Swing Dance Moves: 10 Moves to Learn After the Basic

The 10 best swing dance moves to learn after the basic, in order, are: the throwout, the follower’s underarm turn, the inside turn, the change of places, the lead’s underarm turn, the tuck turn, the cuddle, the behind-the-back hand change, the stop and go, and the pretzel.

Each one is danced on the same 6-count East Coast Swing rhythm as the basic (rock step on 1-2, triple step on 3&4, triple step on 5&6), so you never learn new footwork, only new arm paths and turns. Learn them in this order and every move sets up the next.

Most lists of swing dance moves are a pile of names with a video link.

This guide does the part they skip: which position each move starts and ends in, how many counts it takes, what the lead and the follower each do, and the one mistake that breaks it.

If you can already dance the basic in time with the music, you have everything you need to start.

Key Takeaways

• Every move in this guide uses the East Coast Swing 6-count rhythm of rock step, triple step, triple step, so learning a new swing move means learning a new arm path, not new footwork.
• The throwout is the first swing dance move to learn after the basic, because it takes a couple from closed position into the open position that nearly every other beginner move starts from.
• In swing dancing, an outside turn rotates the follower clockwise (to the right) and an inside turn rotates the follower counterclockwise (to the left), always under the lead’s raised left hand.
• At the competition tempo for East Coast Swing (34 to 36 measures per minute, or about 136 to 144 beats per minute), one 6-count pattern lasts about 2.5 seconds, so a 3-minute song holds roughly 70 patterns.
• A dancer who knows 10 swing moves can build hundreds of combinations, because most moves end in open position and can flow straight into any other move that starts there.
• The most common reason a swing move fails is a broken frame: when the arm goes limp or the elbow locks straight, the follower can’t feel where the lead is sending them.

Ready to try these on a real dance floor? Find the best swing dance classes near you at a Dance With Me studio. No partner or experience needed.

What Do You Need to Know Before Learning Swing Dance Moves?

Before learning swing dance moves, you need three things: a steady 6-count basic, a working frame and an understanding of open versus closed position.

If the basic still takes thought, more moves will make it harder, not easier. Spend another week on the basic first.

The 6-count basic. East Coast Swing, the beginner-friendly swing style taught at most studios, uses a 6-count pattern: a rock step (counts 1-2) and two triple steps (counts 3&4 and 5&6).

Some teachers count the same pattern as “triple, triple, rock” instead.

It is the same loop of steps started at a different point, so dancers who learned it either way can dance together.

If you want the footwork broken down step by step, start with our guide to the basic steps of swing dance.

Frame. Frame is how your arms and upper body carry the lead. Keep your elbows bent and slightly in front of your body, with gentle tension in the arm, like holding a grocery bag.

A limp arm can’t send a signal and a straight, locked arm yanks your partner.

Positions. Two positions cover every move here:

What Are the 10 Best Swing Dance Moves to Learn After the Basic?

The 10 best swing dance moves to learn after the basic are the throwout, follower’s underarm turn, inside turn, change of places, lead’s underarm turn, tuck turn, cuddle, behind-the-back hand change, stop and go and pretzel.

They are listed in the order most instructors teach them, from the move that unlocks open position to the move that twists your arms into a knot and back.

The table is your map. “Patterns” means how many 6-count basics the move takes, and “Ends in” tells you which moves can come next.

Pattern counts are typical studio versions. Some teachers use longer variations, especially for the cuddle and pretzel.

1. Throwout (Open Break from Closed Position)

The throwout is the move that takes a couple from closed position to open position, and it is the first swing move almost every beginner learns.

Without it, you are stuck dancing the basic in closed position for the whole song.

• Starts in: Closed position
• Lead: During the two triple steps, release the right hand from the follower’s back and use it to guide the follower away from you, so you finish holding only your left hand to their right.
• Follower: Let the lead’s hand send you back. Travel on your triple steps so you arrive an arm’s length away, then take the rock step in open position.
• Common mistake: Pushing the follower away with a straight arm. The throwout is a guided release, not a shove.

