Single Swing—

In the 1920s, swing dancing emerged as young people moved to the jazzy, bluesy, big band music of the time. In round dancing, the dominant swing rhythm is East Coast or triple swing. However, the figures that we use have mostly come from International style, competition jive, and most of our cue sheets identify these dances as "jives." There has been some effort to distinguish between triple-swing and triple-jive, with jive being faster, bouncier, and more in place, and swing being slower and with more travel during the triples.

Single Swing is certainly not as common as the triple style, but there are a few perennially popular Single Swings, and Roundalab has begun to standardize and to list some Single Swing figures. Actually, any triple swing figure or jive dance can be danced as a Single Swing. Simply dance each triple or each chasse as a single slow step. Each 6-count figure changes from a rock, recover, and two triples to a rock, recover, step, step (q,q,s,-; s,-,), four steps over the six beats of music. Dance with soft knees, with forward poise, and on the balls of the feet.

Let me mention that less common still is "double swing" with six steps or actions over the six beats: rock L, recover R, press L, step L; press R, step R, (q,q,q,q; q,q,) (of course, the woman begins with her right foot). I don't think I have ever seen a round dance choreographed as a double swing, but I did once see a triple jive danced with some double swing styling. The press actions were done as little, stabbing kicks into the floor: rock, recover, kick, step; kick, step. We round dancers certainly have the licence to make any dance our own.