What makes CWF so amazing? Our emphasis on social dancing, learning, and the ability to explore other dance styles in addition to West Coast Swing. At our core, we value the inclusion of all levels, both within West Coast Swing, as well across complementary dance styles.

To this end, as in previous years, in addition to our Main Room which will remain primarily focused on West Coast Swing ……. we will be featuring our “Carolina Mix Room” for social dancing on both Friday and Saturday nights!

The specifics are:

On Friday and Saturday Nights our Secondary (Lakeshore) Ballroom will become a “Carolina Mix Room” – we will be playing a mix of WCS, Shag, Hustle, Country-Western Two-Step (CW2) and Night Club Two-step (NC2) for social dancing.   This will provide a great option for those not interested in competing to social dance to all the styles of dance that we will be teaching over the weekend, to warm up prior to competing, and then complement the Main Room social dancing throughout each evening.

And, don’t forget …… we also have social dances on both Thursday night (starting with a pre-dance lesson at 8 pm and then dancing until the sun comes up) as well as Sunday night into early Monday morning.

We are excited to once again include complementary dance room activities in our 3rd and 4th ballrooms on both Friday and Saturday nights!

For 2023, Greenville Blues & Fusion is hosting a Blues & Fusion Room on both Friday and Saturday! This will include workshops, and social dancing on both Friday and Saturday … as well as a Mini-Intensive on Saturday.  Complete details can be found on Facebook via the following link: https://www.facebook.com/events/506451961344621

Also for 2023, on Saturday, there will be a Tango Night in our 4th room!  For complete details about the Saturday night Tango activities, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/events/542770991023991

For those attending CWF’23 on full weekend passes, the Blues & Fusion Room and Tango Room activities are included in your weekend pass.  For those wishing to attend only these rooms, registration options are outlined on the respective Facebook Event pages via the above links.

With our amazing staff we are able to offer workshops not only for West Coast Swing but also provide the opportunity to “dip your toes” into: Shag, Country Two-Step, Nightclub 2 Step, and Hustle!

And, for even more variety and learning opportunities, there will also be workshops in both Blues & Fusion as well as Tango offered as part of those complementary dance room activities.

If you have been looking for a chance to check out other dance styles – or, re-visit some dance styles other than WCS ……. CharlotteWestieFest is the place for you to do so!

Complete details are available on the event schedule and accompanying details write-up.

Consistent with our commitment to “growing everyone’s dance”, we will once again offer a Newcomer Track of workshops designed to cover and teach the foundational aspects and building blocks of WCS.  In this Track, we also include sessions focused on creating socialization and interaction between Newcomers with both experienced dancers and Staff members.

In addition, we will also again offer “Leveled Competitor Prep and Review Sessions“.

The Prep Sessions will be on Friday and are focused on helping people fine tune things in getting ready to compete over the weekend … and, are also a great way to find a Strictly Swing partner if you might be interested in doing so.

The Review Sessions are on Sunday, and offer an opportunity for informal interaction with some of the Staff who judged the various contests over the weekend.

Details for all these special workshops are available in the Schedule Details link and write-ups.

In addition to the numerous workshops covering West Coast Swing as well as other dance styles, we are excited to also offer the following classes as parrt of the weekend activities:

• On Friday at Noon, Margie Tuttle will be leading a Barre Class. Join in for an hour that will target, engage and fine-tune muscles that will help you with your dancing.
• Friday Night at Midnight, Janie Deroche will be doing a Belly Dancing Class.  All bodies and genders are welcome to come get in touch with your core muscles while having a whole lot of fun.
• Saturday activities will kick-off at 9:00 am, with Christa Eppinghaus leading a Yoga Session. Start your day with this session and see how yoga can benefit you in your dancing and general daily living.
• Finally, on Sunday morning at 10:00 am, Nickie Taylor will conduct an AHA-Certified Hands-Only CPR Class affiliated with the organization “Swing Saves Lives“.

In addition to the many workshops that are included in your event pass, we are once again offering a limited number of “Add-On Sessions”.  These “Mini-Intensives” provide opportunities for focused coaching on a specific topic/technique/skill set from some phenomenal instructors for nominal add-on costs.

Add-On Mini-Intesives:

For 2023, the following Sessions are being offered. Please check the Registration Link on this website for more details on these sessions:

• WCS * Two-Step * Night-Club: Putting It Together:  On Friday, from 5-7 pm, PJ Turner will be tapping into his unique talents and experiences, honed on both the WCS and UCWDC circuits, to present aspects of West Coast Swing, Country Two-Step and Night-Club Two-Step.  He will then show how to blend things from each style together to create unique and personalized ways to differentiate and up your dancing for both the social and competitive floor.
• Swing/Hustle (Swustle): On Saturday from 10 am until Noon, Stephanie Risser Loveira will once again be offering a special intensive for dancers from novice to advanced and beyond. The focus will center on how to merge aspects of WCS and Hustle together in a harmonious way while working on technique, dynamic timing and styling concepts. For social dancers and competitive dancers alike, the objective will be to get a better understanding of the two styles and to take your dancing up a level! You will get some ways to practice on your own, or with a partner.
• SWAG – Swing/Shag Crossover: On Saturday, from 5-7 pm, Patty Vo (WCS Champion) along with Scott Campbell & Nikki Kontoulas (Shag Champions) will demonstrate complementary aspects of both WCS and Shag and show how to mingle components of the two styles together in a compatible manner. They will also present and lead you through some drills to show how to bring a fusion of Shag footwork and movement into your WCS. They will present a variety of techniques, tips and tricks to unlock movements and patterns to level up your ability.
• DJ Development Intensive: Also on Saturday from 5:15 – 6:45 pm, Ruby Lair will lead (with assistance from Josh Angel) a 1.5 hour session focused on essential knowledge and skills that are beneficial for those who are either already fulfilling the role of a DJ for their local communities and/or at events, those aspiring to become a DJ, as well as those who are looking for a better understanding of the critical role that DJs play in our dance community.    Ruby will cover topics including: Reading the Room, BPM & Energy, DJ Etiquette, and Spotify vs. Owning Your Music. There will also be some time for Q&A at the end of the session.
• And, as part of the Blues & Fusion Room activities, Jana Matthews will be offering a Creative Connection Intensive.  Details and Registration for this Add-On Session can be found at:  https://www.facebook.com/events/506451961344621

Other Special Sessions include:

• Two Sessions of “10-for-$10’s“ – sign-up for a “quick tune-up” with many of our staff.  For only $10, you get 10 minutes of one-on-one time with a staff member to work on 1 or 2 things that can help better your dancing, address something you have been struggling with, or just fine-tune an aspect of your dancing.  These sessions will be scheduled throughout the weekend – see the schedule for specific times.  Sign-Up for these Sessions will be done On-Site in conjunction with announcing which Staff will be participating in each Session.
• Our unique “Grow Your Dance Session“ – this two-hour session is included as part of your weekend pass, and is where we invite the Newcomer and Novice level dancers to come and interact in small group settings with some of our staff, select All-Star dancers, and recognized community instructors in an effort to help answer questions, provide insights, learn new things, and foster the development of everyone’s level of dance.