What is West Coast Swing? West Coast Swing is a grandchild of the popular "Jitter-bug", also known as the "East Coast Swing" and "Lindy", of the 1930's and 1940's. In the 1950's, when dancing was very popular and dance floor space was at a premium, Southern California dancers refined their dancing to dance in what is called a "dance slot", as opposed to dancing in a small circle. The "slot" method allows more dance partners on a dance floor than that of the East Coast, Lindy, and Jitterbug swing varieties. Since it was invented on the West Coast, it became known as "West Coast Swing" or WCS for short. In the 1990's West Coast Swing was adopted by California as the "State Dance". West Coast Swing is danced to a variety of music - Blues, Funk, Hip Hop, Country, Top 40's and R&B - a slower beat than other swing dances. The dance includes basic patterns with quick turns and spins, and as the dancers improve they improvise and syncopate to the music so that what you see is a sexy, smooth dance, that is timed to the beat, the lyrics, and the instruments of the music being played. Once you've seen West Coast Swing, you've got to learn it.