Swing Dance Scotland

A free dancers' information page provided by the Swing Doctors. Visit out homepage for notes on how to dance these styles.

Swing dance, first seen in the Big Band era of the 1930s and 1940s, has come back to Scotland! A whole new generation is now discovering the fun of partner dance to wonderful music in the friendly atmosphere of the country's various swing clubs and classes. This page is intended to provide a quick 'directory' of what is on offer; if you know of anything I should have included but have not, please let me know.

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Classes and clubs for swing styles;

Lindy Hop/ Jitterbug (click here for history, step guides etc) (Lindy Hop is the original swing jive, dating from the 1920s; smooth and sophisticated when slow, it can become wild and energetic when the tempo picks up. This dance is ancestral to all other forms of jive, and is still considered by many to be 'the' dance of the swing era).

West Coast Swing (a 1940s Californian derivative of Lindy Hop that combines strong latin influences with swing dance. It is elegant and romantic by the standards of most jives)

Balboa An American close-hold swing dance from the 1930s (or the 1940s, depending on who you believe!).

The Swingdoctors (teaching, performance etc)
Edinburgh University Swing Dance Society (Beginners' course running every Monday in term time)
Edinbop (several levels of class running every Monday)

Collegiate Shag An American swing dance from the 1930s, characterised by a close and compact form

Glasgow: Glasgow Jitterbugs
The Swingdoctors (teaching, performance etc)
Edinburgh University Swing Dance Society (Introductory sample classes only, as yet)

St Louis Shag (aka "speed shag")

The Swingdoctors (teaching, performance etc)
Edinburgh University Swing Dance Society (Introductory sample classes only, as yet)

Glasgow Jive (the dance hall culture common in the 1950s never died in Glasgow as it did in most other places, so the social jive of that period survives as a living tradition. The dance is similar to and fairly compatible with ballroom jive, but Glasgow jive is an authentic dance form that has escaped ballroom formalism. Visitors from the USA find it very similar to East Coast Swing).

Edinburgh (Ener-Jive) 0141-772-2193
Glasgow (Ener-Jive) 0141-772-2193
Glasgow (Jive Alive) 0141-556-1213
Glasgow (MG Dance Clubs) 0141-630-0450
Kilbirnie, North Ayrshire (Traditional Glasgow Jive)

Ballroom Jive

Edinburgh: Classes by Marina Delicta: to book contact Dance Base on 0131-225-5525

Modern Jive (aka 'French Jive'/''Ceroc'/'Leroc'/'Le Jive'/ 'Jazzjive'; not strictly a swing dance, but can be danced to swing music as well as to Rock'n'Roll music and contemporary 'pop'. The dance has been constructed to be very easy to learn).

Swing Line Dances

The Swingdoctors (teaching, performance etc)
Edinburgh (1) Edinburgh Swing Dance Society teaches some classic swing line dance routines (The Shim-Sham, Jitterbug Stroll, The Madison, The Electric Slide etc) in 'warm-up' sessions before the main Thursday night classes in Lindy Hop. The ESDS website contains summaries of these routines

Swing dance performance groups based in Scotland (alphabetical order)

Please e-mail me if you know of another group that should be here.

The swingdoctors (who run this site, aa well as other things)

Edinburgh Swing Dance Society (amateur: occasional performances for charity fetes etc, and Festival Fringe events).
Edinburgh University Swing Dance Society . (amateur: occasional performances usually at University-based events)
Fly Right Dance Company ("professional company offering performance opportunities for amateur talent: also occasional performances for charities etc; educational programme in community and schools; often operate with Fat Sam's Band, and went with them in 1998 to perform in the USA to present the first dance show ever to be presented at the world's biggest jazz festival" - quote supplied by Fly Right. Please note that this company has no connection to the swing band King Sandy and his Fly Rite Boys.
Glasgow: Glasgow Jitterbugs
Strictly Swing (professional: 'cabaret' performances in West Coast Swing and also Latin American styles. Phone 0141-770-9180).

Links

Swing Diary

This diary covers Scottish events only, and is restricted to those that centre on swing music and dance (which is why most Modern Jive events are not listed - for details on these, click on the websites shown above). If you want your events to be listed, you have to tell me about them...

Regular events

Mondays - Lindy Hop, Balboa (& sometimes other styles) Classes at Edinburgh University Swing Dance Society, University; also Balboa classes and social at Edinbop, Boteco Do Brasil, 47 Lothian St
Wednesdays - Lindy Hop (classes and social) at Summerhall from Edinbop
Thursdays - Lindy Hop Classes (continuing beginners/ intermediates) from ESDS
Fridays - every week Glasgow: Glasgow Jitterbugs
Saturdays - Monthly Bal-Brunch at the Wash Bar Edinburgh - see Edinbop.
Sundays - Monthly (usually 2nd Sunday of the month) from ESDS
Sundays - "Swing on a Sunday Afternoon" - organized by ESDS

NB - While I make every effort to ensure the accuracy of this list, I cannot be responsible for losses caused by any errors. Please check with the organisers before travelling.

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These pages are maintained by a local amateur swing dancer/ teacher with no financial links to any group or organisation. Please do not copy or use any part of the logo at the top of this page without my permission (it is copyright, and meant only for Swing Dance Scotland web pages and associated classes and events).

Jamie.Davies@ed.ac.uk