2. Follower’s Underarm Turn (Outside Turn)

In the follower’s underarm turn, the lead raises the joined hands and the follower turns clockwise, to their right, underneath them.

It is also called the outside turn or right turn, and it is the most-used turn in social swing.

• Starts in: Open position
• Lead: On the rock step, prepare by lowering the hands slightly. On the first triple, raise your left hand above the follower’s head and draw a small clockwise circle (a halo, not a lasso). On the second triple, lower the hand to finish in open position.
• Follower: Turn to your right under the hands on the first triple, keeping your feet under you. Face the lead again by the end of the second triple.
• Common mistake: Making the circle too big. A wide circle pulls the follower off balance; a small halo over the follower’s head is all the turn needs.

3. Inside Turn (Loop Turn)

In the inside turn, the follower turns counterclockwise, to their left, under the lead’s raised left hand, passing in front of the lead’s face.

It mirrors the underarm turn, and learning both early gives you turns in two directions.

• Starts in: Open position
• Lead: On the first triple, raise your left hand and draw a counterclockwise halo over the follower’s head while stepping slightly to your left to make room. Lower the hand on the second triple.
• Follower: Turn left under the hands, then settle facing the lead.
• Common mistake: The lead staying in place and blocking the turn. Take your triple steps a little to the side so the follower has a path.

4. Change of Places (Side Pass)

In the change of places, partners swap sides of the floor in one pattern, usually with the follower turning under the joined hands as the lead walks around them.

It is the first move that travels, and it keeps you from dancing in one spot all night.

• Starts in: Open position
• Lead: Raise the joined hands on the first triple and walk a curved path around the follower to take their spot. Lower the hands on the second triple.
• Follower: Turn under the hands toward the lead’s old spot so you finish facing each other on opposite sides.
• Common mistake: Both partners waiting for the other to move first. Agree that both travel on the first triple.

5. Lead’s Underarm Turn

In the lead’s underarm turn, the lead turns to their left under the joined hands while the follower dances the basic in place.

It shows that the lead can turn too, and it is the entry move for the pretzel later.

• Starts in: Open position
• Lead: Raise your left hand on the first triple and turn to your left underneath it. Finish facing your partner on the second triple.
• Follower: Keep your arm up and soft so the lead can pass under it. Don’t turn yourself.
• Common mistake: The follower dropping the arm too early. Keep it raised until the lead is all the way through.

6. Tuck Turn

In the tuck turn, the lead draws the follower in on the first triple, briefly presses the follower’s hand in toward their waist (the “tuck”), and releases that pressure so the follower spins out to their right on the second triple.

It feels like a coiled spring, and it is one of the moves taught in every DWM East Coast Swing class.

• Starts in: Open position
• Lead: On the rock step and first triple, bring the follower toward you and tuck your left hand in front of your body. On the second triple, release the tuck by raising the hand into a small clockwise halo.
• Follower: Let the tuck wind you up slightly to the left, then use the rebound to spin to your right.
• Common mistake: Turning before the release. The follower should wait to feel the hand go up.

7. Cuddle (Wrap)

In the cuddle, the lead turns the follower inward until they stand side by side with the follower’s arms wrapped across their own body, then unwraps them back out to open position.

It is also called the wrap or sweetheart, and it takes two patterns: one to wrap in and one to unwrap.

• Starts in: Open position, holding both hands
• Lead: On the first pattern, raise your left hand and turn the follower counterclockwise into your right side, keeping both hands. On the second pattern, raise the left hand again and send the follower back out with a clockwise turn.
• Follower: Turn in toward the lead’s right side and dance one basic there side by side. Turn back out when the hand rises.
• Common mistake: Letting go of one hand. The cuddle only works if both hands stay connected the whole time.

