skills of increasing difficulty. 

That’s why we advise against skipping levels and we do not accept occasional “drop-ins” (unless they are very experienced dancers). 

Anyone, male or female, can choose to be leader or follower, according to their own preference or spot availability in the class. We advise against changing roles within the first year of learning.

We create a ‘secret’ Facebook page just for your class. Make sure you follow it to get a video recap of each class and to communicate with your classmates outside of class. It is also useful if you miss a class.

How long should the cycle be?

Brussels WCS offers an initial cycle of 14 weeks, but it is expected that new dancers will spend the whole school year in the beginners’ class, in order to get proficient at the fundamental skills. 

Like in karate or music, Brussels WCS promotes dancers to the improvers class based on skill progress, not based on attendance. We encourage students to move up the levels based on their own learning rhythm and skill progress rather than on attendance.

We even allow students who do move up to repeat the lower level at half price to reinforce their skills.

Although our group classes are more effective (and fun!) than most, group classes are not the only way to learn to dance! We HIGHLY recommend balancing your learning with a variety of activities:

Workshops and Practice sessions

Occasionally we will offer a workshop with a top professional from out of town. Workshops happen on a Saturday and are followed by an informal dancing party. These are amazing opportunities you don’t want to miss! Watch for them promoted on our Facebook page and we will also inform you in class.

Twice a month, we organise informal practice sessions where dancers of all levels dance and help each other. These sessions usually take place on Sundays and are FREE for all club members. See our Calendar for all dates.

Instructional Videos

These are a great tool to supplement one of the above learning methods. This allows you to review what was taught in your classes, or get ideas for new moves and drills. 

YouTube

Youtube is also a massive resource for videos, but CAUTION: it is a terrible source for education for newbie. Ssome videos teach patterns assuming you already know your foundation technique. Don’t skip the technique section! Look for instructional videos that offer excellent technique instruction. 

Use YouTube videos of champions as a source for inspiration, but do not try to copy any fancy moves without knowing the proper technique required to execute them safely. Nothing beats live instruction.

Social Dancing

As you acquire new skills, you will lose them quickly unless you put them into practice IMMEDIATELY! We know you are nervous, and feel like “you’re not good enough yet”. Did you learn to swim on land? Of course not! Part of learning any dance is getting on the floor and doing it. There is no such thing as “not good enough”. No one expects you to be perfect, and no one will think you are incompetent or a fool.  Participation, safety, and manners are the only expectations at a social dance. See our Calendar for all dates.

There is a unique culture surrounding social dances. When you first walk into a social dance, you will discover: 

• Most obvious: everyone’s sober (usually). Alcohol can make you sloppy and unsafe. 
• It’s not a pick-up joint. Conversations good, stalking bad. Mutual flirting good, unwelcome advances bad.
• Couples enjoy freedom: It is expected that every individual is available to be asked to dance, regardless of who they brought with them. It’s just a dance!
• In West Coast Swing, it is considered perfectly normal for men to dance with men and women with women, or for women in a leading role to dance with men in a follower’s role. 
• Dancers of all levels mix, regardless of level of ability or experience. Remember – there’s no such thing as “not good enough”.
• Good hygiene is necessary, good looks are not. Unlike the bar scene, looks don’t mean much. How you move your body and respect your partner is a much more valued asset. 

We also invite you to read our charter and operating rules

Places to Go Dancing in Our Area:

• Regular socials at Brussels West Coast Swing
• Peer practices at Fuzue (organised by some of our students)
• Dance4You – Swingside – Liège
• So Swing – Andenne
• Attitude WCS – Lille

Dance Conventions

When an opportunity comes up to go to a dance convention – GO! Drop everything and go. Trust us. A dance convention is a 2 or 3-day event at a hotel where a host of expert out-of-town instructors/dancers will teach dozens of workshops and perform. There is LOTS of social dancing that goes very late at night, and there are optional competitions for all levels of dancer, even beginners. 

The most important advantage is you get to see lots of dancers from outside your area who are really good, and you get to see live the top professionals that you watch on YouTube.  You might experience something entirely different from what you’ve experienced in your local community. It blows your mind wide open!  You are guaranteed to make a quantum leap in your own dancing.

Resources:

Facebook: The dance community lives on Facebook! You’ll want to join these groups in order to get tuned in to all the classes, dance parties, and weekend events available.

• Brussels WCS page (don’t forget to “like” us to follow)
• Brussels WCS group (don’t forget to “like” us to follow)
• The “secret” group of your class
• Notre compte Instagram
• Swingside – Liège
• So Swing – Andenne
• AWCS – Lille

Coach’s Corner Blog: This is a super-helpful advice blog for “Westies” written by Canadian champion  Tessa Cunningham Monroe. We have hand-picked a list of articles we recommend for you:

https://www.canadianswingchampions.com/create-your-dance-progress-plan/

https://www.canadianswingchampions.com/what-levels-really-mean/

https://www.canadianswingchampions.com/the-ultimate-wcs-etiquette-checklist/

https://www.canadianswingchampions.com/the-not-good-enough-myth/

https://www.canadianswingchampions.com/the-ultimate-rookie-faq-bank/