West Coast Swing for Beginners Volume 1 *Collector's Edition*

This is arguably the most challenging and rewarding dance on the social dance scene! Master it and you'll be admired by your peers. West Coast Swing is often referred to as "the dancers' dance", and this is one of Shawn's favorite dances to teach as he breaks it down into all the necessary components for success.

Moves included in this DVD are:

• Lead & Follow Basics
• Compression & Leverage
• Basic Push & Passes
• Inside & Outside Turns
• The Cut-Off & Reverse
• Tuck Turn & Starter Step
• And more...

West Coast Swing for Beginners Volume 1 is packed with tons of easy to follow instruction in a “what you see is what you dance” format. Designed for beginners who've never danced West Coast Swing, this DVD puts a strong focus on lead and follow dancing and learning the fundamentals. More than just basics and the moves listed above, you’ll learn about connection points, proper hand placements, creating the lead, transitions and combining moves. To further enhance the instruction, a full breakdown of footwork for each move from both the leader and follower perspectives is given.

Filmed and produced with Picture-In-Picture technology from multiple camera angles, you'll be impressed at how simple this DVD makes West Coast Swing for you.

Shawn Trautman has been a coach and mentor to numerous World Champions as well as countless social dancers since the early 1990's. Shawn welcomes people from all walks of life regardless of shape, size, or ability to his classes. His broad experience in both dance and Advanced Learning Techniques makes his methods of instruction innovative, easy, and fun. If you're ready to learn and have fun, Shawn Trautman's Dance Collection is the way to go. Order your copy today, and be dancing by next weekend!

Order your copy today and start West Coast Swing by the weekend. Order this DVD as part of the West Coast Swing Dance Starter Pack and save.

"My spouse and I have watched a number of dance videos. Some are pretty good, some not so good. Shawn and Joanna's are first rate. We have several, including West Coast Swing for Beginners I and II, Intermediate West Coast Swing, and Beginning Hustle. We have already ordered several more.What do we like about them? I'm glad you asked:

Shawn's instructions are VERY clear. He has a background as a trainer, so this helps in his ability to communicate instructions. He uses the old adage, "tell them what you're gonna tell them, tell them, then tell them what you told them--except he substitutes the word "show" for "tell." They may not be the most "entertaining" products on the market, but they are probably the most thorough.

They focus on technique, which is just as important as knowing lots of steps. They always spend a lot of time talking about connection points, tips for leading and following, styling, etc. Some people think their pace is too slow, but I assure you that once you finish you will know how to dance, and how to dance correctly.

At the beginning of each section (usually there are four sections on a video) Shawn will demonstrate the steps he is about to teach (and will explainn what it is that they are about to teach). This is extremely valuable because when you come back later to review (which you invariably will), you don't have to go back through the whole lesson, you can just get the highlights. In most cases, that's all you will need. By the way, this solves one of the problems of live classes. Usually you forget key details of what you learned and you have no way of reviewing until your next lesson. With Shawn and Joanna's videos, you can literally get a review of an entire lesson in just five minutes.

The lighting and sound is professional. Joanna adds a bit of personality to the duo. This is refreshing because in a lot of videos, only the guy teaches. Joanna isn't just a pretty face along for the ride. She provides women with valuable information about what the lead should feel like and how to follow.

We took a 90 minute West Coast Swing class locally. We learned probably twice as much in our 90 minutes with Shawn and Joanna than we did in the same amount of time with a live dance instructor, and did I forget to mention the fact that you are able to go back and review as often as necessary. Dollar for dollar, you just cannot go wrong with these videos.

I only have two criticisms. One stems from the inherent nature of learning to dance off of a DVD and the other is something Shawn and Joanna can actually correct. First, you don't get feedback from an instructor to tell you whether what you are doing is correct. This is where supplementing the DVD's with a class might be helpful. However, you'll cut down your expenses since you won't need as much instruction. The second problem is that sometimes they get to fancy with the cameras. Just as they are about to introduce a step, the camera will zoom in or out, which can be kind of distracting and it takes a couple seconds for your eyes to adjust.

