Discover your style
Swing rhythm moves between partner conversation and solo improvisation across several styles.
Reader guide
Learner voices
In a swing-teacher discussion, a beginner's route starts with pulse, walking to music, and simple six-count steps. Teachers recommend more dancing and drilling, less talking, and correcting only what matters most.
Reddit r/SwingDancing: lesson plan for a complete beginner ↗Community teacher experience; a ten-month-old archived thread.
Source notes
These links keep the page's evidence visible. Local class details describe access and teaching; they are not presented as global rankings or a single origin story.
The 2026/27 Vilnius schedule lists Balboa, Collegiate Shag, Lindy Hop, Solo Jazz, and Tap Practice with beginner-to-open levels, named teachers, partner guidance, safe-space rules, and prices.
Boundary: Strong local scene and access evidence, not a global teacher ranking or event-size claim.
The guide lists class and social-dance tracks by tempo for Lindy Hop, Balboa, Shag, and Blues, names Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Chick Webb, Artie Shaw, and explains how tempo supports learning.
Boundary: A UK teacher's curated playlist and teaching perspective; it is subjective and adjacent to broad Jazz Dance, not a universal top-five list.
The short version
Swing pulse, call-and-response with a band, bounce, rhythm breaks and social consent matter more than one choreography.
Harlem is a key historical reference; Vilnius has an active documented swing network through What a Jazz and Shag events, while Herräng anchors the international camp circuit.
Herräng Dance Camp, local socials, live-band nights and swing festivals are strong readable anchors. They are not a verified biggest-event ranking.
The umbrella's history is rooted in African-American U.S. social dance and Harlem, with current scenes distributed across Europe, North America and beyond.
Keep Black authorship, live music, jams, partner consent and social exchange visible. Swing is a community practice, not just a retro costume.
Listening shelf
A swing listening prompt aligned with the artists named by SwingdanceUK.
A big-band swing listening prompt.
A swing listening prompt for pulse and phrasing.
A social-jazz listening prompt.
A fast swing practice prompt; no universal top-five claim.
People to know
The Frankie Manning Foundation places him in Harlem, Savoy and the 1980s revival that helped reconnect swing communities.
Read the source ↗SwingdanceUK names Ellington among useful class and social-dance listening artists.
Read the source ↗Checked 2026-09-18. Direct pages were read for the claims below. Search leads stay labelled.
Still missing: The five recordings are search-led practice prompts because the read playlist names artists and tempo families more clearly than one ranked shelf. No reliable current global ranking was found: top fives and the “biggest” event are not presented as facts here.
Teaches in: Kaunas
A Lindy Hop teacher at Jazz House in Kaunas.
Teaches in: Kaunas
A Lindy Hop teacher at Jazz House in Kaunas.
Teaches in: Kaunas
A Lindy Hop teacher at Jazz House in Kaunas.
Teaches in: Kaunas
A Lindy Hop teacher at Jazz House in Kaunas.
Teaches in: Vilnius
A What a Jazz teacher who teaches Balboa and Solo Jazz.
Teaches in: Vilnius
A Balboa dancer and teacher since 2015; his classes focus on technique, precision, body control and smooth social dancing.
Teaches in: Vilnius
A swing dancer, teacher, choreographer and What a Jazz co-founder; he organises Swing Paradise and VLN SHG FST festivals and curates the Svingelis educational project.
Teaches in: Vilnius
A swing dancer and teacher who began Lindy Hop in 2014 and later added Collegiate Shag and Balboa.
Teaches in: Vilnius
A What a Jazz co-founder, Lindy Hop, Collegiate Shag and Balboa dancer and teacher; she attends international festivals and builds the swing community.
Teaches in: Vilnius
A What a Jazz co-founder, teacher and choreographer; her teaching values play, improvisation, individuality and swing dance history.
Teaches in: Vilnius
A Lindy Hop and Balboa teacher and choreographer who coordinates the studio's children's jazz groups.
Teaches in: Vilnius
A What a Jazz swing dance teacher and choreographer who teaches Lindy Hop and Solo Jazz.
Teaches in: Vilnius
A What a Jazz Lindy Hop teacher.
Teaches in: Vilnius
A What a Jazz teacher who teaches Balboa and Lindy Hop.
Teaches in: Vilnius
A What a Jazz choreographer and Lindy Hop and Solo Jazz teacher; her classes highlight improvisation, musicality, partnership and African American cultural context.
Teaches in: Vilnius
A What a Jazz Lindy Hop and Solo Jazz teacher.
Teaches in: Kaunas
Teaches in: Kaunas
Teaches in: Kaunas
Teaches in: Kaunas
Teaches in: Kaunas