8. Behind-the-Back Hand Change

In the behind-the-back hand change, the lead passes the follower’s hand from the lead’s left hand to the lead’s right hand behind the lead’s own back while the couple changes places.

It looks complicated from the side but is mostly a smooth handoff.

• Starts in: Open position
• Lead: On the first triple, bring the follower toward your right side and slide your left hand behind your back, where your right hand takes over the follower’s hand. Turn to face the follower on the second triple, now holding with your right hand.
• Follower: Walk past the lead’s right side, keeping your hand soft so it can be passed. Turn to face the lead.
• Common mistake: Gripping. Hands should be hooked lightly, fingers curled, never squeezed, so they can slide.

9. Stop and Go

In the stop and go, the follower turns toward the lead’s right side, is stopped by the lead’s right hand on the follower’s upper back, and then turns back out in the other direction.

It takes two patterns and it is one of the first moves that plays with the music, since the stop lands on a clear hit.

• Starts in: Open position
• Lead: On the first pattern, lower your left hand to bring the follower forward into a half inside turn, and place your right hand flat on the follower’s upper back to stop the turn. On the second pattern, push gently off that hand and raise your left hand to send the follower back out.
• Follower: Turn in, feel the stop, pause for a beat, then turn out.
• Common mistake: The lead catching with fingertips instead of a flat palm. A flat hand stops the turn clearly and safely.

10. Pretzel

In the pretzel, the lead turns under the joined hands so that both partners’ arms end up folded behind the lead’s back, then the couple turns back out the way they came.

It is named after the knot your arms make, and it is the move that most beginners consider their first “cool” swing move.

• Starts in: Open position
• Lead: On the first pattern, turn to your left under the joined hands, as in the lead’s underarm turn, but keep the hand low so your arm ends up behind your back. On the second pattern, turn back to your right to untie the knot.
• Follower: Hold your arm still and soft at about waist height while the lead turns under and back out.
• Common mistake: Turning the wrong way to exit. You always unwind by turning back the way you came in.

There are four common versions of the pretzel, depending on whether the lead or the follower ties the knot and in which direction.

Learn this one first; the others reuse the same idea.

How Do You Put Swing Dance Moves Together?

You put swing dance moves together by chaining moves that end and start in the same position, with one basic in between when you need time to think.

Because all 10 moves above finish in open position, any move on the list can follow any other.

A simple practice combination for beginners:

1. Basic in closed position
2. Throwout
3. Basic in open position
4. Follower’s underarm turn
5. Inside turn
6. Change of places
7. Tuck turn
8. Basic in open position

That is seven patterns of 6 counts, or 42 beats. Once it feels easy, swap any turn for another move from the list.

At 10 moves with 1 to 2 patterns each, the number of possible combinations grows into the hundreds very quickly, which is why social dancers rarely run out of material even with a small vocabulary.

How Long Does a Swing Dance Move Take at Real Song Speed?

At the competition tempo for East Coast Swing, one 6-count move lasts about 2.5 to 2.7 seconds, so a 3-minute song gives you time for roughly 68 to 72 patterns.

That is why the basic alone gets repetitive fast, and why even five extra moves change how a dance feels.

Calculation by Dance With Me from the competition tempo of 34 to 36 measures per minute (4/4 time) given for East Coast Swing in the USA Dance rulebook, as reported by Ballroom Pages. Time per pattern = 6 × 60 ÷ BPM. Social songs are often slower, which gives you more time per move.

The practical lesson: you have less than 3 seconds to recognize, lead or follow each move. That is the reason instructors drill moves until they feel automatic, and the reason starting with slower songs helps so much.

What Are the Most Common Mistakes When Learning Swing Moves?

The most common mistakes when learning swing moves are dropping the frame, rushing the rock step and turning on the wrong beat.

All three are timing or connection problems, not footwork problems.

What Are Some Advanced Swing Dance Moves?

Advanced swing dance moves include the Lindy Hop swingout, the Texas Tommy, the cradle wheel, chained turns, dips and aerials.

