First: Apologies
Below is a list of apologies for people who may hear this set:
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If you are someone who prefers the current WCS meta, you may enjoy this set. If you are someone who doesn't like the old WCS meta, you will not like this set. For that, I apologize.
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If you are a Two-Step, Country Cha-Cha, or Country-Swing dancer - and are only here for that - I apologize. In my era of WCS, the Country/WCS cross-over events were fewer and rarely included the Lindy Hop/Carolina Shag dancers. So, while there is a song by one legit Country singer, he is masquerading as a pop singer. So if Country is your thing and the reason you are here, I apologize.
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If you are someone who thinks you can improve a DJ's set with the song to which you love dancing the most, I apologize. This set is set. If you don't like it, it's only 3 hours out of your life, or a $15 lesson to never come to listen to Professor Jitterbug DJ. Many of the DJs in the regular Friday night rotation will happily take requests (as will I in other venues).
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If you are someone who thinks this music is too fast, I agree with you - and I apologize. The WCS that I grew up with was danced to a much faster average tempo as dancers today.
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Finally, if you are someone who thinks that one song on this playlist was not a WCS song, well...to you I'm not sorry. Every song on this playlist came from a WCS performance, WCS competition, WCS mixed-tape (called CDs back in the day), or WCS Spotify Playlists (called mixed-tapes back in the day).
SECOND: THE FOCUS
This set was based off a series of mix-tape CDs that I made and were made for me called "West Coast Swing Mix". I ended up with 8 of them in 2003 when I took over as the last president of the Las Vegas West Coast Swing Society. That organization had been around for most of the 90s, but by the time I met them in 2001, had an aged leadership who left within a few years. While I was always a part of the various WCS event, my focus was on vintage Swing which was going well in 2003...so well that the WCS Society asked if I would take over as president to try and revive the events. These CDs were from dances that we hosted as an attempt to build a Swing community - beyond Lindy Hop & West Coast Swing. I hadn't thought about them for 22 years, until I was re-organizing my obnoxiously large audio files and discovered I had these CDS.
For the sake of both modern WCS dancers and vintage Swing lovers, I excluded all the White-nonesense blues music that Westies enjoyed in the 90s & 2000s.
THIRD: THE FLOW
The first 10 songs are songs that were played at (seemingly) every single WCS event I attended in the early '00s. I ask the question, "If you are at a WCS dance and they do not play Black Velvet by Alanah Miles, are you actually at a WCS dance?"
Once James Brown screams, we begin a fun little run of 2000s WCS history by playing a series of songs that were part of famous routines or competitions.
When MJ & Carlos Santa team up for "Whatever Happens" the set transitions into the music from the 90s & 2000s that are among my favorite WCS songs.
Finally, the last hour begins to integrate more modern WCS music sounds into the playlist.
This set finished with a challenge song (assuming we get to play it). I have no idea how to dance WCS to it (though I did find it on a a WCS playlist) - but I do know that I want to dance to it.
FOURTH: WHY?
In a thousand words:
In less than a thousand words: This set was for two reasons:
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Because this is WCS to me. I understand it may not be to you. However, until West Coast Swing changes its name to something that doesn't include the word "Swing", there is a history that connects this to previous generations.
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This is the main reason: There may be someone out there who hears this set at the same time as they are searching for something that may take them outside of this labeled "West Coast Swing." Maybe it's you? In 2026, I am starting the 1Floor Project: An Experiment in Social Dancing. What happens when two dancers from different backgrounds come together to share a space that neither owns? What does a dance look like when no one is telling how you or your dance should look? What happens when rhythm is the foundation for movement and everything is a negotiation of lead, follow, space, and attention?
If you're interested in something beside (or along-side) your West Coast Swing experience, consider joining me on Wednesdays at 7p as we create a space to find out what's important in social partner dancing...and what truly isn't.
In a thousand words again:
BONUS: ROUTINES
Two Bonus Bonuses
The Benji Schwimmer & Heidi Groskreutz from 2001 posted a few clips above ("Shackles") was the first adult showcase routine for the then-18-year olds. This routine, from 2018, is Benji's competition retirement showcase, performed with Nicole Conch (now, Nicole Ramirez).
This is not Swing, or West Coast Swing, or even Modern Swing.
This is art.
*******
Below, well, is not art.
This is proof that Professor Jitterbug was once Undergrad Jitterbug. This is from the 2002 US Open - which also featured Benji & Heidi's last routine before Benji left for his LDS mission; Jordan & Tatiana doing Lindy Hop in their second-place Classic routine; and, my first introduction to Kyle & Sarah.
You will see none of that influence below.
Just shiny shirts, baggy pants, and sideburns.
Regardless, my partner Shannon Sheldon and I took 5th place and I still have the trophy, a large glass picture frame somewhere.