Your Vancouver hub for learning, growing, and playing West Coast Swing
Group Classes
For first-timers or Swing veterans upgrading their skills
Social Dancing
Friendly, inclusive dance parties with great music & floor
Private Lessons
Accelerate your learning with tailored 1:1 sessions
Workshops
Condensed learning to boost you to the next level
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Class Descriptions
A new class series usually begins on the first weekend of every month All classes are located at Dance Vancouver Studio.
Click here for studio tour and location map
Got questions? Email: swingsoul@swingliteracy.com
SWINGSOUL SATURDAYS: for Beginners
4 SATURDAYS 4-5:15pm
- Starting the first Saturday of every month.
- Couples or singles welcome.
Price: $25/drop-in or $80/month
Location: Dance Vancouver Studio
Register
Intro to WCS A
Welcome! If you're new, start here!
This class is for the absolute beginner, or dancers from other styles wanting to learn West Coast Swing.
What you'll learn:
Way more than just standard basic patterns: you'll get a well-rounded set of skills that will help you feel successful and confident sooner and have more fun! Content is progressive from week to week and repeats each month. You'll get a WCS "Passport" to keep track of your progress!
What's next:
Once dancers can check off all the skills and patterns in their Intro A Passport, they can move into the next class: Intro to WCS B (Bridge)
While drop-ins are possible, we strongly recommend registering for the month series, starting at the beginning of the month.
Click here to learn more about beginning West Coast Swing
SATURDAYS 5:15pm
- Pre-requisite: 4 weeks of Intro A, or basic understanding of elasticity, 6- and 8-count timing, and all basic patterns.
- Couples or singles welcome.
Price: $25/drop-in or $80/month
Register
Intro to WCS B (Bridge)
This "bridge" class is for students who have completed 4 weeks of Intro to WCS A, or for WCS dancers who would like to review their basic skills in order to keep up in the WCS Essentials class.
What you'll learn:
This class builds on the skills from Intro A, with more details and practice to solidify your foundation for West Coast Swing so you can access more confidence, competence, variety, and fun! Content is progressive from week to week and repeats every 2 months. You'll get a WCS "Passport" to keep track as you collect all 8 weeks of skills.
What's next:
Once dancers are consistently applying all the skills and patterns in the Intro B (Bridge) Passport, they can move into the next class: WCS Essentials
While drop-ins are possible, we strongly recommend registering for the month series, starting at the beginning of the month.
SWINGSOUL SUNDAYS: For Experienced Dancers
SUNDAYS 6:00pm
*includes social dance party 8-10:30pm
Price: $65 for 3 weeks OR
$25 single class
Register
November: Hip Hop Mini-Series
Learn Hip Hop grooves and styling that you can use in your West Coast Swing. Explore movement variations that enhance your rhythm and creativity in solo practice, then apply them in familiar West Coast Swing patterns with a partner.
This is a drop-in, non-progressive series.
Series taught by Celina Villarroel-Whiting who’s lifetime of dance training includes solo dances plus Salsa, Bachata, Ballroom, Afro-fusion, Brazilian Samba, Dancehall and West Coast Swing.
How it works:
- No partner required.
- Content is NOT progressive. Feel free to drop-in without missing content.
SUNDAYS 7:00pm
*includes social dance party 8-10:30pm
Pre-Requisite: at least 6 weeks of Intro to WCS B (Bridge), or
Significant experience with elasticity, standard patterns, footwork, body pulse, and turns.
Price: $25/drop-in or $80/month
Register
WCS Essentials
This class is for dancers who are not brand new to WCS, and are looking to solidify, automate, and expand WCS their skills to feel confident social dancing. This class is focused on practicing and detailing key technical topics in personal movement skills, partnership movement skills, musicality, applied to essential patterns every Westie should know.
Includes a free skills assessment with a teacher so you can find out what skills you should be prioritizing in order to progress faster! Ask for a free WCS Passport to help you track your progress!
While drop-ins are possible, we strongly recommend registering for the month series.
Which class is for me?
- First time or starting from scratch? Start in Intro A.
- Finishing your first Intro A? Graduate to Intro B or feel free to repeat Intro A, or take both.
- Not sure if you should join Intro or Essentials? Start in Intro B
- Not feeling confident enough for Essentials yet? Stay in Intro B as long as you like to fill in some gaps and get more practice.
- Taken 2 months of Intro B? Add the Essentials class when you feel confident.
- Been taking Essentials for a while but want more progressive learning and more details? Check out Westie Academy
Got questions? Email: swingsoul@swingliteracy.com
Social Dance Parties
Social dance party every Sunday* open to all!
Get your social dance fix here every
Sunday 8:00-10:30pm (ish).
