That was the most amazing weekend!! I don't even know how I'm going to sleep after that! The Swing Club board has brought magic to our City and they don't even look out of breath! Myles and Tessa, the connection in myself and the people I danced with was so drastically different throughout the lesson. There's no turning back now for our community...this is an epic shift.
In this paradigm-shifting weekend experience, we deliver key techniques in a unique, entertaining and accessible way, leaving you better able to connect and apply material you have collected from other dance training. Permanent improvement guaranteed.
How?
We fill in the gaps in your foundation that are holding you back, and literally transform how you learn new material in WCS.
It's all about the method. And that's just the beginning...
As master teachers and teacher trainers, we developed the Swing Literacy Development Method based on our lifetime of diversified dance training, research and certification in dance pedagogy, and decades of teaching and coaching experience.
We offer a suite of online training programs for dancers and teachers to transform the way they learn and teach WCS. What makes the difference is that unlike traditional dance instruction, we use a proven progressive skill development approach.
This means we integrate physical education skills into WCS learning, and teach it in a fun and surprisingly accessible way, in a magic order that builds sustainable foundations. So you can learn any style of WCS better, faster, and easier.
Have you ever heard a teacher or judge say,
"You've got your basics down, but you need to work on your "quality of movement" or "timing, technique, and teamwork"
What does that really mean? How can you work on something you can't really define?
In this live, in-person extended workshop, we'll define it for you. But we won't just define it: we'll build it on you, so you have a structure and plan to practice it on your own.
No patterns; just the technique you've been searching for to make everything you've been trying to learn actually work properly.
The Swing Literacy Intensive is progressive, meaning the skills build on each other in a very intentional and effective way, which avoids overwhelm and produces drastic improvement, fast!
The dancers who attend see a permanent shift in the way they learn, practice, and grow their WCS, regardless of the style they prefer.
When you apply the Swing Literacy Method to your dancing, the effects are immediate, incredible, and inspiring:
That was the most amazing night!! I don't even know how I'm going to sleep after that! The Board has brought magic to our City and they don't even look out of breath! Myles and Tessa, the connection in myself and the people I danced with was so drastically different throughout the lesson. There's no turning back now for our community...this is an epic shift.
The Swing Literacy Intensive is an incredible experience! Myles & Tessa create a supportive, encouraging environment and their passion for improving the experience of the dancers is obvious. Drawing on their extensive background in dance, sports, and pedagogy, they have created a progressive and comprehensive curriculum, which builds a strong foundation and gives dancers a toolbox of necessary skills to experience more success at every level. The Intensive gives everyone an opportunity to see it in action! It is full of mindblowing realizations when students put the pieces together, and those realizations and developing skills leave a lasting impact on the dancers. We use Swing Literacy methods and content now in our regular classes, and our students remember their Intensive like it was yesterday, always saying that they wish they could experience it again. Myles and Tessa bring along their Swing-Literacy-trained teachers as assistants so that students have support all around the room, and can feel the difference these skills make. This also provides us teachers with invaluable, hands-on, guided experience in teaching West Coast Swing to the highest standard possible, which does not exist anywhere else in our global community. I would highly recommend this Intensive to weekend conventions and local events.
SLI was an amazing weekend, full of "aha!" moments for me. Myles and Tessa are not only great dancers, they are great teachers and communicators.
I was a little apprehensive as a relative newcomer to WCS to attend, but I am so, so happy I did. While it was an intensive weekend, as promised, it was never stressful or overwhelming. I acquired new skills and enhanced the ones I had, all while laughing and having fun.
I noticed a change in my dancing right away. At the dances in the evening, I was more confident, more communicative, and more relaxed. Thanks to the Swing Literacy approach, I genuinely felt my partners and I were speaking the same language on the dance floor.
The Swing Literacy Intensive gave me so more incredible value in 2 hours than I normally get out of a whole weekender! Myles & Tessa's way of explaining it is so clear and the social dancing was so much more successful, I was almost immediately a better follower and the leaders were suddenly more enjoyable to dance with. Thank you Myles & Tessa! -
Over the years, one thing has consistently stood out to me: their workshops are far more than just dance lessons. Myles and Tessa bring an unmistakable energy and a deep passion for the dance that transcends technical skills.
When they step onto the dance floor, the world seems to pause for a moment. They create an environment where people connect, not only with each other but also with themselves. This is especially remarkable in a time when we all rush through life, with little time for relaxation. But with Myles and Tessa, there is space—space to learn, grow, and enjoy together.
