Why Choose Swing?
It's fun
It's great exercise
You meet lots of exciting new people

Why do you change partners in class?
It means that you don't need to have a partner to enjoy our classes.
Dancing with different people will help your lead/follow skills.
You meet so many cool people!

As mentioned about - sometimes two beginners staying together will get a bit stuck - sometimes you may dance with five different people and stumble along - the next partner may be the one that lights a bulb in your head and makes you go aha! Again we know it can take you out of your comfort zone - but its worth the effort. We rarely have a couple that don't change partners make it past level one. They just miss the whole social aspect of the dance. Sure it is nice to dance together - but it is exhilarating to be able to dance well with someone you've never met before! We regularly travel the world expanding out knowledge and dancing with strangers. What a high!

How long will it take to get good?
Hmm - it is a question we get asked a lot and it is such a subjective thing. We have known some people to feel completely comfortable at week 3 and others still working at it after a year. The thing that we can suggest is - practice makes perfect. Do you basic steps while stirring spaghetti, and then when you can, get out and dance! Ask new people to dance - ladies - don't just sit on the sidelines waiting to be asked - go out and get that lead. We know it's scary - but one of the fastest ways to advance your dancing is to dance with people more experienced than yourself. sometimes if two beginners dance solely together they never get to understand when they do things right or wrong! Be brave!

Do I need special shoes?
You could spend a small fortune on special dancing shoes if you wanted, but at the end of the day all that matters is spinability and comfort. The best shoes to wear are the ones that will stay on your foot when you kick, will allow you to spin on a timber floor, and have a low heel or none at all. Many of our dancers come to class wearing sandshoes. Another option is to get a nice comfy pair of shoes and have a suede sole put on the bottom of them. This can cost anything up to $80 but we know a great guy who does them cheap. This makes a great affordable pair of dance shoes. If after a while you feel that you want to upgrade - then by all means come and see us about purchasing an authentic pair of dance shoes. to be honest we still like our sueded Volleys!

What about the music?
This would have to be one of the most commonly asked questions and one that we often find difficult to answer. As a listener of swing music - you can pick up and Big Band CD and discover gold - as a dancer it can be a little more difficult. Its not unusual to buy a CD only to find that there are only two songs on it that are suitable for dancing to. A lot of songs can be too slow, too fast or have a massive big drum solo in the middle. That's why we have hooked up with Mike of Sunflower Music on the Gold Coast to find the best CD buys on the market for the new Swing dancer. Personally at Swing Dance Brisbane - when it comes to dancing we prefer the original tunes of the Swing era - Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie etc. But there are some awesome modern day bands out there who replicate the songs and sounds of that era with panache. 'Campus Five', Bill Elliott's Swing Orchestra , Mora's Modern Rhythmists are all great choices. There is also a style of music out there known as neo-swing. This includes artists like Royal Crown Revue and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, who produce music similar to Swing, but there are some unique challenges with trying to keep up with it.