Easy Brilliant
WEST COAST SWING
Become amazing! Super fast!
WCS BEGINNER/ADV.BEGINNER BOOT CAMP
3 Sundays: Sept 15th (2-4pm) + 22nd (2-6pm!! Double!) + 29th (2-4pm)
Gently accelerated. Immersive. Intensive. Be amazing fast! Progressive (sorry, no drop-ins).
3 Sundays: Sept 15th (2-4pm) + 22nd (2-6pm!! Double!) + 29th (2-4pm)
Gently accelerated. Immersive. Intensive. Be amazing fast! Progressive (sorry, no drop-ins).
ADV. WCS FOR ADV+ LINDY TEACHERS & EQUIV.
2 Sundays: Sept 15 + 29 (Time: 4-6pm)
In-depth advanced WCS moves & skills & ideas — ideally, adaptable back into Lindy Hop in whole or part. Example: 100 Reverse Whip (Rev.SwingOut) Variations; Advanced Folds & Wraps; etc.
2 Sundays: Sept 15 + 29 (Time: 4-6pm)
In-depth advanced WCS moves & skills & ideas — ideally, adaptable back into Lindy Hop in whole or part. Example: 100 Reverse Whip (Rev.SwingOut) Variations; Advanced Folds & Wraps; etc.
Location: TBA: (Midtown Manhattan - we are still finalizing)
Instructor: Ken Kreshtool. "The best instructor I've ever had in anything." —Harvard Univ. students 6 years in a row.
Instructor: Ken Kreshtool. "The best instructor I've ever had in anything." —Harvard Univ. students 6 years in a row.
SCROLL for FULL DESCRIPTION & VIDEOS
WCS BEGINNER/ADV.BEGINNER BOOT CAMP – 8 hours!
Sun. Sept 15: 2-4pm (2 hours)
Sun. Sept 22: 2-6pm (4 hours! Double session (with a break)! Bring extra water & shirt! Maybe a snack.)
Sun. Sept 29: 2-4pm (2 hours)
PRICE: Early Bird (until 9/9 11:59pm): $168. Regular: $198.
Instructor: KEN KRESHTOOL. "The best instructor I've ever had in anything." –Harvard Univ. students' comments 6 years in a row, while Ken was in a PhD program there. (For videos of Ken dancing with Paula Wilson, scroll down.)
Location #1 (Tentative - TBA): Clinton Cameo Studios,
Location #2 (Tentative - TBA): Studios 353, 353 West 48th St, 2nd Floor, Studio 3 (betw 8th & 9th Ave) (map).
Location #3 (Tentative - TBA): Ripley-Grier Studios, 520 8th Ave (betw. 36th & 37th Sts.), 17th floor, Studio 17i, Manhattan. (map) Alert: 520 8th Ave REQUIRES ID to enter & they photo you, so there is always a long, slow (8-10 mins) line.
No prior experience or partner needed. If you have prior dance experience, we'll use that to accelerate your learning!
Be amazing, super fast! An 8 hour accelerated, intensive crash course. We'll focus immediately on the things that empower you to dance WCS all night with everyone of every level, with confidence, comfort and joy!
All the true building blocks, all the basic & intermediate moves (patterns), powerful partnering skills & technique, and sweet styling. Gently accelerated for fastest & best learning. We'll focus on easy, brilliant partnered movement, to create WCS's cool moves so easily, it's almost magic! With lots of freedom for musicality and expression.
WCS is surprisingly easy and fast to learn … if you start smart. Nearly everything in WCS is a matter of just a few "building blocks" that we mix and match. And a few super helpful "partnered movement" skills to make everything work smoothly. Once we have that, we use it to construct all the basic and intermediate moves ("patterns" in WCS-speak), and we're ready to add sizzle, styling, fancier variations, and musicality! So fast and easy this way!
Sun. Sept 15: 2-4pm (2 hours)
Sun. Sept 22: 2-6pm (4 hours! Double session (with a break)! Bring extra water & shirt! Maybe a snack.)
Sun. Sept 29: 2-4pm (2 hours)
PRICE: Early Bird (until 9/9 11:59pm): $168. Regular: $198.
