(Dance 1B) Beginner Night Club Two-Step
Not what you’d think of when you think “Two-Step”, Night Club Two-Step is a slow dance that is perfect for night clubs, parties, or wedding dancing. Wedding couples choose it because of its romantic, slow, and relaxed characteristics that are typically danced to a slower tempo of music. It is also popular with Country Western dancers who might include a version of this dance in their competitions. In addition, it is a common dance at West Coast Swing dance events because the music of both share the same emphasis, i.e. on the second beat.
This dance style is typically danced to ballads with a 4/4 timing, however, it can also be done to easy listening, smooth jazz, and R&B music. Night Club Two-Step is an easier dance that almost anyone can learn. Its key characteristic is a rock step (5th position break) followed by a side step with a slight sway. The frame is relaxed with a little more distance between the partners, and some say it is one of the most practical and versatile social dances ever conceived!
Night Club Two-Step was developed in 1965 by a 15-year-old West Coast Swing dancer from Whitaker, Illinois named Buddy Schwimmer. He developed the NightClub Two-Step while practicing with his sister as he searched for a way to popularize slow ballad music.
Looking for music to practice to? Check out our weekly featured practice songs in our Facebook Group’s Practice Tune Tuesday series!
Lessons
(Dance 1B) Beginner Night Club Two-Step – Basic Steps
(Dance 1B) Beginner Night Club Two-Step – Sway and Travelling Step
In this second video, Alex shows us how we can travel more when dancing our NCT-S. The Travelling Step is also taught as a tool to facilitate the learning of some other patterns in the series. Alex goes on to explain that the sway is an upper-body tilt that is created to counteract the sliding […]
(Dance 1B) Beginner Night Club Two-Step – Left Turning Basic or Cross-Body Lead
This figure in Week 3 is also known as the Crossbody Lead and is danced in several other dances as well. It shows us how we rotate our Basic Pattern instead of always keeping it stationary. This adds a lot more movement and fluidity to our basic movements. Some of the aspects of Night Club […]
(Dance 1B) Beginner Night Club Two-Step – Adding an Underarm Walk
This week’s lesson builds off the Left and Right Rotations that we learned last week. Alex shows us how the Leaders can dance these rotations without keeping their partners in a closed frame. They will encourage, (lead) their followers to walk underneath their arms. Visually, this might appear like a turn, however, it is more […]
(Dance 1B) Beginner Night Club Two-Step – Flat Spins
This week we will learn how to dance Flat Spins. Alex describes them by saying that they are similar to the Walk Around Turns that we do in the Cha-Cha or Rumba, except without a Rock Step. The unusual thing about this figure is that the lady closes her feet while changing direction when she […]