WEST COAST SWING
Intensive Classes & Workshops
"The best partner dance class I've ever had, of any kind, ever."
"The best instructor I've ever had in ANYTHING!" — Harvard University students' comments,
6 years in a row, for Ken's on-campus dance classes (while working on a PhD there).
"The best instructor I've ever had in ANYTHING!" — Harvard University students' comments,
6 years in a row, for Ken's on-campus dance classes (while working on a PhD there).
MARCH 2022
NOTE: All dates might be postponed if COVID requires. We will update when known.
NOTE: All dates might be postponed if COVID requires. We will update when known.
THURSDAY, MARCH 3 - ONE DAY ONLY!
6:30-9:45pm
INTENSIVE WORKSHOP: FUNDAMENTALS FOR HIGH QUALITY WCS
plus SOCIAL DANCE!
Location: 797 Eighth Ave, 4th Floor, Studio 1 (between 48th & 49th St.)
When: 6:30-8:30 Workshop. 8:30-9:45 pm Social Dancing/Guided Practice
Instructor: Ken Kreshtool
Price: $35 in advance – includes the Social Dancing / Guided Practice. $45 at the door, only if space available (no cash - venmo, zelle, or paypal only)
Class size is strictly limited for good learning and to prevent over-crowding. Pre-registration is very strongly recommended, so that you don't show up and get turned away if we are sold out.
Social Dancing/Practice 8:45-10pm only: $10 at the door, only if space available
(Tentative: Social Dancing 8:45-11pm only: $20 at the door, only if space available. We are negotiating to see if we can stay to 11pm, even though the studio normally closes at 10pm. Stand by for updates.)
6:30-9:45pm
INTENSIVE WORKSHOP: FUNDAMENTALS FOR HIGH QUALITY WCS
plus SOCIAL DANCE!
Location: 797 Eighth Ave, 4th Floor, Studio 1 (between 48th & 49th St.)
When: 6:30-8:30 Workshop. 8:30-9:45 pm Social Dancing/Guided Practice
Instructor: Ken Kreshtool
Price: $35 in advance – includes the Social Dancing / Guided Practice. $45 at the door, only if space available (no cash - venmo, zelle, or paypal only)
Class size is strictly limited for good learning and to prevent over-crowding. Pre-registration is very strongly recommended, so that you don't show up and get turned away if we are sold out.
Social Dancing/Practice 8:45-10pm only: $10 at the door, only if space available
(Tentative: Social Dancing 8:45-11pm only: $20 at the door, only if space available. We are negotiating to see if we can stay to 11pm, even though the studio normally closes at 10pm. Stand by for updates.)
QUICK DESCRIPTION: All the important bits of WCS in one lesson. After this, you will be ready to go social dancing and have a great time. Also, with this foundation, you will be solidly prepared to learn all the other amazing cool stuff in WCS about 10 times faster.
When we watch the top WCS dancers, we see complicated stuff … but it is always smooth and coherent, with great teamwork. How do they do that?
In this gently intensive workshop, we will immersively learn the secrets to high quality WCS. We will learn how to dance well with anyone, using just a small number of “partnered movement“ building blocks that we will mix-and-match!
And we will learn how this forms the perfect foundation for all the fancy step patterns, variations, styling, improvisations, and musicality that WCS is famous for — all while staying within the smooth & partnered flow of the dance. In other words (hint, hint) it is the perfect foundation for our follow-on 5 week class.
We only have 2 hours to master it all, so this workshop will move at a gently fast pace!
In this gently intensive workshop, we will immersively learn the secrets to high quality WCS. We will learn how to dance well with anyone, using just a small number of “partnered movement“ building blocks that we will mix-and-match!
And we will learn how this forms the perfect foundation for all the fancy step patterns, variations, styling, improvisations, and musicality that WCS is famous for — all while staying within the smooth & partnered flow of the dance. In other words (hint, hint) it is the perfect foundation for our follow-on 5 week class.
We only have 2 hours to master it all, so this workshop will move at a gently fast pace!
PREREQUISITE: Ability to count to 6. Ability to count to 8 recommended but not required. No partner or prior experience needed. If you have any prior dance experience, we will use it to maximize your learning.
