Swing Dance Archives - The Love of Dance

First Dance Styles in a nutshell…

Here’s an easy reference summary of our first dance styles series for you to click on and review.

Day 1: We can either start with your song advising of a style which would suit, or even help you find your song if you know what style of dance you’d love to learn. Read this post to see how you can start your First Wedding Dance Journey.
Day 2: Foxtrot – classic, romantic and smooth.
Day 3: Waltz – ethereal, smooth and stylish.
Day 4: Salsa and Rumba – dynamic, sensual and cool.
Day 5: Jive and Swing – light, bouncy and fun.
Day 6: Freestyle Dance – adventurous and non-traditional; bringing the wow to your wedding!

If you’d like to have an initial conversation about your dance, or book a dance consultation with one of our experienced teachers.

Visit our Contact Us page for more information.

Happy First Dance planning!

We leave you with a clip of Caroline and Tim’s First dance – a Foxtrot…

Get the Wedding Party Started with a Swing

Swing dance styles are the more fun, vivacious dance styles to suit more up-tempo tracks – great first wedding dances to to get the party started. There are many types of Swing Dance, including Lindy Hop, Charleston, Jive and Rock N Roll created in the 1920s-50s to accompany swing style jazz music.

Heres a throwback photo to one of our jive parties we taught at for a regular social dinner and dance!

Jive for example is classed as one of the international latin styles of dance. It came from the US in the 1930s and has a bit of a retro vibe about it. Your first dance song doesn’t have to be from these eras – here are some songs that we think perfectly fit Jive and Swing dance:

Happy – Pharrell
Uptown Funk – Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars
Candy Man – Christine Aguilera
Sing Sing Sing – Benny Goodman
Do Your Thing – Basement Jaxx

Social Jive Dance basic steps consist of two slow steps on the spot and then a ‘quick quick’ rock back and forward. These styles don’t travel around a dance floor, although the size and energy of movements that can go towards the spins and sometimes jumps and lifts (for those feeling really adventurous!) can really eat up the space. The steps should be light and bouncy and the upper body is free and responds to the usually jazzy and lively music with an air of showmanship and lots of smiles!

We’re not just about weddings. TLOD has also taught Jive and Swing dance parties for many occasions such as birthdays and commercial party events. Taster sessions in any dance style are a fun way to help guests get up to their feet and onto the dance floor. Your guests get mingling whilst learning some basic steps too – well we don’t want them feeling left out of the dancing action!