West Coast Swing, which has its roots in Lindy Hop, originated in the 1950s on the West Coast of the United States.
In our capital city, instruction in this dance began in the spring of 2013 with a teaching duo consisting of Zdeněk Kabát and Aneta Cikánová, who gained their first experience with WCS through private lessons with Onya Opota in exchange for their own experience in zouk. Shortly thereafter, they launched their first regular classes. They also organized weekend workshops with invited international instructors.
In 2018, two dance couples - Matyáš Brenner and Silvie Brennerová and Radek Lano and Martina Zoulová - began teaching in Prague in place of Zdeněk and Anet, and after a year, Matyáš and Silvie remained. The COVID-19 pandemic was a difficult time for the WCS community, but it did bring something positive - another teaching couple, Míša Diasová and Tibor Košťál, joined the team. Currently, there are regular classes, dance parties, and workshops in Prague featuring both international and local instructors.
Over time, a close-knit group has formed at the heart of Prague’s WCS community, and they often travel together to dance events outside of Prague, both within the country and abroad.
Since 2015, Prague’s Westies have also been participating in the global WCS Rally (formerly Flashmob) - a gathering of dancers that takes place around the world on the first Saturday in September, where they perform a pre-rehearsed choreography. We always train for this performance all summer long and then perform throughout Prague. Check out our YouTube channel.
Since 2026, we have been the proud organizers of the official, international WSDC Registry event, Prague Alchemy Swing.
Let’s build on this history and shape the future of this dance in Prague together!