CLOTHING & SHOES & HYGIENE: Wear comfortable clothing. And 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. Character shoes: marginal; your feet will probably hurt after 30 minutes. Deodorant & fresh breath required. Bring a clean shirt and change into it if needed. Please do NOT wear perfume! Please do NOT use hand moisturizing lotion immediately before class (ick slippery). RAIN & SNOW: Bring clean, dry shoes and change into them at the door, to protect the nice wood floors.
COVID: We will be requiring MAXIMUM precautions from everyone, consistent with whatever the COVID situation is in early March: Definitely fully vaxxed required, probably Booster required. Definitely ID and contact info for tracing. Probably N95 or KN95 masks required, and maybe even same-day negative tests. We will update as we get closer, but be fully prepared anyway.
NOTE: Genuine N95 masks — aka "respirators" — are available at ProjectN95.org, a national 501(c)3 non-profit, at reasonable costs. That's where I get mine. As you've heard, over 60% of the "N95" and "KN95" masks listed on Amazon are counterfeits and fakes.
CLOTHING & SHOES & HYGIENE: Wear comfortable clothing. And 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. Character shoes: marginal; your feet will probably hurt after 30 minutes. Deodorant & fresh breath required. Bring a clean shirt and change into it if needed. Please do NOT wear perfume! Please do NOT use hand moisturizing lotion immediately before class (ick slippery). RAIN & SNOW: Bring clean, dry shoes and change into them at the door, to protect the nice wood floors.
COVID: We will be requiring MAXIMUM precautions from everyone, consistent with whatever the COVID situation is in early March: Definitely fully vaxxed required, probably Booster required. Definitely ID and contact info for tracing. Probably N95 or KN95 masks required, and maybe even same-day negative tests. We will update as we get closer, but be fully prepared anyway.
NOTE: Genuine N95 masks — aka "respirators" — are available at ProjectN95.org, a national 501(c)3 non-profit, at reasonable costs. That's where I get mine. As you've heard, over 60% of the "N95" and "KN95" masks listed on Amazon are counterfeits and fakes.
MARCH 10 through APRIL 7 - Five THURSDAY EVENINGS
6:30-7:45 pm
WCS ONWARD AND UPWARD! - Level 2
Continues directly from our one-day Intensive Workshops
Instructor: Ken Kreshtool
Location: 797 Eighth Ave, 4th Floor, Studio 1 (between 48th & 49th St.)
When: Thursday evenings - 6:30-7:45 pm - March 10, 17, 24, 31 and April 7
Price:
$125 Registration before March 9, 11:59 pm.
$140 Registration
Class size strictly limited.
WCS ONWARD AND UPWARD! - Level 2
Continues directly from our one-day Intensive Workshops
Instructor: Ken Kreshtool
Location: 797 Eighth Ave, 4th Floor, Studio 1 (between 48th & 49th St.)
When: Thursday evenings - 6:30-7:45 pm - March 10, 17, 24, 31 and April 7
Price:
$125 Registration before March 9, 11:59 pm.
$140 Registration
Class size strictly limited.
We continue from the Intensive Workshops that Ken has taught.
This is an Intermediate level course, because you are ready for that. You will learn cool patterns and variations, along with an emphasis on styling, musicality, and improvisation skills. At every turn, we will review our skills, upgrade our skills, and apply our skills to master magical new things. And we'll play a lot of music and have a lot of fun.
PREREQUISITE: Ken's Intensive Workshop, either the previous week or during Fall 2021. No exceptions.
This is an Intermediate level course, because you are ready for that. You will learn cool patterns and variations, along with an emphasis on styling, musicality, and improvisation skills. At every turn, we will review our skills, upgrade our skills, and apply our skills to master magical new things. And we'll play a lot of music and have a lot of fun.
PREREQUISITE: Ken's Intensive Workshop, either the previous week or during Fall 2021. No exceptions.
8:00-9:15 pm
WCS Intensive FUN(damentals)! - Level 1
For Absolute Beginners thru Intermediate
Instructor: Ken Kreshtool
Location: 797 Eighth Ave, 4th Floor, Studio 1 (between 48th & 49th St.)
When: Thursday evenings - 8:00-9:15 pm - March 10, 17, 24, 31 and April 7
Price:
$125 Registration before March 9, 11:59 pm.
