Learn East Coast Swing. . . Imperial Style! (danced in a slot and infused with a touch of West Coast Swing styling) 

Imperial Swing Dancing is an illustrated, 450-page manual written by Skip Culver that teaches a complete, Basic through Advanced level course in St. Louis' own Imperial style of swing. This valuable resource covers all the variables of swing dancing: lead, footwork, movement, patterns and styling, and now you may learn them at your own pace for the price of a one hour private lesson! The manual is just as applicable to new dancers as to those who are experienced. The first 200 pages of the text describe the different moves taught in the Basic I, Basic II and Basic III classes sponsored by the clubs affiliated with the Midwest Swing Dance Federation (see below), and the remaining pages describe the moves and styling taught in their Intermediate and Advanced classes. This quality publication includes a  two-hour instructional DVD taught by Matt Auclair plus a CD of the Bonus Supplement which is an informative, 80-page companion booklet. The manual is not a general ‘all about swing’ survey course; instead, it accurately covers in detail both the handwork and footwork of over 900 versatile, slotted Imperial Swing moves and patterns that you may easily adapt to related dance styles like East Coast Swing, West Coast Swing, the Shag, Bop and Country/Western (see Attachments to preview the Table of Contents and Index). Regardless of your favorite style of dance, this comprehensive manual is an essential reference text because it contains the most complete collection of swing moves available anywhere!

'The Imperial' inherited its name in the late 1950s from the trendy Club Imperial where this unique, St. Louis style of East Coast Swing was originally danced in-the-round. The club, which showcased many talented, up-and-coming recording artists like Chuck Berry, Glen Campbell and Ike and Tina Turner, sponsored citywide competitions that popularized the dance style. Over the years, Imperial Swing has evolved into a hybrid of East and West Coast Swing that dancers now perform in a rectangular slot using both six-count and eight-count footwork. West Coast Swing, for example, shares the same core moves with Imperial Swing: the starter (or basic) step, the pass (side pass and pass-by), the sugar push (or patty-cake) and the whip. Although both of these 'slot bop' styles of swing are very similar, traditionally West Coast Swing lessons tend to emphasize MOVEMENT and Imperial Swing lessons tend to emphasize MOVES. The manual successfully reconciles the imbalance between these two instructional approaches because it is heavily influenced by the classes and workshops taught by champion dancer Matt Auclair who always reminds his students that "good dancers will never become great dancers with movement without moves, or vice versa," and he teaches both!

Imperial Swing Dancing includes a two-hour, instructional DVD of selected moves taught by Matt Auclair who is both a highly qualified instructor and an international competitor. Matt is a six-time, national swing dance champion and in 2000 he participated in a year long tour called Swing Dance America during which he performed for the ambassadors of six major countries in Tokyo, Japan. The following year, he represented the United States at the Austrailian Jitterbug Championships in Brisbane. In July 2007, when the St. Louis Imperial Dance Club hosted their annual "Academy Awards of Swing," the dance community voted Matt Auclair not only as the Best Male Swing Dancer, but also as the Best Male Swing Dance Instructor in the St. Louis area. Over the Labor Day weekend of that year, he won first place in the "Strictly Swing" category (professional division) of the Dallas Classic Dance Championships. Matt is the youngest dancer ever to be inducted into the Dallas Dance Hall of Fame.

Matt teaches the manual's DVD with his lovely wife Crystal who is also an accomplished competitive dancer. Learning 'the Imperial' with the Auclairs as your professional instructors is easy because they structure their lessons in an orderly progression so that every move they teach establishes the foundation for their next move. When Matt and Crystal Auclair teach a new swing move, their mantra is: "Tell them what you're going to do; do it! Tell them what you just did; teach it!" In this highly acclaimed DVD that they produced specifically for the manual, they demonstrate and teach all of the key "building block" moves described in the text. The DVD of their lessons, which is bundled as an integral part of both the print and the eBook editions of the manual, is indexed to specific pages in the text, and in his foreword Matt writes about this very effective, programmed approach to teaching dance.

Imperial Swing Dancing proudly displays the distinctive blue and red, sunburst logo of the West County Swing Dance Club on its front cover. This club, which is a charter member of the American Bop Association, is one of the largest swing dance clubs in the United States and it highly recommends the manual to all of its members. During the past four decades, generations of new swing dancers have chartered eight dance clubs around the St. Louis area that are now members of the Midwest Swing Dance Federation. The manual reflects the extraordinary commitment to excellence that these eight MSDF clubs have to providing outstanding dance instruction because almost all of the moves described in the text were taught in their classes and workshops.

And, talking about workshops, the preface to the manual is written by Gary and Charlotte Chaney who are St. Louis' ambassadors of Imperial Swing. Every year this talented couple travels around the country conducting workshops and performing exhibitions. Gary is the president of the American Bop Association which represents thirty member clubs nationwide and he is also the president of the South Side Imperial Dance Club. In his preface he writes: "Culver's manual now makes learning 'the Imperial' easy. Not only does the text include Matt Auclair's outstanding DVD, but it also presents the few technicalities of the dance in such an uncomplicated way that it actually reads like a book! This unique manual is a very important publication because it meticulously documents for posterity the 'fun and funky' moves which characterize the St. Louis Imperial style of swing that Charlotte and I love so much. We have no doubt that dancers of every skill level will learn from reading it."