Instructor: KEN KRESHTOOL. "The best instructor I've ever had in anything." –Harvard Univ. students' comments 6 years in a row, while Ken was in a PhD program there. (For videos of Ken dancing with Paula Wilson, scroll down.)
Location #1 (Tentative - TBA): Clinton Cameo Studios,
Location #2 (Tentative - TBA): Studios 353, 353 West 48th St, 2nd Floor, Studio 3 (betw 8th & 9th Ave) (map).
Location #3 (Tentative - TBA): Ripley-Grier Studios, 520 8th Ave (betw. 36th & 37th Sts.), 17th floor, Studio 17i, Manhattan. (map) Alert: 520 8th Ave REQUIRES ID to enter & they photo you, so there is always a long, slow (8-10 mins) line.
No prior experience or partner needed. If you have prior dance experience, we'll use that to accelerate your learning!
Be amazing, super fast! An 8 hour accelerated, intensive crash course. We'll focus immediately on the things that empower you to dance WCS all night with everyone of every level, with confidence, comfort and joy!
All the true building blocks, all the basic & intermediate moves (patterns), powerful partnering skills & technique, and sweet styling. Gently accelerated for fastest & best learning. We'll focus on easy, brilliant partnered movement, to create WCS's cool moves so easily, it's almost magic! With lots of freedom for musicality and expression.
WCS is surprisingly easy and fast to learn … if you start smart. Nearly everything in WCS is a matter of just a few "building blocks" that we mix and match. And a few super helpful "partnered movement" skills to make everything work smoothly. Once we have that, we use it to construct all the basic and intermediate moves ("patterns" in WCS-speak), and we're ready to add sizzle, styling, fancier variations, and musicality! So fast and easy this way!
ADV. WCS for ADV+ LINDY HOP TEACHERS & EQUIV
2 Sundays: Sept 15 + Sept 29, 4-6pm. (No class Sept 22 due to NYLX)
PRICE: $84 for both workshops (4hrs). Any one workshop (2hrs): $55.
PRICE NOTE: I would love to make this cheaper for dance teachers – but we need to pay for the room rent, and this will be a very small group. Apologies.
Prerequisite: You teach Lindy Hop, or you compete at major Lindy Hop weekend events in Advanced, All Star, or Invitational. Or equivalent. Class size will be very small.
Instructor: KEN KRESHTOOL. "The best instructor I've ever had in anything." –Harvard Univ. students' comments 6 years in a row, while Ken was in a PhD program there. (For videos of Ken dancing with Paula Wilson, scroll down.)
Ken dances WCS and some Lindy Hop, and teaches WCS. Ken sez, "I'm assuming your Lindy Hop is better than mine, and I am grateful that you are willing to join me for this. If I bungle anything I say about Lindy Hop, please jump in and correct me! I look forward to a mutually respectful and joyful workshop with all of you!"
Location: TBA. Either Ripley-Grier Studios, 520 8th Ave (betw. 36th & 37th Sts.), 17th floor, Studio 17i, Manhattan. (map), or 353 Studios, 353 West 48th St (betw 8th & 9th Ave), 2nd Floor, Studio 3 (map) ... or both.
Alert: 520 8th Ave (the building) REQUIRES ID & they photo you to enter, so there is always a long, slow (8-10 mins) line. Bring photo ID, have it ready.
Where do you find new ideas that are completely compatible with Lindy Hop? If the OG Lindy Hop folks had a few more years, I think these are some moves and ideas they would have come up with. Natural extensions of what they were already doing when Lindy Hop went dormant.
WCS — especially the “classic WCS” that we will work with — has been operating like a secret R&D laboratory for Lindy Hop ideas for the past 70 years. It is like a huge secret library, just waiting to be raided and brought into Lindy Hop life. Yes, yes, WCS looks different, very flattened and “white,” and recent fads in WCS are exceedingly strange. That’s superficial. The magic bones are there. Please let me show you. We'll first learn in the context of WCS, because WCS is pretty fun. And we'll also try to make time to adapt everything back into Lindy Hop. Our goal is for these workshops to be doubly useful.