Featuring rotating DJs, a beautiful floor, excellent air conditioning, and loads of friendly, inclusive dancers!
Included free for all registered students. $10 drop-in for all others.
*Occasional black out dates: stay tuned to our Facebook page for announcements
“
SUE KATZ, VISITING FROM OUT OF TOWN
Why I had an amazing time at SwingSoul Sunday:
1. Myles was the evening’s DJ and he played real swing music – every song had an actual beat.
2. Not a single other dancer questioned why/how/if I was a leader.
3. And finally, and most amazingly, the upper-level dancers danced with everyone. No one seemed to sit out a single dance. It was astonishing to watch the seamless integration of beginners, intermediates, and high-ranking dancers, the mix and match, the enjoyment the better dancers got from encouraging the newbies. Almost all the top dancers asked me to dance. Likewise, many beginners, even people after their first lesson, asked me to dance.
Proven method built by Champions
Myles Munroe & Tessa Cunningham Munroe are Champion West Coast Swing dancers and master teachers. After years touring globally to teach, judge, and perform, they are finally excited to be supporting the Vancouver community in resuming classes.
They are creators of a teaching methodology called Swing Literacy which uses the science of learning to help dancers learn WCS faster and train smarter. They specialize in training dance teachers to do use it too, and tour globally delivering this system.
This means no matter what West Coast Swing class you take at DanceVancouver, you will be getting high quality instruction from trained teachers delivering the most current West Coast swing technique and style with a progressive curriculum.
Learn deeper, access more fun
Get a free skills assessment
You've been learning a mashup of skills and patterns, but how can you tell where you stand? How do you know if you're on the right track or what YOU should be working on so you can eliminate bad habits, upgrade your skills, and be a more well-rounded dancer?
Ask a SwingSoul teacher for a free 5-minute 20-point skills assessment! We'll dance with you and give you a quick prescription so you can walk away knowing which skills to focus on and how you can get them.
Get one-on-one coaching
No matter what level you are currently at, private lessons can make a world of difference in how fast you progress because we can customize your learning experience.
Private lessons are available from all teachers, at Dance Vancouver Studio. Feel free to approach any teacher to inquire.
We learnt the very basics of WCS from Myles and Tessa during the EuroDance Festival years back. When the party started in the evening, I danced with a lady in a 1920's outfit who obviously knew her WCS and enjoyed me going... just... wow. Enough to grant me a second dance. Told my wife all grinning and she said "No wonder you were blown away. She is the Boogie Woogie world champion. You missed her show in the main ballroom earlier tonight".
The next day I learnt the footwork and was dumbfounded when the party started, unable to dance for over an hour.
THANK YOU for inventing Slingshot and the Boing and allowing me this lifetime experience on my first day of dancing WCS!
Stefan Denk
Pushing my creativity and communication
As a leader, Myles and Tessa's WCS-B class at SwingSoul has helped me focus more narrowly on the cause and effect relationship between isolated and collective movements and how it affects the Follow's reaction.
This step-by-step breakdown has encouraged creativity and improved communication in my dancing, discovering new pathways of movement and bolstering clarity in what I suggest to my partner. It's a refreshing relief from classes that focus strictly on patterns rather than the fundamental movement skills that exist within the pattern.
Sean Audet
Great place to start your WCS journey
As a person who got into dancing as an adult and have tried different partner dance styles i have realized that for fast learning the most important thing is good fundamentals. The best way to to get that is to choose professional dancers who have been dancing and performing for many years. Tessa's and Myles' classes are designed for fast learning, good fundamentals and teaches high quality WCS skill sets. It's a great place to start your WCS journey here.
Krista Stasiulyte
Learned more in 1 month than in 8 months of classes
"THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! I only hope that I can convey to people considering taking dance lessons just how good you really are. In the past month you have taught me more than I learned in the last eight about connection, leading, body awareness, and actually dancing with the music. My confidence and level of dancing has improved immensely since taking your classes!"
M.L.
Head and shoulders above the crowd
"When compared to other top-ranked professional dancers who teach, Myles & Tessa are head and shoulders above the crowd. Their ability to break down complicated technique and make it accessible even to beginners is unparalleled. And their classes are always refreshingly entertaining!"
Ken & Angela Wolder
Got love to share?
Fill out this form and we'll add your appreciation for SwingSoul to the testimonials above. Thanks in advance! We all appreciate a little bit of love!
The SwingSoul Team
Tessa cunningham Munroe
Swing Literacy Creator & Master Teacher
Tessa has been professionally practicing physical education, movement analysis, and pedagogy for the past 30 years, in the context of multiple sports and dance styles, with degrees in both Kinesiology and Education.
