West Coast Swing Starter Pack *Collector's Edition*

The absolute best starting point for West Coast Swing anywhere! This fine-tuned series of easy-to-follow lessons gives both leaders and followers maximum results in minimum time on the toughest social dance out there. The West Coast Swing Starter Pack is for any beginner dancer who is looking for a firm foundation in West Coast Swing fundamentals as well as several cool and completely leadable combinations that you simply cannot find anywhere else outside of Shawn Trautmans Dance Collection.

Order today to take the dance floor by storm! This 3-DVD set includes everything a beginner needs to get on the dance floor with confidence and be able to dance with just about anyone. Key features of this set includes 4 different camera views, extended review time with music alongside the instructors, real-time practicing in the same direction of the instructors, and a proven learning system based on learning blocks and stacking information. If you are serious about learning West Coast Swing, you should not overlook this set.

Best WCS instructional Set
"This is an excellent instructional WCS set. I have been dancing WCS for about 12 years and my fiancée wanted to learn. I knew that in order to save the relationship I should not try to teach him! (Plus I do not know how to lead). I reviewed a lot of DVDs and was most impressed by Shawn Trautman's series. WCS is a complicated (but fun) dance and it really helps to have Shawn and Joanna break down every aspect (rhythm, counts, footwork, hand holds, compression, passes, turns, etc.) My fiancée is really impressed with the quality of instruction and finds it easy to follow and learn from. If you are learning WCS I would recommend having this set at home, even if you are taking lessons. My fiancée and I find that we may go home and review something we learned at a lesson by going to that section of the DVD, or we learn a new move by practicing one section of the DVD before going to a dance. I highly recommend all of Shawn Trautman's instructional dance DVDs. Shawn and his wife Joanna are excellent teachers. Shawn does a great job of breaking down the footwork and also provides tips on style and leading. Joanna does a good job on providing info on following and style- and she makes funny comments along the way keeping it fun. They are very down to earth and personable and really care about feedback from dancers."
- Dawn, NYC, NY

Thorough and well dissected elements of West Coast Swing
Benji and Heidi helped bring west coast swing to a wider audience on "So You Think You Can Dance", and this set of videos can help you get started. These videos do about as good a job teaching dance without a "live" instructor. It would be best to have an instructor, but it that isn't possible, this would be the next best thing. These aren't just "move" videos, but they also discuss footwork, frame, connection, leverage, compression and all the nuances that go into leading and following a dance. If you are an experienced dancer these are probably things you already know, but if you've only been dancing a little while, or have learned socially without an instructor, this series may turn you on to some concepts that you haven't thought about. If you've never danced before, this will get you started in the right direction. A video can't look at you and tell you what you are doing wrong, but the instructions go a long way towards heading off problems you might have. The moves are easy to follow because you can position yourself in the same plane as the instructors and follow them step for step. There are also quite a few exercises that break down the moves into their component parts to help you get the feel of the music or steps without having to worry about leading or following. I'm a fairly experienced dancer, and most of this stuff I'd heard before, so I know it's a pretty thorough course. Having had classes with the Trautmans I know that they know what they are talking about. If you know some other dances and want the basics of west coast, or want to clean up your social dancing, or just learn the dance period, then these are the videos you'd want. D. Hendricks

West Coast Swing Fun That Lasts!
"My wife and I attended a New Years Eve Dance two years ago and after watching some dancers, we were inspired to learn how to dance. After trying an expensive dance instructor who limited each dance session to one or two moves, we gave up and decided to look at dance DVDs on Amazon.com. After trying numerous DVD instructors, we discovered Shawn Trautman's DVDs had the best instructions and was the easiest to follow. West Coast Swing is a very difficult dance with many steps, but Shawn Trautman and his wife made it so easy that in very short time, we graduated from beginners to intermediate dancers. Shawn and his wife,Joanna, are so thorough when giving the best complete explanation of each move. He also allows you to learn and practice each step before moving on to the next step. They show both the man's step and the woman's step so as you dance you look smooth, and graceful. You don't have to continually rewind and play over and over like so many other DVD dance instructors in order to try and understand what they are doing. Shawn and his wife are without question the most detailed and easy to follow instructors we have found. Now, we are continually asked in the dance halls, where did we learn how to dance? We are happy to say we learned our dancing at home using DVDs. We wasted money buying many DVDs from other instructors and now are concentrating on learning new dances including ballroom dance instruction by Shawn Trautman. He makes dancing so easy and it has become our favorite pastime. We feel so grateful that we bought Shawn's DVDs. If you want an expert who is easy to follow, Shawn Trautman is "The Dance Instructor". In comparison to paying for dance lessions, DVD's are the easiest and cheapest way to learn to dance and having fun." D. Hood (Bella Vista, Arkansas)

Well Taught Dance!
"We have just started going through the West Coast Swing dance lessons. We really like the easy unrushed step by step approach and the attention to detail. The way each lesson slowly builds on the skills previously taught is particulary well done. We are competitive international style ballroom dancers and are finding your West Coast Swing DVD's making a refreshing addition to our repertoire of dances, especially for the social dance floor." C. Wright

West Coast Swing was new for us - this was very helpful!
"It is obvious, the Trautman's know how to teach dance, and they have mastered teaching it via DVD. Like Shawn Trautman's entire collection (we now nearly own all of them), each of these DVD's is like taking several one hour personal one-on-one live dance classes (such a class can cost $60 per hour or more). Just like a live class, Shawn and Joanna show each new step repetitively and with a pace that can be easily followed. They introduce each new dance step together in dance frame so that you can see immediately how it is supposed to look. Then after some repitition and some good pointers, Shawn explains the new step for the leaders, then Joanna does the same for the followers. Finally they come back together and do the steps to music before moving on to the next step. This is easily follwed and does not require you to constantly rewind and replay the steps. At the end of each video, the Trautmans put all the steps together for a two or three minute dance to music so that you can see how all the new steps that you have learned come together. We had never danced West Coast, and we were dancing comfortably by the end of he first video. Beginners Volume 2 adds some really nice steps to give you some good variety in your West Coast dancing. We are now working on digesting the Intermediate DVD. It is plenty challenging for a beginner but allows you to see what your West Coast Swing could be if you stick with the DVD's and practice, practice, practice. One really great thing about West Coast is it takes very little floor space to dance it so staying right in front of the TV while following along with Shawn and Joanna is no problem. Like our other Trautman dance videos, these are being used over and over to hone our beginners' skills and to use as a practice tool. I recommend this 3-disc set to anyone interested in dancing West Coast Swing, whether you are a beginner, novice or intermediate dancer. These will only make you better." John

This review is on West Coast Swing for Beginners Volume 1
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 C

This review is on West Coast Swing for Beginners Volume 2
"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." Leslie D

This review is on West Coast Swing for Intermediate Dancers Volume 1
Best West Coast Swing Video I have seen
"I have been learning west Coast Swing for about 2 1/2 years. During this time I have had class instruction, private instruction and purchased tons of videos and DVDs. I have been hungry to become an accomplished dancer and I have always been disappointed with the Instructional DVD's and VHS tapes. They were either poor quality, confusing, poorly conceived or all of the above. I recently purchased several of the Shawn Trautman Dance Videos. Shawn Trautman's dance video is professional, easy to understand, and breaks down the movement so even a novice can learn to dance. I recommend this series to anyone who wants to learn to dance and wants clear and professional instruction from a DVD." Ken Hardy

• West Coast Swing for Beginners Volume 1
• West Coast Swing for Beginners Volume 2
• West Coast Swing for Intermediate Dancers Volume 1

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