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Imperial Swing Dancing is a deluxe, 'coffee table quality' publication that is not only a great personal resource but also it makes a perfect gift for the dancer in your life. Purchase a second manual and both texts are shipped free (see below).Your order is shipped on the same day that it is received and it comes with a money-back, satisfaction guarantee. The manual is an inch and a half thick, it has colorful, laminated covers, and it is bound with an imprinted, blue plastic comb so that the pages lay flat for convenient reference. Matt Auclair’s DVD and the CD of the Bonus Supplement are stored in protective sleeves affixed to the inside of the back cover. If you like to swing dance, then this manual with its programmed DVD/CD media package is the best instructional value on the market because you get a complete, Basic through Advanced level course for the price of one private lesson! 

OPTION #1: Purchase the Print Edition of Imperial Swing Dancing that includes both Matt Auclair’s two-hour, instructional DVD and the Bonus Supplement CD. Send $59.95 plus $3.90 shipping payable to: Henry H. Culver, Jr., 643 Old Riverwoods Lane, Chesterfield, Missouri 63017-2220. Missouri residents please add 7.5% sales tax ($4.50). For your convenience, you may download the order form attached above. If you live in the St. Louis area and you want to save the time and cost of shipping then you may call: (314) 401-4937 and arrange to pickup your manual.

OPTION #2: Purchase the Print Edition of Imperial Swing Dancing that includes both Matt Auclair’s two-hour, instructional DVD and the Bonus Supplement CD. Click on Amazon.com. At the top of Amazon's home page, search the Books department for Imperial Swing Dancing and then order the manual using their online payment instructions. 

OPTION #3: Purchase the eBook Edition of Imperial Swing Dancing on a CD that comes in a dual jewel case along with Matt Auclair's two-hour, instructional DVD. To order this two-disc set, send $49.95 postpaid payable to: Henry H. Culver, Jr., 643 Old Riverwoods Lane, Chesterfield, Missouri 63017-2220. Missouri residents please add 7.5% sales tax ($3.75). For your convenience, you may download the order form attached above. Now the 450-page manual is available as a high resolution Adobe .pdf file for convenient viewing on your computer at anytime. This versatile file is fully searchable and printable! The Bonus Supplement is included on the same CD as the eBook Edition of your manual.

$pecial Gifting Offer: Purchase two manuals and your texts will be shipped postpaid! Order a second copy of Imperial Swing Dancing as a gift for a friend and save $7.00 shipping on the cost of your manuals. This free shipping offer will expire on or before December 31, 2009 depending upon the number of manuals remaining. Purchase your copies today before these classic texts are sold out! 

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Free Bonus Supplement CD 

*Note:  If you experience any difficulty downloading the large 6.15MB preview file of the Bonus Supplement then install the free Firefox Web Browser available at: www.mozilla.com

Manual Proudly Displayed at:

Rollin' On The River  (West County Swing Dance Club in St. Louis, MO)

Meet Me In St. Louis  (Rebels West Coast Swing Dance Club in St. Louis, MO)

Boogie In The Bluegrass  (Derby City Bop Club in Louisville, KY)

Move Across The River  (Cincinnati Bop Club in Cincinnati, OH)

Sweet Home Chicago  (Chicago's Windy City Jitterbug Club in Chicago, IL)

Dancin' On The High Seas Cruises  (American Bop Association)

Midwest Swing Dance Federation Clubs (Midwest Swing Dance Federation)

Biography of the Author

Henry H. "Skip" Culver, Jr. is a member of the West County Swing Dance Club in St. Louis Missouri. He is a Gold Seal Instrument Flight Instructor and the author of the bestselling book on navigation titled: IFR 'Pocket Simulator' Procedures which was featured as the Main Selection of the Jeppesen Aviation Book Club. Skip has had a lifelong love of dancing and in 2004, inspired by his teacher and good friend Matt Auclair, he became a swing dance instructor certified by the St. Louis Imperial Swing Dance Club.By carefully editing years of detailed, handwritten notes that he took at hundreds of classes and workshops, Skip wrote Imperial Swing Dancingwhich preserves this very popular style of East Coast Swing for future generations of dancers. His manual is easy to understand because he writes clearly without using ambiguous, "swinguistic" language when he describes the different dance moves. At the last Sweet Home Chicago convention when Skip was asked who would benefit the most from reading his popular manual, he responded: “any dancer who wants to learn great swing moves that may be used with different dance styles and tempos of music. In other words,” he teasingly continued, “anyone who believes in kinetic rhythm by intelligent design!” Skip Culver is a frequent contributor of articles on swing dancing to club newsletters published throughout the United States. To read his most current articles visit: EzineArticles/?Expert=Skip_Culver

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A Retrospective of the St. Louis Music Scene 

Bob Kuban is a local legend. . . a celebrated bandleader who is the personification of his times! Generations of St. Louisans have danced 'the Imperial' to the music of his band and recently he authored a 300-page book titled: My Side Of The Bandstand which is a stirring retrospective of his enduring musical career that began during the golden era of rock and roll. Kuban's book is full of captivating stories and personal experiences that dancers of every age are certain to enjoy and it is now available on his website: BobKuban.com