Launch yourself into something new

This DVD by Nuroc dance Company is a studio DVD taught by Charles and Michelle Gil. It's obvious strength is the clarity and comprehensiveness of the teaching. The first lesson runs for 18 minutes covering every little hint and tip about hand holds, weight transfer, feet angles, hand tension, you name it. It is perfect for your introduction to West Coast Swing. More on instruction detail below.

Your Teachers for this West Coast Swing DVD are:

Charles and Michelle Gil. This couple are very experienced dancers in several styles.

HERE'S A PREVIEW

AUDIO: Instructors are not wearing mics and the mic seems to be on camera. Even though the room is small the first impression is a bit echoy. The instruction is still easy to hear and understand.

VIDEO: The video and lighting are adequate. There is a little room for improvement in the video field as you can see by the preview, however, there is no hindrance here to the instruction or your ability to understand and follow the teaching. The background is uncluttered making discerning the patterns and movement easy. The aspect ratio is 16:9.

NAVIGATION: The navigation allows you to select one of the four routine's taught, and then any one of the specific moves in that routine or the dance through of the whole.

INSTRUCTION: The instruction is conducted by both Charles and Michelle. They teach at a slow and thorough pace, taking time even to show you the leader's and the follower's footwork seperate from their partner. Both instructors teach clearly and thoroughly. Each move is taught through with a count, to music and without a count to help the student start to count in their own mind. The rountine, showing the links between moves is demonstarted before and after each lesson. There are only four lessons, but the content level is high in each. There's plenty here to get you dancing and to start you off with a comprehensive basic knowledge of the principles underneath the dance.

SUMMARY: This is a great way to start out with west Coast Swing. Build your confidence before you go public, or consolidate and deepen what you have been learning in class. You will pick up tips and gain understanding of some subtle but important concepts that will add the "look good" and the "feel good" to your dancing. You won't be dissappointed.

Come back soon for more great resources from Nuroc in Modern Jive and Rock 'n' Roll too.

See the full cover here