What sets them apart from other instructors is their approach. While many dance teachers focus on teaching impressive moves or refining styling and technique, Myles and Tessa take a different path. They emphasize the connection between the dancers, regardless of their different backgrounds and personalities. Whether you're a beginner or advanced, everyone comes with the same goal: to become a better dancer and have a great time on the floor.
In their workshops, they highlight the essence of dancing together: you’re not just dancing for yourself, but also for your partner. Their method makes you aware of how you can adjust to each other, so both of you can enjoy the moment. This creates a deeper connection and fosters joint development, both as individuals and as dancers. It’s not just about the steps; it’s about finding harmony in movement and experience.
The beauty of their approach is that they bring dance back to its roots: a way to connect with others and with yourself. They remind us that dance is a social, physical, and emotional journey. You move, you connect, and you grow on multiple levels. West Coast Swing, in particular, is a special dance form because it also evolves, partly thanks to the ever-changing music.
For anyone looking to learn West Coast Swing on a deep fundamental level, their Swing Literacy Development Program provides the most complete and perfect source. Whether you're aiming for social dancing, competitions, or simply personal growth in your dance, their method offers a solid base to grow with.
I loved the Swing Literacy Intensive! Myles and Tessa were engaging, professional, witty and fun. Their teaching method allowed me to understand clearly that the feeling and quality of movement while dancing WCS is more fulfilling (and important) than just knowing the actual step patterns. They focused on the "nature" of the moves and coach us by incrementing step by step until we actually "get it". And I can tell that probably it was the intensive where I felt the most improvement (almost immediately!). I strongly recommend the Swing Literacy Intensive to everybody who wants to take their WCS dancing to the next level.
You have a growth mindset and can handle “undergoing construction”. You acknowledge that “you don’t know what you don’t know” and are hungry for feedback.
You’ve been feeling blocked, but you’re ready to step out of your rut and make your dance feel more functional, comfortable, creative, and desirable to partners!
You’re an accomplished dancer or teacher who appreciates technique and professional development, and you are shopping for the best methods to teach West Coast Swing.
Tell your studio, Swing Club, or favourite event promoter that you want Myles & Tessa to run their Swing Literacy Intensive there ASAP! Then send them the link to this page.
Watch for upcoming Swing Literacy Intensives being promoted on our Facebook Page
This weekend immersion experience is a powerful way to revitalize, recharge, and reset your entire dance school or community. Everyone at all levels hears the same material at the same time, then gets trained on how to exchange feedback about it and practice it later so the learning continues long after the weekend is over.
When possible, trained Swing Literacy teachers attending the event are invited to participate as teaching assistants. Guided by us and amplifying our instruction, they coach participants with one-on-one feedback throughout the Intensive.
By participating in the Swing Literacy Intensive, teachers earn credit towards their Swing Literacy Teacher Development Program certification. The rest of this 40-hour program is delivered ONLINE. Click here to learn more.
Dancers enrolled in the Dancer Development Program earn credit for their participation in the Swing Literacy Intensive, which goes towards their certification. Click here to learn more.
The Swing Literacy course for me was like a eureka moment, finally understanding what I had been missing. As a WCS dancer, so many long-time outstanding questions were immediately satisfied. Having a path connecting the common ideas together, often in logical causal ways, creating real understanding, gives a real level of confidence to build my dance on. I couldn't recommend this course more highly, in the hope that future dancers find their feet more strongly, more rapidly, avoiding much of the uncertainty as a beginning dancer. The ideas and concepts in the material are so effective and make so much sense, one might wonder why this isn't the standard for all. For me, after a long time being in a plateau, it gave a new sense of satisfaction, and paved the way to a better more enriching dance experience.
Would you love to see your local teacher(s) benefit from this kind of training? Know an up-and-coming dancer with teaching ambitions you would like to support?
Many teachers would love to get training like this, but struggle to afford it.
It's possible for you, as an individual or as an organization to sponsor their tuition for either the Swing Literacy Intensive, or for the Swing Literacy Teacher Development Program. Contact us for details.
Tessa’s academic background started with competitive swimming, where she received National Coaching Certification, created a Coach Training Program, graduated from UBC with a Bachelor of Kinesiology, and started an Olympic-track coaching career, all before returning to school to complete her Bachelor of Education.
Tessa has been professionally practicing physical education, movement analysis, and pedagogy for the past 30 years, and this constant training in “how to teach” was the other huge factor that allowed Myles and Tessa to create such a powerful and effective program (Swing Literacy).
