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East Coast Swing

In addition to West Coast Swing, the beginnings of the 1980's saw a growth in interest in various other vernacular swing styles too. Carolina Shag, enjoys two big get-togethers each year at Myrtle Beach, SC (as featured in the film "Shag") and there is the more recent, but hardly acknowledged, relative "Beach Bop". This new enthusiasm encouraged dance teachers to start offering classes in what they described as "basic" Lindy Hop or Jitterbug. They dispensed, however, with the basic eight count step and offered instead the six count pattern of ballroom jive. This became known as East Coast Swing. The Country Western dance community has re-interpreted the East Coast Swing with great panache.