Frequently Asked Questions

The North Shore of Massachusetts was once home to one of the largest West Coast Swing dance communities in the area. Waterside Westies was established to become a hub for dance enthusiasts.

Waterside Westies, and Waves Restaurant and Bar are thrilled to partner for weekly West Coast Swing lessons and dancing every Thursday night.

Join us as we develop a vibrant dance community, offering dancers of all levels a welcoming space to learn, connect, and groove to the rhythm of West Coast Swing.

West Coast Swing is a cool partner dance that originated from Lindy Hop. Here’s a breakdown of its key features:

• Partner Dance: It’s a social dance where you lead or follow a partner.
• Smooth and Flowing: Compared to other types of swing dance, West Coast Swing has a smoother and more sensual feel.
• Improvisation: There’s room for both partners to improvise steps, making the dance dynamic and interesting.
• Slotted Dance: The dance is typically done in a designated rectangular area on the dance floor, allowing for easy flow of dancers.
• Musical Versatility: You can West Coast Swing to various music genres, from blues and R&B to even contemporary music.
• Extension-Compression Technique: This technique creates a unique elasticity in movement between partners.

If you’re looking for a fun and social dance to learn, West Coast Swing is a great option!
There are many WCS instructional videos available online [YouTube] to get you started.

West Coast Swing is danced to contemporary, classic Pop, R&B, Funk, and Blues.

West Coast Swing music is arguably the most diverse of any type of partner dance.

Nope, just show up. New dancers get a warm welcome by the dance community! There will be plenty of helpful folks who are ready and willing to dance with new people. And most dances have a lesson at the beginning too- a great way to meet newer dancers.

West Coast Swing or 6-count swing basics can be learned in a couple of hours. But, like playing an instrument such as piano, the sky’s the limit!

Few people have sat down at a piano for the first time and started playing Mozart. Same holds true for swing dancing. Learning West Coast Swing can take time and patience.

Don’t be discouraged; take as many lessons as you can from a wide variety of teachers. Be patient with yourself; enjoy the journey, social dance a lot.

West Coast swing is a modern evolution of East Coast swing that is danced to Blues, R&B, Soul & Contemporary music. The footwork is based on a 6-count basic, but has evolved in a stylized way to fit more modern music. As it evolved, it became its own dance.

However, it is still a distant cousin, or perhaps a different dialect of the same language. It’s similar to the differences between British English and American English. The conversation can still be had between dancers from the various communities, but each side might think the other “talks funny”.

Waves Restaurant & Bar is situated less than two minutes off Route 95 in Wakefield, located on a scenic lake with indoor and outdoor sitting… and a firepit, too!

There is plenty of parking in a spacious lot.

Hours: 5pm-12am

Full Menu & Bar

7:30pm-9:00pm: Guided Practice
9:00pm-11pm: Open WCS Dancing with local Dj’s