Most of them build on the 10 moves above, but several switch to an 8-count rhythm or require a trained partner and an instructor.

• Swingout: the signature 8-count move of Lindy Hop, in which partners swing from open position to closed and back out with momentum. It is the bridge from East Coast Swing to Lindy Hop.
• Texas Tommy: the lead passes the follower’s hand behind the follower’s back before sending them into a turn.
• Cradle and cradle wheel: variations of the cuddle in which the couple rotates around each other while wrapped.
• Chained turns: two or more turns in a row without a basic in between.
• Dips: a held pose at the end of a song. Dips should be learned with an instructor, because the lead supports the follower’s weight.
• Aerials: lifts and flips used in performance and competition swing. They are not danced on social floors and should only be learned with a coach and a trained partner.

The scale of the vocabulary is large.

Library of Dance, an online swing reference, lists 81 named moves in its swing moves index, grouped into 11 families by hand position and type, before counting style-specific variations (count by Dance With Me, October 2026).

The 10 moves in this guide are the foundation most of those families come from.

Can You Use These Swing Moves in West Coast Swing or Country Swing?

Many swing move names carry across styles, but the moves themselves change shape.

The tuck turn, cuddle and pretzel all appear in country swing, often with a different basic rhythm depending on the region.

West Coast Swing has its own core patterns, such as the sugar push, side pass and whip, danced in a straight line called a slot instead of the circular East Coast style.

If you’re not sure which style you’re looking at, our guide to the types of swing dance compares all of them, and our West Coast Swing page covers the slot style in detail. For the ballroom version of swing, see how to dance Jive.

Can You Do Swing Dance Moves Without a Partner?

Yes. Solo jazz moves such as the Charleston, the Suzie Q, the Shorty George and the boogie back are danced alone, and partner moves can be practiced alone by rehearsing your half of the footwork and arm path.

Practicing solo builds rhythm and balance, which are the two things that make partner moves feel easy later.

For partner moves, a group class is the practical answer.

At Dance With Me, group classes rotate partners, so you don’t need to bring one, and you practice each move with several people, which teaches you to lead or follow clearly instead of relying on one partner’s habits.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are some popular swing dance moves?

Popular swing dance moves include the throwout, the follower’s underarm turn, the inside turn, the tuck turn, the cuddle, the behind-the-back hand change and the pretzel. In Lindy Hop, the most popular move is the swingout. All of these are taught after the basic step.

What is the first swing dance move to learn after the basic?

The first swing dance move to learn after the basic is the throwout, which takes a couple from closed position into open position. Almost every beginner turn starts in open position, so the throwout unlocks the rest of the moves. The follower’s underarm turn usually comes next.

What are the 5 basic steps of swing dance?

The five basic steps most swing styles share are the basic 6-count step, the triple step, the rock step, the turn and the swingout. The rock step and triple step are the footwork inside the basic, while turns and the swingout are the first moves built on top of it.

How many swing dance moves are there?

There is no fixed number of swing dance moves, because new variations are invented constantly. Library of Dance’s swing index alone lists 81 named moves in 11 families. Most social dancers use a core of 10 to 20 moves combined in different orders.

How long does it take to learn swing dance moves?

Most beginners can learn the basic and their first few moves, such as the throwout and underarm turn, in the first few lessons. Building a comfortable vocabulary of about 10 moves usually takes a few months of regular classes and social dancing.

What is the hardest swing dance move?

For social dancers, the swingout is often considered the hardest common move, because it uses an 8-count rhythm and depends on timing and momentum between partners. Aerials and lifts are harder still, but they belong to performance and competition, not social dancing.

Find the Best Swing Dance Classes Near You

A list can show you what each move looks like on paper. What it can’t do is tell you whether your frame is sending a clear signal or whether you’re turning half a beat early. An instructor can spot both in a few minutes, and practicing in class with rotating partners is the fastest way to make these 10 moves feel automatic.