Dlive Dance // West Coast Swing to "Real Friends" by Camila Cabello

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Hi Friends!

Here is a dance video filmed exclusively for Dlive. I am a competitive west coast swing dancer, and some of you may have seen my First Place dance back in January! Last night I was DJ’ing at a local dance, and asked my friend Edoh if he wanted to film a dance video.

Filming can be a really valuable way to evaluate your own progress, notice bad habits that are starting to form, and look for areas that can be improved. Besides, I thought it would be fun to share my dancing with my Dlive fam!

We started filming… and then things got a little crazy!

Partner Switching Fun

My friend Heather decided to jump in and turn it into a partner switching dance! This means that they are basically going back and forth on who is leading me- and then there are points where all three of us dance together.

I have mad respect for Edoh and Heather because smoothly jumping in “mid-move” and stealing the lead is really hard! It takes a lot of practice and skill. They basically have to figure out how to exactly place themselves to pick me up in the middle of a spin. Ideally – I won’t even notice that the leader has changed if the transition is smooth enough.

What is West Coast Swing?

Unlike east coast swing (traditional swing dancing), this is a smooth and grounded dance that is completely based on partner connection. It blends technique and creativity in a way that allows both people to influence the dance – whether they are a leader or follower! I never get sick of this dance because you aren’t just doing pre-learned moves. Every dance is different based on the song, the connection, and how both people are flowing!

You can also do west coast swing to a variety of music like pop, lyrical, country, rock and really anything with a beat that lines up with the beats of the dance. This is why I LOVE DJ’ing for this dance. It allows me a lot of room to find new music.

Thanks for Watching!

I really hope you guys enjoyed this DLive exclusive dance video! Dance is one of my biggest passions in life and I love getting to share it with you all.

Xo, Lea