What is east coast swing?
East Coast Swing is a six-count social swing dance with a rock step and two triple steps (or single steps for fast songs). It is the easiest way into swing music and the dance most people mean when they say "swing dancing" at weddings and socials.
History
Arthur Murray and other studio chains simplified Lindy Hop into a teachable six-count dance in the 1940s; it became the swing dance of the American Rhythm program.
Basic technique
- Triple step, triple step, rock step
- Underarm turn, tuck turn, throw out
- Single-step variation for fast songs
Music & tempo
Swing, rock 'n' roll, jump blues and rockabilly from about 120 to 176 BPM; NDCA competition tempo is 34–36 bars per minute.
Songs for east coast swing
| Song | Artist | BPM | Key | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doctor Foo (smooth version) | Parov Stelar Trio | 120 | F minor | 2013 |
| Charleston Butterfly | Parov Stelar feat. Gabriella Hänninen | 120 | A# minor | 2006 |
| Room Service | Parov Stelar | 120 | A# major | 2006 |
| Teresina | Odjbox | 120 | G minor | 2011 |
| Danse avec moi | Nôze | 120 | C minor | 2008 |
| Tattoos | Caravan Palace | 120 | C major | 2015 |
| Goodbye, Liza Jane (Leon AcAuliffe Vocal) | Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys | 120 | C# major | — |
| Party Like Its 1920 (club mix) | The Swinghoppers & Wolfgang Lohr | 120 | D minor | 2020 |
| Josephine | Parov Stelar feat. Anduze | 120 | A# minor | 2013 |
| Down Boy | The Rockin' 8-Balls | 120 | A major | 2007 |
BPM as measured by audio analysis; some tracks read at half or double the danced tempo.
All 1,833 east coast swing songs by BPM →
What to wear
Comfortable clothes, suede or leather-soled shoes that turn easily.
How to get started
Drop-in swing lessons before a social dance are common in most cities.
We list 34 studios that teach east coast swing, or browse all dance studios by state.
Key partner-dance terms
Recent research
- Joint action aesthetics. — PloS one, 2017
- Special Issue: Autoimmune Diseases: A Swing Dance of Immune Cells. — International journal of molecular sciences, 2025
- Can Samba and Forró Brazilian rhythmic dance be more effective than walking in improving functional mobility and spatiotemporal gait parameters in patients with Parkinson's disease? — BMC neurology, 2020
- The Energy Expenditure of Recreational Ballroom Dance. — International journal of exercise science, 2014
- A kinetic analysis of the triple step in recreational swing dancers. — Sports biomechanics, 2024
More east coast swing research →
Books about east coast swing
- Waltzing in the dark by Brenda Dixon Gottschild (1999)
- The swing book by Pener Dagen, Degen Pener, Scotty Morris (1999)
- Swing Dancing by Simon Selmon (2002)
- Song of Home by Susie Finkbeiner (2017)
- Getanzte Freiheit by Alenka Barber-Kersovan, Gordon Uhlmann (2002)
- Swing dancing by Wendy Garofoli (2008)
Encyclopedia summary
East Coast Swing (ECS) is a form of social partner dance. It belongs to the group of swing dances. It is danced under fast swing music, including: big band, rock and roll, rockabilly, and boogie-woogie.
Yerrington and Outland equated East Coast Swing to the New Yorker in 1961. Originally known as "Eastern Swing" by Arthur Murray Studios, the name East Coast Swing became more common between 1975 and 1980.
Frequently asked questions
Is East Coast Swing the same as Lindy Hop?
East Coast Swing is a simplified six-count dance derived from Lindy Hop; Lindy Hop is the original eight-count dance with the swingout as its core move.
What BPM is East Coast Swing?
East Coast Swing is usually danced to music between 120 and 176 beats per minute (34–36 bars per minute in competition). Browse 1,833 songs that fit on our East Coast Swing music page.
How many calories does east coast swing burn?
About 441 calories per hour for a 155-lb (70 kg) person, based on a MET value of 6 from the Compendium of Physical Activities. See calories burned east coast swing for every body weight.
Related styles
Lindy Hop
Harlem, New York — the Savoy Ballroom
Ballroom & DanceSportJive
United States (jitterbug) refined in English ballrooms
Swing & Vintage Jazz DanceWest Coast Swing
California
Swing & Vintage Jazz DanceCarolina Shag
Myrtle Beach and the Carolina coast
Swing & Vintage Jazz DanceCharleston
African American communities of the South; named after Charleston, South Carolina
Swing & Vintage Jazz DanceBalboa
Southern California (Balboa Peninsula, Newport Beach)
Swing & Vintage Jazz DanceHustle
New York City discos
Last reviewed October 2026 · Editorial policy