$140 Registration
Class size strictly limited.
WCS Intensive FUN(damentals)! - Level 1
For Absolute Beginners thru Intermediate
Instructor: Ken Kreshtool
Location: 797 Eighth Ave, 4th Floor, Studio 1 (between 48th & 49th St.)
When: Thursday evenings - 8:00-9:15 pm - March 10, 17, 24, 31 and April 7
Price:
$125 Registration before March 9, 11:59 pm.
$140 Registration
Class size strictly limited.
Every Month: Private Lessons
We are available for Private Lessons ($90/hr for one instructor, $170/hr for both instructors, + room rental fees, typically about $15-30/hr). We are also available for semi-private and small-group lessons, as well as corporate and private events. Contact us here.
WHY OUR INTENSIVE CLASSES?
Why our Intensive Classes? It's all about our teaching!
"The best partner dance class I've ever had, of any kind, ever!" —a very experienced dancer in many dance forms
"You guys are the gold standard for partner dance teaching. Wow." —another experienced dancer at a recent class
Our unique "building blocks" teaching approach will get you out on the dance floor fast - having a great time dancing - meeting new people - while continually getting better! Our classes themselves are friendly, entertaining, highly social, and packed with dancing!
If you want to understand WCS fast — or if you want to supplement your other WCS classes to boost your skills and technique — come join us!
NOTE:
"Every great advance replaces traditional complexities by a new simplicity."—L.L. Whyte, Scottish philosopher, theoretical physicist, historian of science, and financier.
WCS is usually described as being complex and difficult to learn. This is not true … unless your teacher makes it that way, which far too many do. Good WCS is almost ridiculously simple at heart, while still being really fun and challenging as we become more and more advanced. Good WCS is 99% based on mastering a small number of partnered-movement teamwork skills (lead-follow skills) — and a few fundamental WCS "building blocks" — and playing with them in increasingly clever ways. This is what good WCS dancers actually DO, and this is how we create every pattern and move in WCS. Our partnered movements create all the patterns and even the footwork. Not the other way around. This is the necessary key to being a good WCS dancer, and therefore we feel it should be the basis of every Beginner class ... but it is usually held back as Advanced Technique Class material, which is just dumb. We teach all this in our Level 1+2 class, where it belongs, and where it is easiest to learn. And where it delivers a huge and permanent benefit to all our dancing skills! This is what empowers our students to be good, fun, skilled WCS dancers in just weeks, instead of the years it usually takes! We hope you will join us!
"The best partner dance class I've ever had, of any kind, ever!" —a very experienced dancer in many dance forms
"You guys are the gold standard for partner dance teaching. Wow." —another experienced dancer at a recent class
Our unique "building blocks" teaching approach will get you out on the dance floor fast - having a great time dancing - meeting new people - while continually getting better! Our classes themselves are friendly, entertaining, highly social, and packed with dancing!
If you want to understand WCS fast — or if you want to supplement your other WCS classes to boost your skills and technique — come join us!
NOTE:
"Every great advance replaces traditional complexities by a new simplicity."—L.L. Whyte, Scottish philosopher, theoretical physicist, historian of science, and financier.
WCS is usually described as being complex and difficult to learn. This is not true … unless your teacher makes it that way, which far too many do. Good WCS is almost ridiculously simple at heart, while still being really fun and challenging as we become more and more advanced. Good WCS is 99% based on mastering a small number of partnered-movement teamwork skills (lead-follow skills) — and a few fundamental WCS "building blocks" — and playing with them in increasingly clever ways. This is what good WCS dancers actually DO, and this is how we create every pattern and move in WCS. Our partnered movements create all the patterns and even the footwork. Not the other way around. This is the necessary key to being a good WCS dancer, and therefore we feel it should be the basis of every Beginner class ... but it is usually held back as Advanced Technique Class material, which is just dumb. We teach all this in our Level 1+2 class, where it belongs, and where it is easiest to learn. And where it delivers a huge and permanent benefit to all our dancing skills! This is what empowers our students to be good, fun, skilled WCS dancers in just weeks, instead of the years it usually takes! We hope you will join us!
