A few blasts from the past:

Benji Schwimmer & Torri Smith (later Zzaoui) performing on ‘DWTS’ (2009):

https://youtu.be/Ww_ZMn91ZLY

Benji Schwimmer & Jordan Frisbee dancing in a clip from a movie (2010):

https://youtu.be/aR6jsVNj6wk

And Benji and his sister performing on ‘DWTS’ (2012):

https://youtu.be/h4Q__iomzJQ?si=JQLvK6yXHXPgrt5z

Interesting interview about some of the origins and evolution of WCS:

https://youtu.be/gYWZHzLLt1s?si=wY9mAlCOdAIzczWw

Another article:

https://www.altaonline.com/dispatches/a63012241/switching-it-up-with-west-coast-swing/

If you have access to the New York Times, they have a new article about WCS!

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/23/arts/dance/west-coast-swing-dance.html

Had to share this: 😍

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8NY16Jm/

Affinity Swing is planning to do interviews in its livestream from The Open.

https://www.affinityswing.com/live/the-open-2024

https://theopenswing.com/livestream/

Update: Coverage was supposed to start many hours ago; don’t know what is holding it up.

Here is a new approach to a WCS competition livestream—by mixing in interviews, critiques, behind-the-scenes shots, and with anchors at a desk, like they do for sports events:

https://www.youtube.com/live/ea3TaKRQf30?si=QjVU9kJ8l55rQsvP

Home page: https://youtube.com/@westcoastswinglive3109?si=HSf9brimlYSsp9IM

I was reminded he was on “Dancing With the Stars,” Season 2, in 2006 . . . and placed second! So not his first foray into dance, though it has been almost two decades. ;)

The WCS world meets the football world:

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP88SX1hW/

I am now also seeing Instagram and Threads mute certain songs on their WCS videos.

Meanwhile, here’s a fun kind of alteration: AI animations of WCS videos. This one was done with the dancers’ cooperation.

(On Instagram:)

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C1XWoynJpoJ/?igsh=bTM4dXp0b3prZ3Vu

(Or on YouTube:)

https://youtube.com/shorts/xyHwSI1-Pc0?si=F1Alx9q2nlPoCPPo