Hybrid progressive West Coast Swing training in Vancouver

Next semester: Apr 14-Jun 24

featuring:

  • 6-week CONNECTION Bootcamp
  • Choreographed Practice Routine

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Become more than a “tinkerer” -
let’s actually build your dance and see what’s possible.

Is your West Coast Swing craving...

More structure + more practice + more feedback = more fun, retention, & progress 

More technical details, more styling & musicality, and more social dance survival skills

Training with dancers who want to get nerdy together and elevate their dance to have more fun

It all starts now.

Westie Academy consists of a combination of online and in-studio training for freshman, sophomore, and junior dancers with Champions and master teachers, Tessa Cunningham Munroe and Myles Munroe. 

This levelled 11-week class series using Swing Literacy method in-studio will offer progressive content in a powerful, strategic structure that has been proven worldwide to accelerate dancers’ progress and help them access more fun, freedom, and creativity in their dance. 

These classes, 6pm at DVS Apr 14-Jun 23, will be taught by a combination of Myles & Tessa plus high-level Swing Literacy trained teachers who will focus on hands-on feedback, practice drills, practical applications, and the details you’ve been craving.

Westie Academy is for dancers who are currently registered in or alumni of the Swing Literacy Dancer Development Program:

Backed by a powerful learning system

What makes these classes more impactful is that they include and are built on the core content of the Swing Literacy Dancer Development Program digital course, which provides the whole story of all aspects of West Coast Swing: The mental game, solo movement, connection skills, musicality, patterns & styling, the culture & history of the dance, and social dance survival skills. 

The DDP is an invaluable resource essential for every Westies’ toolbox, because it fills in the gaps you may be missing, and is a “force multiplier” to help you get more out of every other class and workshop you take.

In Westie Acedemy, dancers complete this fun and enlightening multi-media course concurrently with their weekly classes, so they have like-minded peers to practice with who are equally motivated to improve their WCS, and guidance on exactly how to practice.

This hybrid system has been proven to be extremely effective with over thousands of dancers worldwide.

What you get:

11 Sundays of in-studio group coaching 6-7pm Apr 14-Jun 23, 2024, to support you as you work through the Dancer Development Program.

  • Session teachers will alternate between Myles, Tessa, and high level Swing Literacy teachers
  • Westie Conditioning: guided drills for footwork, bodywork, and refinement
  • Connection coaching to supplement the DDP material, with hands-on feedback from coaches & guidance for peer feedback
  • Access to exclusive private lessons
  • Skills assessment to determine your next Westie Academy level
  • NEW: A level-appropriate choreographed practice routine designed to level up your confidence, consistency, and musicality!

Plus...

Access to the upcoming 6-week Connection Bootcamp, starting mid-May

$299CAD for the semester (Apr 14-Jun 23)
Momentum members enjoy 25% off

 For anyone doing the DDP for the first time, or students who are working toward their Westie Academy 2 achievement.

This class will focus on:

  • establishing and fortifying a solid foundation of skills and practice habits.
  • The technical details underneath all the personal dance skills and partnership connection
  • the rules of the game for getting more creativity and improvisation


For DDP alumni who have achieved the minimum skills required in the skills assessment for Westie Academy 2. This assessment is provided at the end of Westie Academy 1 or by request.

This class will focus on:

  • refining techniques that have already been renovated and are becoming automatic.
  • more complex patterns and personal styling
  • More complex concepts and tactics for social dancing and competition

How to enrol in Westie Academy

Register for the DDP*
Email info@swingliteracy.com to get a code for $500 off

After registering for the DDP, email info@swingliteracy.com to request the link to enrol for Westie Academy. We will assign you to WA 1 or WA 2.

We'll email you immediate access to the DDP so you can start it ASAP!
Then we'll see you live at DVS April 14!

FAQ's

Can I enrol in Westie Academy without the DDP?

No. Westie Academy is exclusive to current Swing Literacy students or alumni (those who are currently taking or who have completed the DDP)

Is there a Bootcamp included?

When you register for the DDP, you will automatically get the upcoming Bootcamp included, which will be offered in May-June 2024.

Do you offer tuition assistance?

Yes, via payment plans and/or work-study. Contact us for details: info@swingliteracy.com 

It's not a good time for me. Will you offer this again?

The next enrolment for Westie Academy will be after Easter.

Will the content be the same as last semester?

No, since there is the Connection Bootcamp starting mid-way through the semester, we're going to focus on a complimentary goal of practicing a level-appropriate choreographed practice routine!


What will happen with WCS Essentials? How does this compare?

WCS Essentials is a non-progressive class that will continue at the same time, as usual.

Westie Academy is for dancers who want to get more out of their dance with more progressive and thorough training & hands-on feedback.

If you want to keep taking Essentials, go ahead and register through SwingSoul Sundays.

Do I have to be a certain level to do the DDP?

It works best for dancers who have taken at least a few months of WCS. Dancers of all levels have taken the DDP, from Newcomers to Champions. 

Dancers who have been dancing for years are shocked to discover how much they never got a chance to learn before.

The DDP is also the core content for the Swing Literacy Teacher Track.


More about Myles & Tessa


Partners for 22 years, Myles & Tessa have dominated the Showcase division and compete at the highest level in improvised competition. They also teach workshops, train teachers, judge and perform on the global circuit.


Tessa has been professionally practicing physical education, movement analysis, and pedagogy for the past 30 years, in the context of multiple sports and dance styles, with degrees in both Kinesiology and Education.


Myles has a lifetime of dance background, including classical solo dance training, Ballroom, Salsa, Theatre Arts, and 6 UCWDC World Championship titles. along with being classically trained and studying the inner workings of over 20 different dances.


They are creators of a teaching methodology called Swing Literacy which uses the science of learning to help dancers learn WCS faster and train smarter. They specialize in training dance teachers to do use it too, and tour globally delivering this system.