YOUR TEACHERS
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Ken Kreshtool: Internationally ranked West Coast Swing competition dancer. "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). Also has advanced degrees in psychology, education policy, and law, and formerly taught ballroom, salsa, swing / lindy hop.
Paula Wilson [not teaching in March 2022]: 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.
Paula Wilson [not teaching in March 2022]: 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.
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.
More thoroughly: West Coast Swing (WCS) is a partner dance, a smoother and highly sophisticated form of Jitterbug or Lindy Hop-style Swing dance. It kept evolving in California during the post-WW II decades when Jitterbug itself (aka Lindy Hop) 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 challenging to fully master. It's hugely popular on the West Coast and in Europe and South America. Come get in on the fun as it sweeps the East Coast!
More thoroughly: West Coast Swing (WCS) is a partner dance, a smoother and highly sophisticated form of Jitterbug or Lindy Hop-style Swing dance. It kept evolving in California during the post-WW II decades when Jitterbug itself (aka Lindy Hop) 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 challenging to fully master. It's hugely popular on the West Coast and in Europe and South America. Come get in on the fun as it sweeps the East Coast!
FAQ: World's best WCS group classes? Drop-ins? Late registrations? Can I start in level 2?
ARE THESE THE WORLD'S BEST WEST COAST SWING GROUP CLASSES?
ARE THESE NEW YORK CITY'S BEST WEST COAST SWING GROUP CLASSES?
Yes.
DROP-INS PERMITTED? Yes for our one-day workshops. But for our multi-week classes ... sorry, no. Our multi-week classes are cumulative — each lesson builds intensively on all previous lessons.
LATE REGISTRATIONS AFTER THE FIRST WEEK? (For multi-week classes.)
We are extremely reluctant. We want you (and all your partners in class) to be happy! Not frustrated! Our class is intensively cumulative. We lay nearly all the groundwork and learn almost 1/3 of everything in the first class. And then we build on it over the remaining weeks. Please come to the first lesson! Thanks for understanding.
• We have never had anyone catch up after missing the first week. If you absolutely cannot attend the 1st lesson, contact us to schedule a private lesson before the second lesson. Please note that — just like when going to the movies — there's no discount for starting late.
• Start at 2nd lesson? I have taken previous WCS classes, so I should be OK, right?
Sorry, but no. Our teaching method is completely different from the antiquated "steps & patterns" teaching method that you almost certainly experienced. That old teaching method from the 1890s was designed for a totally different kind of dancing, and does not work well for WCS; we have no idea why nearly all WCS teachers still use it. We use a completely different teaching method that reduces your WCS learning curve to weeks instead of years — with almost all of the important differences right at the beginning. Whatever you already know will return in a much easier-to-use form later in our class — so don't discard your skills! — but it will not help you at all at the beginning of our class.
• Start at 3rd lesson? No, sorry. No exceptions. We cover so much ground in the first two lessons, that we have never had anyone successfully start during lesson 3. We ask you to wait until our next class series starts. Thanks!
CAN I START IN LEVEL 2 or 3? I HAVE PRIOR (PARTNER) DANCE EXPERIENCE.
No, sorry. We ask everyone to start in our Level 1. Reasons:
- First, just like you, a majority who enroll in WCS classes have prior dance experience, so our Level 1+2 class already takes that into account! (But it's also perfect for folks with zero prior dance experience.)
- Second, our teaching approach is completely different, especially at the beginning, which is how our students become good in weeks while every other teacher's students take years to reach the same level. There is not any satisfactory way to skip it.
- Anecdote: Some years ago, a woman had taken several Level 1 classes with other teachers, and wanted to visit our Level 2 class to see if it would be good enough for her. Of course, we said yes. She came to visit during our 4th week, but accidentally arrived before our Level 1 class was finished. After 10 minutes, I announced, "OK! Level 1 class, we're done! Level 2 people, come on out and let's begin!" The woman rushed over and said, "Wait – I came to visit Level 2, not Level 1." I replied, "Yes, sorry, you caught the last 10 minutes of our Level 1 class. But Level 2 is about to begin, and you are very welcome to stay." She looked upset and replied almost angrily, "Are you sure? That was the Level 1 class I was watching? Not Level 2?" I assured it was Level 1, and apologized again. She said, "But … but … but … they were so GOOD!" (She enrolled in our next Level 1 class.)