About WCS
West Coast Swing originates in the 1930’s from a dance called ‘Savoy Style Lindey’ in New York. Later, this dance was enjoyed by many soldiers in WWII, widely known as ‘Rock and Roll’ or ‘Jitterbug’ at the time.
Today, you can find many communities dancing West Coast Swing, with a more recent emergence in the Netherlands.
Something great is that you can dance to nearly ANY kind of music with West Coast Swing! So get on the dance floor and get your moves on!
WCS Eindhoven & Team
We hope that engaging with people in our community and dancing to our favourite songs will foster a vibrant and creative dancing community.
WCS Eindhoven is brought to life through all of you who have joined and participate in our community.
Our goal is to bring joy to peoples lives through West Coast Swing; a partner dance which gives creativity to both the lead & follow.
Claire van Akkerveken
Claire’s dancing career began in 2015 in sunny California, USA. Dancing West Coast Swing swiftly became a solid passion of hers, so she began attending conventions and other dance events across the USA. She learned from multiple Chamion dancers at Boogie by the Bay 2018 and MADjam 2019 with Tatiana Mollmann, Robert Royston, Maxence Martin, and more!
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Claire missed that movement and creativity found in West Coast Swing. Thus began her journey to create a new community near home; Eindhoven! Having been an assistant dance teacher in California, Claire began teaching again in 2023 at WCSE!
Her dance experience is rapidly growing as she travels to conventions and dance events across Europe and partipates in Workshops and Private Lessons from Champion dancers. Claire looks forward to where her dance journey will take her: next up, being Westies on the Promenade in France and more!
Simone Aarts
I started with partner dance classes about 10 years ago, and over these years, I learned various styles of dance (salsa, bachata, kizomba, zouk, ballroom, improvisation and west coast swing).
For the last 4 years, I have been a dance teacher/ dance coach and dance facilitator.
The most important thing in dance for me is having fun and letting your body speak through music.
Guest Teachers
László Tárkányi & Judith Buschfeld
László Tárkányi is an international West Coast Swing social dancer, instructor, coach, competition judge, event director and most of all, an enthusiast of the dance.
After beginning in ballroom dancing in 2003, having competition success for years in the boogie-woogie scene, László met West Coast Swing in 2008. In West Coast Swing he found what he has been unconsciously seeking, a dance that can be done for almost all genres of music. For him, this dance is the modeling of real life, where you have to obey some easy basic rules, and you can do, create anything, beyond imagination. Nothing is impossible!
An All-star level dancer, László is an enthusiast of teaching the dance to others. He has been teaching weekly regular classes, weekend workshops, private classes and coaching sessions since 2013. As time passed he was invited to teach abroad, visit new countries, meet motivated and motivating students in Austria, Belarus, Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Israel, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, the United States and Ukraine. He is based in Cologne, Germany where he is growing the local community, providing diverse learning and socializing opportunities.
Judith started dancing West Coast Swing in 2017 in Cologne, Germany. She started teaching locally shortly after, and quickly became an inspiration in the community ever since. As the organizer of community Westie Brunches, regional West Coast Swing events like Cologne Summer Swing, Carnival Swing Cologne and the biggest one, Cologne Swing Weekend she stands at the heart of the German community.
Judith has been taught and coached by a prestigious lineup of active professionals, including Robert Royston, Karin Kakun, Semion Ovsiannikov, Maria Elizarova and Paul Warden. She has been successfully competing on the European circuit in both Strictly Swing and Jack & Jill categories, she is currently dancing in the Advanced division.
László’s and Judith’s classes are known for a fun and welcoming atmosphere, detailed technical tuition and their radiating enthusiasm to transfer their knowledge and experience to their students.
WCSE’s Level Breakdown
Level 1
Learning the Basics:
Left Side Pass
Right Side Pass
Sugar Push
Whip
Starter Step
Some Technique: Anchoring and Connection.
Level 2
You are confident enough in your basics and basic technique. You are now learning further variations. patterns, and technique as well as how to dance to the music. You have danced WCS for at least 20 hours.
Level 3
You have learned a bit of technique and are now trying to find your own style. You are learning musicality, as well as are able to dance to the beat and certain nuances in the music. You have danced WCS for at least 40 hours.
Level 4+
You are confident in your movement and body. You dance with ease to the music and with your partner. You are now trying to further your own style and musicality as well as tune in to precise technique and improvisational skill.