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NIGHTCLUB AND SOCIAL · SPOTLIGHT BALLROOM

West Coast Swing Lessons in Sacramento

Smooth, elastic and conversational, danced in a slot

West Coast Swing classes in West Sacramento: Advanced West Coast Swing, Thursdays at 6:30 pm; Beginning West Coast Swing, Thursdays at 6:30 pm. Levels on the schedule: beginner, intermediate, advanced. Private West Coast Swing lessons with an instructor are available too.

  • 4/4 time
  • 112 beats a minute
  • moves along a slot
See upcoming West Coast Swing classesFeel the count
An older couple dances in a close ballroom hold, smiling.
West Coast Swing is danced in an imaginary slot on the floor.[1]

About West Coast Swing

Dance Vision describes West Coast Swing as danced in a narrow lane on the floor, with the follower walking forward on the first count of the pattern.[10][11]

It is smooth and essentially without bounce, built on six- and eight-count patterns that leave room for syncopation and improvisation instead of kicks or airborne moves. It usually suits medium-tempo music, often slower than East Coast Swing, and works across many genres, from R&B and country to pop and rock.[10][11]

How Dance Vision describes West Coast Swing, summarised in our own words. Dance Vision’s own articles: How to Dance West Coast Swing · The Difference Between American and International Style Ballroom Dance

Feel the count

The basic is six beats, counted 1 2, 3&4, 5&6: walk, walk, triple step, triple step, usually ending in an anchor step. Eight-beat patterns such as the whip family are counted 1 2, 3&4, 5 6, 7&8.[1][5]

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

Time signature 4/4. NDCA Nightclub tempo (2026 rules): 28 bars a minute (about 112 beats a minute)[2]. 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.

  • UCWDC’s competition range is 92–100 beats a minute.[3]
  • Richard Powers gives 100–120 beats a minute, with a sweet spot of 110.[6]
  • West Coast Swing Online suggests about 95–105 beats a minute for newer dancers, and says modern music sits between 90 and 120.[7]
  • A music-database blog found no tempo recommendation published by the World Swing Dance Council.[8]

Upcoming West Coast Swing classes

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

Open these in the calendar

Songs to practice to

  • My Girl The Temptations · 108 bpm[9]
  • Crazy Gnarls Barkley · 112 bpm[9]
  • Shape of You Ed Sheeran · 96 bpm[9]
  • You Know I’m No Good Amy Winehouse · 98 bpm[9]
  • Blurred Lines Robin Thicke · 120 bpm[9]

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

It has its roots in Lindy Hop and developed on the US West Coast around the 1940s and 1950s, when Western swing, country boogie and jump blues were popular there.[1]

West Coast Swing became California’s official state dance in 1988.[1]

Where it appears: Swing · NDCA Nightclub tempo dance · UCWDC competition dance[1][2][3]

Where people dance it

West Coast Swing socials, swing weekends, mixed studio parties, country and western events, wedding receptions and competitions.[5]

Competitions at dance events include Jack and Jill (random partners) and Strictly Swing (set couples), with points awarded through the World Swing Dance Council.[1]

How it differs from East Coast Swing

West Coast Swing is slot-based, using walk, walk, triple, triple with an anchor step. East Coast Swing is more rotational, with rock steps and triples danced as a chassé.[4]

East Coast Swing is danced to big band, fast blues or rock and roll at about 136–144 beats a minute, while West Coast Swing runs about 90–120 and accepts blues, pop, hip-hop and country.[4]

NDCA’s competition tempo is 35 bars a minute for Swing and 28 for West Coast Swing.[2]

Sources for this page (13)
  1. West Coast Swing - Wikipedia (background only) Read 2026-09-23.
  2. NDCA Rules & Regulations, January 2026 v2 Edition (National Dance Council of America) Read 2026-09-23.
  3. UCWDC Couples & ProAm/ProPro Music Timings/Beats Per Minute (revised Jan 16, 2023) Read 2026-09-23.
  4. East Coast Swing vs. West Coast Swing - What is the difference? - West Coast Swing Online Read 2026-09-23.
  5. West Coast Swing Guide: Slot, Basics & Music - Ballroom Pages Read 2026-09-23.
  6. How to Be a Better Dance DJ (Richard Powers, Stanford Social Dance) Read 2026-09-23.
  7. West Coast Swing Music - West Coast Swing Online Read 2026-09-23.
  8. Ask music4dance: Why is the tempo range you list for West Coast Swing wrong? - music4dance blog (Jan 15, 2024) Read 2026-09-23.
  9. West Coast Swing Music - Dance Lessons with Jamie Orr Read 2026-09-23.
  10. How to Dance West Coast Swing Read 2026-09-23.
  11. The Difference Between American and International Style Ballroom Dance (Dance Vision blog) Read 2026-09-23.
  12. DVIDA Directory | Dance Vision Read 2026-09-23.
  13. 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.