Myles & Tessa
Canadian West Coast Swing Champions
Partners for 22 years, Myles & Tessa have dominated the Showcase division and compete at the highest level in improvised competition. They also teach workshops, train teachers, judge and perform all over the world.
MYLES MUNROE
Swing Literacy Creator & Master Teacher
Myles has a lifetime of dance background, including classical solo dance training, Ballroom, Salsa, Theatre Arts, and 6 UCWDC World Championship titles. along with being classically trained and studying the inner workings of over 20 different dances,
Dalynne Roberts
Swing Literacy Trained Teacher
Dalynne has been working with Swing Literacy programs for the past 5 years and competes in the Novice division. A natural teacher, speaker, and entertainer, Dalynne is passionate about making every human feel welcome, included, and inspired.
celina villarroel-whiting
Swing Literacy Certified Teacher
Celina's lifetime of dance training includes solo dances plus Salsa, Bachata, Ballroom, Afro-fusion, Brazilian Samba, Dancehall and West Coast Swing. As a lover of movement, she is also a registered Kinesiologist, fitness instructor and personal trainer.
Jen Malcolm
Swing Literacy Certified teacher
Jen is a full-time WCS obsessor who moonlights as a web developer and often finds herself upside down with handstands and acrobatics. As an All-Star level competitor and US Open Rising Star Champion, Jen travels internationally to compete and teach, but is hopelessly addicted to social dancing with all comers.
MAX LIBBRECHT
Swing Literacy trained teacher
Max is an AllStar level competitor whose dance journey started with regency ballroom dancing in college. As a university professor of computer science, Max's analytical skills and abundance of sweet enthusiasm make him a relatable and encouraging teacher.
ERIC CHISHOLM
Swing Literacy trained Teacher
Eric leverages his background in Musical Theory, Applied Philosophy of Education, and varied movement practices as he competes in the AllStar division. He loves to meet people wherever they are at in their dance journey, taking the learner's perspective.
Inna Stetsiak
Swing Literacy trained Teacher
Inna's strong performing arts foundation includes classical piano, Ukrainian folk dancing, Argentine Tango, Salsa, Bachata, but West Coast Swing has truly captured her heart. As a competitor, Inna has placed top 3 in the Rising Star and Intermediate divisions. She also deejays local social dance nights combining her musical knowledge with her love for dance.
...and more coming soon!
Why is it called"SwingSoul"?
West Coast Swing is known as the "dancer's dance": many people explore multiple dance styles, but when they discover authentic West Coast Swing, they fall in love.
The unique freedom of West Coast Swing gets into your soul. Being able to connect and improvise dance conversations that have endless creative possibilities with any level of partner... it's addictive! It feeds your soul. And our souls are all needing some nurturing these days.
The other reason for the name is it pays homage to the history of of the dance. A descendant of Lindy Hop, a black American cultural dance, West Coast Swing has always followed current musical trends from each decade, and one of the timeless genres is Soul and R&B.
All classes at SwingSoul will include education on the history of the dance and the origin of the movements whenever possible so dancers can appreciate the source of this art form as they train in the science of the movement skills.
Our community vision
Historically, Swing dancing culture has always been inclusive: a community where everyone has equal access to fun and can be accepted and included regardless of their gender, skill level, background, shape, age, etc. Our goal is to maintain and preserve that culture, through education, modelling, and leadership.
Everyone recognizes you and welcomes you and you feel like you belong
You feel safe speaking up for your needs either to a partner or to the teachers
You have mentors to ask for guidance if you are unsure or need help
You view competitions as a fun challenge you can choose to access at any level
You can choose either role from the start or expand your skillset when you're ready
You have the skills to be able to create amazing dances with any dance partner
You feel supported to improve your skills and explore more training opportunities
You feel integrated into the whole Vancouver WCS scene and global WCS community
Your opinions, concerns, and needs are listened to and valued
You feel welcome to ask anyone to dance, even if you're nervous
You feel invited and welcomed into the scene as a newcomer or visitor
You know where you stand in your WCS journey and where you want to go next
This is the mission of SwingSoul. We are excited to have you join us.
Beautiful studio
DanceVancouver, 1627 Broadway at Fir, is owned by veteran international Salsa pros, Patrick & Scarlet Moriarity.
This beautiful 2nd floor studio has hardwood floors, high ceilings, excellent A/C, large washrooms, and a huge, quiet lobby for conversations and hanging out. The two rooms are 1100 and 900 sq ft, and are combined for social dance parties.
With its entrance right on Broadway, it is clear of the construction zone, and has ample parking both in lots and on the street.
Before or after class, grab a bite at Leopold's Tavern on the first floor, Earls or Tim Horton's next door, or several other restaurants nearby.
Find Dance Vancouver Studio and explore the neighbourhood
Parking options:
