Swing Dance

A dance about changing between forwards and backwards, in closed hold, where each partner skates the whole pattern both ways.

dance

Not checked yet. The mechanics on this page are a first draft by a non-expert, and no coach has seen them yet. Read them as a starting point and check them with a coach. Corrections are very welcome.

The dance

Foxtrot or schottische in 4/4, 96 beats a minute. The hold is closed, with hands only for steps 9 to 13 and 24 to 28. Both partners skate the same steps. 30 steps and 64 beats to one pattern.

One sequence on a 60 x 30 metre rink, drawn upright as the rulebooks draw it, starting at the dot and travelling anticlockwise. The dashed line is the second partner's track where the two skate apart, hand in hand. Rinks vary, and on a smaller one the pattern shrinks to fit. Measured from the diagram in U.S. Figure Skating 2026-27 Rulebook, page Dance-12.

Step	Edge	Beats	How
1	LFO	1
2	RFI	1	chassé
3	LFO	2
4	RFO	1
5	LFI	1	chassé
6	RFO	2
7	LFO	4	swing roll
8	RFO	4	swing roll
9	LFO	2
10	RFI	2
11	LFO	2
12	RFI	2
13	LBI	2	C step
14	RBO	2
15	LBO	4	swing roll
16	RBO	1
17	LBI	1	chassé
18	RBO	2
19	LBO	1
20	RBI	1	chassé
21	LBO	2
22	RBO	4	swing roll
23	LBO	4	swing roll
24	RBO	2
25	LFO	2
26	RFI	2
27	LFO	2
28	RFI	2	may be a slide chassé
29	LFO	2
30	RFO	4	swing roll

Edges are written foot, direction, edge, and a change of edge carries both letters. The steps and beats are read off the dance diagram in US Figure Skating's 2026-27 rulebook, and the words for Ch, SwR and CSt come from its key.

US Figure Skating describes the Swing Dance as teaching a relaxed change from forward to backward skating, with one partner leading and the other following backwards. Both skate all thirty steps, a full circuit, but start half a pattern apart: the lead at step 1 and the follow at step 16. Steps 1 to 8 and 16 to 23 are the same run of chassés and swing rolls, so while one partner skates it forwards the other skates it backwards.

The hold is closed for those runs. For steps 9 to 13 and 24 to 28 the partners hold hands only, so the one going backwards can turn and step forwards. Step 13 turns backwards again with a forward inside C step, in any uncrossed form.

British Ice Skating offers it at National 5 for pattern dance, one of five to choose two from. KiwiSkate assesses it on the third dance badge.

Appears in

In Australia's grades

None of the Australian level lists in this guide name it.