• Topic A, in depth - Tentatively the huge, infinitely variable family of "Reverse Whips" aka "Inside Whips" — easily adaptable back into Lindy Hop in whole or in part. More importantly, the "continuous but variable Connection" body skills that empower us to create and modify zillions of variations on the fly, while being adaptive and "listening" to your partner, both leaders and followers. In fact, we MUST master them as purely leadable-followable; there’s no way for anyone to follow (or lead) that many variations on the fly as memorized choreo chunks. So in fact, our game is to master the building blocks and skills that we use to construct them on the fly with any (skilled) partner … and then play! Just skills, and a small but powerful bunch of building blocks, and a wide open mind.
• Topic B, in depth - Probably Wraps, Folds & Roll-in/Roll-outs, Rib-Catches, Behind-the-back Whips/SwingOuts (different from the one in current use in Lindy Hop) – incl Adv. exit options. Includes safe hammerlocks. Might include Rock-n-Go. Again, emphasis on the skills, as well as the moves. Or (B) Ducks, Rides, Pivots, One-foot Spins. We'll ask participants for their input and suggestions.
• Topic C, Optional: Anything in the 3 videos below that you would like to know more about? We can do that.
2 Sundays: Sept 15 + Sept 29, 4-6pm. (No class Sept 22 due to NYLX)
PRICE: $84 for both workshops (4hrs). Any one workshop (2hrs): $55.
PRICE NOTE: I would love to make this cheaper for dance teachers – but we need to pay for the room rent, and this will be a very small group. Apologies.
Prerequisite: You teach Lindy Hop, or you compete at major Lindy Hop weekend events in Advanced, All Star, or Invitational. Or equivalent. Class size will be very small.
Instructor: KEN KRESHTOOL. "The best instructor I've ever had in anything." –Harvard Univ. students' comments 6 years in a row, while Ken was in a PhD program there. (For videos of Ken dancing with Paula Wilson, scroll down.)
Ken dances WCS and some Lindy Hop, and teaches WCS. Ken sez, "I'm assuming your Lindy Hop is better than mine, and I am grateful that you are willing to join me for this. If I bungle anything I say about Lindy Hop, please jump in and correct me! I look forward to a mutually respectful and joyful workshop with all of you!"
Location: TBA. Either Ripley-Grier Studios, 520 8th Ave (betw. 36th & 37th Sts.), 17th floor, Studio 17i, Manhattan. (map), or 353 Studios, 353 West 48th St (betw 8th & 9th Ave), 2nd Floor, Studio 3 (map) ... or both.
Alert: 520 8th Ave (the building) REQUIRES ID & they photo you to enter, so there is always a long, slow (8-10 mins) line. Bring photo ID, have it ready.
Where do you find new ideas that are completely compatible with Lindy Hop? If the OG Lindy Hop folks had a few more years, I think these are some moves and ideas they would have come up with. Natural extensions of what they were already doing when Lindy Hop went dormant.
WCS — especially the “classic WCS” that we will work with — has been operating like a secret R&D laboratory for Lindy Hop ideas for the past 70 years. It is like a huge secret library, just waiting to be raided and brought into Lindy Hop life. Yes, yes, WCS looks different, very flattened and “white,” and recent fads in WCS are exceedingly strange. That’s superficial. The magic bones are there. Please let me show you. We'll first learn in the context of WCS, because WCS is pretty fun. And we'll also try to make time to adapt everything back into Lindy Hop. Our goal is for these workshops to be doubly useful.
• Topic A, in depth - Tentatively the huge, infinitely variable family of "Reverse Whips" aka "Inside Whips" — easily adaptable back into Lindy Hop in whole or in part. More importantly, the "continuous but variable Connection" body skills that empower us to create and modify zillions of variations on the fly, while being adaptive and "listening" to your partner, both leaders and followers. In fact, we MUST master them as purely leadable-followable; there’s no way for anyone to follow (or lead) that many variations on the fly as memorized choreo chunks. So in fact, our game is to master the building blocks and skills that we use to construct them on the fly with any (skilled) partner … and then play! Just skills, and a small but powerful bunch of building blocks, and a wide open mind.
• Topic B, in depth - Probably Wraps, Folds & Roll-in/Roll-outs, Rib-Catches, Behind-the-back Whips/SwingOuts (different from the one in current use in Lindy Hop) – incl Adv. exit options. Includes safe hammerlocks. Might include Rock-n-Go. Again, emphasis on the skills, as well as the moves. Or (B) Ducks, Rides, Pivots, One-foot Spins. We'll ask participants for their input and suggestions.