Myles brings a classical dance training background, 6 UCWDC World Championship titles, Karate, Wing Chun Kung Fu, Jiu-Jitsu, golf and motorcycle racing to the table, and considers himself an eternal student of manipulating kinetics for sport and art
Myles is so passionate about improving his craft, he literally has a tattoo that reads, “Technique prevents the body from limiting the soul’s expression”. His studies in all of these non-dance fields, along with being classically trained and studying the inner workings of over 14 different dances, is a huge part of what made it possible for him and Tessa to create Swing Literacy.
As currently active, highly decorated WCS Champions and master teacher trainers, Myles and Tessa have traveled the world accumulating, studying, and analyzing a variety of teaching resources in order to narrow down the elements the most successful ones all have in common. Myles and Tessa hunt for the best and worst methods available, analyze why they work (or don't), and diligently research and test any new methods against physical education best practices, to produce a current, curated, comprehensive collection. Through teaching thousands of group classes and private lessons, and a variety of workshops and intensives, they have already tested their methods on real students many thousands of times.
Swing Literacy is the product of all of this research and development.
“We are in the business of R&D for teaching West Coast Swing, and making Swing Literacy the gold standard for West Coast Swing teaching.” - Myles and Tessa
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I thought this was the best use of 3 hours during the entire event. Myles and Tessa's instruction and focus helped me work on the basics and feel like I made some progress vs learn another pattern I probably wouldn't use or do well. I look forward to studying with them any chance I get.
Katina Wyder
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Highly recommend the Swing Literacy Intensive, it was a fantastic tool for correcting or acquiring new skills. The course content was applicable to a wide range of experience students- from novice to expert levels. Myles & Tessa's high energy, fun delivery added value to the experience, and I personally hope to build on what I just started.
Manuel Montero
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This Intensive provided knowledge of the subtle yet essential aspects of WCS that I have not found elsewhere. I would highly recommend it for people just starting to learn the dance, as well as people who have done it for years but would like to improve their technique and enjoyment.
Reggie Jess
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The SLI is great because it focuses us on the fundamental skills of WCS required to produce the cool patterns, stylings, and musicality we so often see. It also challenges us to re-think how we as teacher teach WCS (even to first day newbies). It *is* possible to give students the essential tools they need to succeed and have fun immediately while also forming foundational skills!
Eryn Cantrell
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Taking SLI is like finding the missing piece of the puzzle in my WCS dance. I’ve taken countless lessons in 1.5 years. For the first time I heard detailed information, instruction and demonstrations of technique, body movements, timing, foot work and much more. And SLI is just the tip of the iceberg! Myles and Tessa go deeper! Can’t wait for more!
Linda Kilhoffer
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I have been dancing WCS for about ten or fifteen years, but I’ve mostly given up because I seem to be stuck and have not been able to improve much. This was exactly the game changer I was hoping for: a way of understanding that went beyond patterns and footwork. I appreciated the body mechanics and the way it integrated the different focuses and explained the logic behind the techniques we sometimes learn. My WCS feels revitalized and re-motivated, thank you!
Nora Ishibashi
Q: Is this Intensive going to be just basic techniques?
A: Swing Literacy gives you the fundamental details you deserve and need in order for your WCS to progress. But this does not mean it will be basic! Dancers from Novice to AllStar have taken the SLI and walked out completely blown away that they have been surviving this long with an incomplete foundation, and since the SLI, have been able to progress where they were previously stuck. While Techniques will play a dominant role, we will explain exactly HOW to apply them to Tactics and Strategies such as invitation leads and follower styling, surviving and compensating for partner “habits”, and how to prioritize what musicality you should aim for.
Q: What level is the Intensive geared towards?
A: This intensive is not appropriate for new beginners. Dancers should be comfortable with their basic patterns and no longer needing to count. The level is otherwise irrelevant, because we will be training the underpinnings of movement and learning that are not level-dependent. The Intensive will be immensely valuable to ALL experienced dancers, regardless of their stage of development. Plus, a big aspect of the Swing Literacy approach is training how to collaborate with partners of different levels, both in practice and on the social dance floor, so we need to train with others from different levels.
Q: I’ve already taken an Intensive, I don’t need to hear this information again.
A: You've grown a lot as a dancer since the last time you heard this information, which means this time you're going to hear it and experience it differently at this new phase of your upward learning sprial.
Plus, at a Swing Literacy intensive, you are guaranteed to hear new information and feel it working in your body to make a difference in your dancing immediately. You are also very likely to finally have a breakthrough in understanding other advice that teachers have been trying to tell you for years.
Email your local event director or community organizer the link to this page and tell them why you would love to see this happen in your community!
When you see it offered in your area, register directly with the event and SHARE it with your friends!
