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East Coast Swing Lessons in Sacramento

Peppy and a little bouncy: a rock step and two triples

East Coast Swing classes in West Sacramento: Beginning Foxtrot and East Coast Swing, Saturday, November 7 at 6:15 pm. Levels on the schedule: beginner. Private East Coast Swing lessons with an instructor are available too.

  • 4/4 time
  • 140 beats a minute
  • turns in a circle
See upcoming East Coast Swing classesFeel the count
A Latin couple strikes a dramatic pose, her in a red top and ruffled skirt.
East Coast Swing circles freely on the floor rather than following a strict line of dance.[5]

About East Coast Swing

Dance Vision calls East Coast Swing fun, energizing and a sure crowd pleaser, with a peppy, slightly bouncy feel that comes from bent knees rather than big up-and-down movement. Next to jive it is more grounded, slower and less bouncy: the easier way into swing.[3]

Its basic is a rock step and two triple steps, each triple a side-close-side, and it is sometimes called the American style of swing.[3]

How Dance Vision describes East Coast Swing, summarised in our own words. Dance Vision’s own article: How to Dance East Coast Swing

Feel the count

The basic is six counts: a rock step on 1-2, then two triple steps on 3&4 and 5&6. Written as rhythm that is quick-quick, quick-and-quick, quick-and-quick. Eight-count Lindy-style patterns show up too.[4][1][5]

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4

Time signature 4/4. NDCA American Rhythm tempo (2026 rules): 35 bars a minute (about 140 beats a minute)[1]. The slider runs from a slow practice speed (60% of the low end of that range, a way to learn a new pattern, not a rule) up to the fastest. The click sounds only after you press play.

  • An older NDCA table reproduced by Dance Central lists 34 bars a minute (136 beats).[6]
  • Ballroom Pages gives 136–144 beats a minute as the competition standard and says beginners may practice slower.[4]

Upcoming East Coast Swing classes

From the studio schedule, in Pacific time. Confirm a class with the studio before you come.

Open these in the calendar

Also covered in

General classes that include East Coast Swing among their dances. Each week can cover a different dance, so ask the studio which week is East Coast Swing.

Songs to practice to

  • In the Mood Glenn Miller[7]
  • Old Time Rock and Roll Bob Seger[7]
  • Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go Wham![7]
  • All About That Bass Meghan Trainor[7]
  • Return to Sender Elvis Presley[8]

Titles only, taken from dance-music lists that teachers and DJs have matched to this dance. Use the slider above to hear the tempo first.

Where it comes from

Dance studios, notably Arthur Murray, created it in the 1940s as a simpler, more teachable version of Lindy Hop.[9]

Arthur Murray originally called it Eastern Swing. East Coast Swing became the usual name between 1975 and 1980.[9]

The American Society of Dance Teachers introduced a Jitterbug syllabus in 1942, and Laure Haile wrote a unified national syllabus in 1951.[5]

Where it appears: American Rhythm (listed by NDCA as Swing)[1][2]

Where people dance it

Ballroom studios, beginner social dance classes, wedding lessons, American Rhythm competitions and casual social events.[4]

It is danced to fast swing music: big band, rock and roll, rockabilly and boogie-woogie.[9]

International and American versions

East Coast Swing belongs to American Rhythm only. The International Latin list has jive in its place.[2]

Dance Vision compares it with jive and calls it slower and more grounded, without jive’s extra bounce.[3]

NDCA lists 35 bars a minute for Swing and 43 for International jive.[1]

Sources for this page (11)
  1. NDCA Rules & Regulations, January 2026 v2 Edition (National Dance Council of America) Read 2026-09-23.
  2. American Rhythm vs International Latin: What's the Difference? (Ballroom Pages) Read 2026-09-23.
  3. How to Dance East Coast Swing (Dance Vision blog) Read 2026-09-23.
  4. East Coast Swing Dance Guide (Ballroom Pages) Read 2026-09-23.
  5. East Coast Swing (Ithaca Swing Dance, Kurt Lichtmann) Read 2026-09-23.
  6. Dance Central - Dance Music (tempo table citing NDCA, no edition date) Read 2026-09-23.
  7. Dances we Teach (Arthur Murray Torrance) Read 2026-09-23.
  8. East Coast Swing Practice Songs (Country Dance Online) Read 2026-09-23.
  9. East Coast Swing - Wikipedia (background only) Read 2026-09-23.
  10. DVIDA Directory | Dance Vision Read 2026-09-23.
  11. Dance Vision home page Read 2026-09-23.

Everything on this page is paraphrased from these sources, each read on September 23, 2026; nothing is copied.