East Meets West Swing Dance Weekender

YEG Dancer, West Coast Swing Edmonton, Sugar Swing, and Delphine Romaire are teaming up for a two-day deep dive into West Coast Swing and Jive. At-a-glance • Dates: Saturday–Sunday, October 25–26 • Focus: West Coast Swing (Sat), Jive (Sun) • Social: Two rooms on Saturday night (no social on Sunday) ⸻ Saturday, Oct 25 — Schedule Daytime Workshops (by WCSE) • 12:00–12:50 pm — Absolute Beginner Basics (pushes, passes, whips) — Elise Millard Brand new to WCS? Need a brush-up? Learn the foundation moves that make up the building blocks of this highly improvisational dance style! • 1:00–1:50 pm — Beyond Beginner — Elise Millard Work on the dynamics that give WCS its distinctive quality with compressions, extensions, and the infamous anchor! • 2:00–2:50 pm — Connection for All Occasions — Kenneth Valentine How do you “talk” to your partner on the dance floor? Progress through connection features in this dance, which will allow you to communicate with your partner. Turn “mistakes” into successes! • 3:00–3:50 pm — Social Dance Tricks for Beyond Beginners — Kyle Loranger & Melissa Larson-Harney Learn some fun tricks for the social floor! More importantly, learn how to execute them safely! Evening (with Sugar Swing) • 7:30–8:30 pm — Beginner Lindy Hop workshop (Sugar Swing) • 8:30 pm–12:00 am — Two-room social • Upstairs: West Coast Swing + Ballroom • Downstairs: Lindy Hop • 12:00–1:00 am — Downstairs social closes; upstairs social continues • Bar: Available downstairs until 11:30 pm • DJs: Upstairs DJed by DJ Takokat featuring Sophia Yip; downstairs DJed by Sugar Swing ⸻ Sunday, Oct 26 — Schedule Daytime Jive Workshops (social dance–focused) All taught by Delphine Romaire and Bryan Senn • 12:00–12:45 pm — Jive History, Origins, Musicality, Posture, Lead & Connection Brand new to Jive? We’ll start with the roots of the dance and make our way into foundation. Learn some basics and how to hold yourself and your partner! • 1:00–1:45 pm — Intermediate Level Steps We turn up the heat a bit and go into some fun things now that you’ve got some foundation. • 2:00–2:45 pm — Kicks and Flicks What gives Jive its distinctive energy? Arguably, kick and flick technique is a core part! Learn how to execute them, but more importantly, how to lead and follow them on the social dance floor! • 3:00–3:45 pm — Fun Social Variations To round off the workshops, we’ll go over some fun ways to use what you’ve learned so far to spice up your dancing! Note: No social on Sunday. ⸻ Pricing • Full pass: $110 until 11:59 pm Thu, Oct 23; $120 afterwards • One day (daytime workshops only): $60 until 11:59 pm Thu, Oct 23; $70 afterwards • Any single workshop: $20 • Social only: $20 (at the door only; one price gives access to both floors) ⸻ Shoe Recommendations • No outdoor shoes beyond the carpeted or concrete area by the door—help protect the hardwood floors. • West Coast Swing: Low-heeled or flat shoe to shift weight toward the heels (very high heels may interfere with anchoring and grounding). • Jive: Medium heel for leads and a higher heel for follows to shift weight toward the ball of the foot—improves speed and reaction time. • Lindy Hop / East Coast Swing: Footwear somewhere between WCS and Jive—less grounded than WCS, less elevated than Jive. • If you must choose one: Opt for a lower heel for maximum versatility. ⸻ Questions Send a direct message to Kevin Trieu.