• Topic C, Optional: Anything in the 3 videos below that you would like to know more about? We can do that.
Instructor: KEN KRESHTOOL. "The best instructor I've ever had in anything." –Harvard Univ. students' comments 6 years in a row, while Ken was in a PhD program there. (For videos of Ken dancing with Paula Wilson, scroll down.) Ken danced Lindy Hop, attended Beantown and SONH for 7 years, was in SONH's top level in his last year there, and has since forgotten nearly everything. Ken now primarily dances and teaches West Coast Swing (WCS), competes at the "Advanced" level, and has taught internationally.
LOCATION TBA - we're figuring it out. Most likely:
Location #1: Studios 353, 353 West 48th St, 2nd Floor, Studio 3 (betw 8th & 9th Ave) (map).
Location #2: Ripley-Grier Studios, 520 8th Ave (betw. 36th & 37th Sts.), 17th floor, Studio 17i, Manhattan. (map)
NOTE that the 520 8th Ave building REQUIRES you to show ID and be photographed at the entrance. There's always a long slow line there, so allow an extra 8-10 minutes (really) to get upstairs! The line gets extremely long right before the hour, so coming 10 minutes early will save you much frustration.
Class sizes extremely limited. Anyone can dance any role. If you are genuinely flexible on role, that's also an option on the Registration form. (NOTE: All our previous courses sold out early. No idea if this one will, but it's worth noting.)
LOCATION TBA - we're figuring it out. Most likely:
Location #1: Studios 353, 353 West 48th St, 2nd Floor, Studio 3 (betw 8th & 9th Ave) (map).
Location #2: Ripley-Grier Studios, 520 8th Ave (betw. 36th & 37th Sts.), 17th floor, Studio 17i, Manhattan. (map)
NOTE that the 520 8th Ave building REQUIRES you to show ID and be photographed at the entrance. There's always a long slow line there, so allow an extra 8-10 minutes (really) to get upstairs! The line gets extremely long right before the hour, so coming 10 minutes early will save you much frustration.
Class sizes extremely limited. Anyone can dance any role. If you are genuinely flexible on role, that's also an option on the Registration form. (NOTE: All our previous courses sold out early. No idea if this one will, but it's worth noting.)
CLOTHING & SHOES & HYGIENE
• Wear clothing. Preferably comfortable. Bring an extra shirt and change into it as needed.
• Wear comfortable shoes that let you pivot. Suede or hard-leather soles are good. Most dance-sneaker or plastic soles are good. Grippy rubber soles like on running shoes are bad. High heels and Salsa shoes: not good for WCS; flats or low heels are much better. Character shoes: marginal; your feet will probably hurt after 30 minutes.
• Deodorant & fresh breath required. Bring a clean shirt and change into it as needed.
• Please do NOT wear perfume!
• Please do NOT use hand moisturizing lotion immediately before class (ick slippery).
• NO BLACK SOLED SHOES! Studio requirement — they leave streaks. If that's all you own, wear socks or nylon thingies OVER your shoes. (Exception: Official "dance sneakers" with plastic (nylon) black soles should be OK.)
• RAIN & SNOW: Bring clean, dry shoes and change into them at the door, to protect the nice wood floors.
NOTE: Full refund available if you test positive or show any symptoms before class of cold, flu, allergies, COVID. Please stay home if sick. If you come to class sick, we will have you wear a bag over your head for the health of your fellow classmates. (Does anyone actually read this far?)
• Wear comfortable shoes that let you pivot. Suede or hard-leather soles are good. Most dance-sneaker or plastic soles are good. Grippy rubber soles like on running shoes are bad. High heels and Salsa shoes: not good for WCS; flats or low heels are much better. Character shoes: marginal; your feet will probably hurt after 30 minutes.
• Deodorant & fresh breath required. Bring a clean shirt and change into it as needed.
• Please do NOT wear perfume!
• Please do NOT use hand moisturizing lotion immediately before class (ick slippery).
• NO BLACK SOLED SHOES! Studio requirement — they leave streaks. If that's all you own, wear socks or nylon thingies OVER your shoes. (Exception: Official "dance sneakers" with plastic (nylon) black soles should be OK.)