Overall, these are excellent products that I would highly recommend."
D. Mills (Anchorage, AK)

"First i want to thank Shawn for making such great DVD's to teach with, I have been to live classes and they put so much stuff at you you can't follow and you get lost and discouraged but Shawn's videos bring out the best in you as he breaks it down so you can understand the dances, we went back to the DVD's to learn the proper style of the West Coast Swing again thanks Shawn & Joanna for all you do to help us learn the right way" Tom Ward (Jacksonville, AR)

"Shawn and Joanna Trautman present the essentials of West Coast Swing in an easy to learn, carefully thought out, step-by-step format that insures learner success and confidence. As a retired teacher and high school coach, I was very impressed with the instructional methods the Trautmans used in this DVD. They give a brief overview of each new dance sequence, demonstrate the sequence, and break it into easy to follow steps. They guide the learners through ample, step-by-step practice to insure mastery and confidence before building to the next sequence. Suggestions for lead and follow techniques from Shawn for the male dancers and Joanna for the ladies, ensure that their students will be able to dance lead and follow West Coast Swing with any partner. Finally, practice is provided with music to permit the learners to master their new skills with appropriate tempo. Each lesson closes with a brief review to insure you're on target.

I found the DVD the next best thing to expensive private lessons from a highly skilled dance instructor. Save yourself money and learn West Coast basics from dance masterteachers. Otherwise, you can spend hundreds of dollars on private or group lessons and not learn as much as you can from from the Trautman's video. You can follow up with the Trautman's West Coast Beginner's Volume 2 and West Coast Intermediate DVD's and get thoroughly grounded in Swing dance."
Victor Gregor (Sterling, VA)

"5-Star Lessons!
Shawn, your teaching style is comprehensive and clear allowing for plenty of practice time within the lesson. We really appreciate the thought you put into the lessons and have enjoyed them immensely. Joanna, I value the information you've given on following responsibly and "responsively". It's been great for us who can't find good quality lessons on West Coast Swing."
Jennifer Caron, Unknown

"We already had an intro to West Coast Swing but this DVD gave us a rock solid foundation on which to build and incorporate the few steps we had already learned. Shawn and Joanna start with the basics - connection points, lead and follow, footwork - and build from there. They provide step-by-step explanation and demonstration of each step for both the leader and follower. So whether your are brand new to WCS or have had a taste but want to make sure you have a good foundation, this is a great place to start. We highly recommend it." Ken K (Staten Island, NY)

"I wanted to learn WCS and I took a chance on your videos. It was the best chance I ever took! Love your teaching style and you are real personable couple... Keep up the good work and I'll keep recommending you to my dancing friends."
Dancin' Don, unknown

"I've heard it said Shawn Trautman "owns" the West Coast Swing and it's true. This couple nails the instruction of West Coast Swing. This DVD will save you hundreds of dollars in lessons." Raymond Jones (Glendora, CA)

"great for muscle memory. I've taken private classes, and Shawn's DVD's are the only ones that focus on repetative excercises to get your muscle memory established - good stuff!"
Yarko T, Unknown

"Easy to follow. Repeat moves over and over so that details can be clearly seen and practiced."
Henry E., Palm Beach Gardens, FL

"Very professional. Shawn does a great job of breaking down each step so that beginners can easily follow."
Dorothy B., Largo, FL

"Excellent series! Don't hesitate to order Volumes 1 & 2 of this excellent series. Shawn and his wife are terrific instructors. I had never learned to dance because I lack confidence. The Trautmans, through these DVD's, give you all the confidence you need."
Esliedufresne

"Very easy to follow instructions and pace."
Tommy C., Clinton, MS

"I like the pace of instruction from the point of view of each of the partners."
Ann R., Little Rock, AR

"Good instruction. Very quick shipping, good instruction and easy to follow, recommended. Thanks!!"
Wchitam

"For beginners - Great! Very satisfying transaction. The DVD is in perfect condition and it is just as described for beginners. Great transaction, Thanks."
Todd P., CA

• West Coast Swing Starter Pack

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