by Carole Hill

Created on: February 12, 2009   Last Updated: February 24, 2009

The Groucho, a fairly easy move to learn, is one of the more definitive moves used in the "East Coast Swing". We were introduced to The Groucho in the second half of our first lesson! We spent the first half of that class learning how to stand with your partner and basic footwork, which we were told would be the most important steps we would learn because the basic steps would be the "staple" that we would use repeatedly whenever we danced the East Coast Swing.

The second half of that first class was devoted to learning how to do The Groucho. The instructors assured us that with a little practice, the steps we learned that night would be enough to get us started so we could actually dance through an entire song on the dance floor!

If you are new to the swing dances and dance lessons, then you should be aware that two of the most popular dances being taught today, to couples of all ages are the West Coast Swing and the East Coast Swing. The way I understand it, West Coast Swing is slightly slower-paced, and dancers move in a more upright position, with smoother stylings than the East Coast. I must admit however, I have watched good West Coast dancers and while they are indeed smooth, they certainly can get to moving pretty quickly with turns and spins that I can hardly follow with my eyes! West Coast is more apt to be danced to "bluesy" or "country" music.

By contrast, you could say East Coast Swing is more down and dirty! I don't mean to scare anyone with that expression, but what I mean is East Coast looks a bit more athletic and some of the moves can actually be somewhat aerobic. The dancers' posture is not as upright as in the West Coast Swing. The dancers' legs are slightly apart, with knees bent and body ready for action, yet the dancers are light on their feet and move with graceful precision in their kicks and turns.

The basic steps are done to either six-count and eight-count beats of music. The Groucho starts with the dancers facing each other in "Closed position", also known as "Dance position".

Before we take another step, let me try to define this term of "Closed" or "Dance" position, and "Open" position. Dance instructors will always use these terms and it is safe to say that if you are going to be taking dance lessons, you should be familiar with these terms because you will hear it all the time!

The easiest way I can explain it is that Closed (or Dance) position is one and the same. This means the dancers are facing each other as if they are about

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