• RAIN & SNOW: Bring clean, dry shoes and change into them at the door, to protect the nice wood floors.
NOTE: Full refund available if you test positive or show any symptoms before class of cold, flu, allergies, COVID. Please stay home if sick. If you come to class sick, we will have you wear a bag over your head for the health of your fellow classmates. (Does anyone actually read this far?)
YOUR TEACHERS
Ken Kreshtool: Internationally ranked West Coast Swing competition dancer. International West Coast Swing instructor. "The best instructor I've ever had in ANYTHING!" — Harvard University students' comments, 6 years in a row, for his on-campus dance classes (while working on a PhD there). Ken is compressing what he has learned from over 200 dance teachers into the best classes you'll find anywhere.
Ken danced Ballroom for a few years, then Lindy Hop for about 10 years, including attending Swing Out New Hampshire (SONH) for 7 years, and was in SONH's top level is his final year there. Ken started WCS in about 2007 to add vocabulary to his Lindy Hop, and has kept going with it ever since. He also has advanced degrees in law, psychology, and education policy.
Paula Wilson [not teaching this session]: Internationally ranked West Coast Swing competition dancer. Graduate of the Alvin Ailey School's Professional Division. Professional modern dancer and internationally traveling Argentine Tango teacher for 12 years. Award-winning former early childhood education teacher.
Some videos of us. These are pure improvisational lead-follow dancing — we are making it up as we go along. Not choreographed, not rehearsed. Typically for a demo like this, we hand the DJ a playlist of songs and say "you choose - play any one of them."
Ken danced Ballroom for a few years, then Lindy Hop for about 10 years, including attending Swing Out New Hampshire (SONH) for 7 years, and was in SONH's top level is his final year there. Ken started WCS in about 2007 to add vocabulary to his Lindy Hop, and has kept going with it ever since. He also has advanced degrees in law, psychology, and education policy.
Paula Wilson [not teaching this session]: Internationally ranked West Coast Swing competition dancer. Graduate of the Alvin Ailey School's Professional Division. Professional modern dancer and internationally traveling Argentine Tango teacher for 12 years. Award-winning former early childhood education teacher.
Some videos of us. These are pure improvisational lead-follow dancing — we are making it up as we go along. Not choreographed, not rehearsed. Typically for a demo like this, we hand the DJ a playlist of songs and say "you choose - play any one of them."
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WHAT IS WEST COAST SWING?
In very short: West Coast Swing (WCS) is Swing and Lindy Hop moves done to R&B and contemporary Pop music.
Here is a really good introductory video — a compilation of short clips of various top Champions each dancing to a different genre of music, put together by a fellow in Barcelona.
Here is a really good introductory video — a compilation of short clips of various top Champions each dancing to a different genre of music, put together by a fellow in Barcelona.
More thoroughly: West Coast Swing (WCS) is a partner dance, a smoother and highly sophisticated descendant of Lindy Hop-style Swing dance. It spun off from Lindy Hop in California during the post-WW II decades when Lindy Hop itself went dead or dormant for 50 years. It has continued evolving dramatically even today, adapting to new music and new dancers. Over the years, it has "borrowed" (stolen and adapted) almost every cool move, turn, dip, and styling from Lindy Hop, Salsa, Hip Hop, Country, and booty-shakin', and even some Ballroom, Zouk, Tango and Blues. West Coast Swing has one of the biggest vocabularies of moves and combinations of any partner dance — and the widest range of music styles. At the same time, WCS Followers have more freedom for improvisation than in any other partner dance. WCS is the easiest of the Swing dances to learn (if you have the right teachers — that's us!), while remaining one of the most fun and challenging to fully master. Come get in on the fun!
FAQ: World's best WCS group classes?
Are these NEW YORK CITY'S best WCS group classes?
Yes. We teach very differently, focusing on the simple core *partnered movement* skills and elements that we mix & match to create 95% of WCS's moves & patterns. Why? Because this is how good WCS dancers actually dance with you! WCS is so much simpler than most teachers make it out to be. Our students are out dancing with joy and confidence all night immediately.
Are these the WORLD'S best WCS group classes?
We're going to say yes.