If you are a West Coast Swing dance student, then attending national dance events should definitely be on your radar. Not only do these events provide you with the opportunity to showcase your skills and compete with other dancers, but they also allow you to connect with a broader community of West Coast Swing enthusiasts from all over the country. Here are a few reasons why attending national dance events should be a priority for any serious West Coast Swing dancer.
Improve Your Skills
Attending national events provides you with an opportunity to learn from some of the best dancers in the country. Many events will offer workshops and private lessons with top instructors. These workshops will cover everything from technique and styling to musicality and competition strategy. Attending workshops and learning from experienced dancers can take your skills to the next level and help you achieve your dance goals.
Expand Your Social Network
National events bring together dancers from all over the country, which means you'll have the chance to meet new people and expand your social network. You'll be able to connect with other dancers, instructors, and organizers who can help you learn and grow as a dancer. Building relationships with other dancers can also help you find practice partners, potential competition partners, and even romance.
Access to the Professionals
National events attract highly skilled and experienced dancers, instructors, and judges, many of whom are well-known and respected in the West Coast Swing community. These professionals typically offer a wide variety of workshops, group lessons, and private lessons to students at these events. By attending these workshops, students can learn from experienced instructors, improve their technique, and gain valuable insights into the dance. You'll also get to see many of these professionals compete in Jack & Jills (randomized partners) to show off their lead-follower skills and compete in their routine divisions to demonstrate the highest level of the West Coast Swing art form. Sometimes, you can even dance with these amazing dancers when they are out social dancing.
Competing
If you are serious about West Coast Swing dancing, then competing at a national level is something to consider. Competing gives you the chance to showcase your skills and progress at your respective level. Dance events often feature tiered competition levels for dancers at different abilities. For example, the main levels are Newcomer, Novice, Intermediate, Advanced, All-star, and Champions. For randomized competitions like Jack & Jills, one does not even need a partner to compete—you will get to dance with various partners. Some events even have competitions for different age ranges like Juniors for under 18, Sophisticated for age 35 and over, and Masters for age 50 and over. These types of competitions make West Coast Swing events ideal for new dancers who do not have a partner but would like to try competing. Learning to compete allows helps dancers to measure their progress on a national level, creating a great way to overcome challenges and find inspiration.
Have Fun
National events are about more than just dancing and competition. They are also a chance to have fun and enjoy yourself. Many events offer social dancing, live music, and other activities outside of the competition. This is a great opportunity to let loose, make new friends, and enjoy the West Coast Swing community.
Attending national dance events should be a priority for any serious West Coast Swing dance student. These events offer the chance to improve your skills, expand your network, compete with the best, and have fun. So, make sure to add national events to your dance calendar and take advantage of everything they have to offer. Happy dancing!
