Night Club 2 Step History

Nightclub two step is an American dance created by Buddy Schwimmer. He maintains to have invented it with his sister in 1965 when he was only 15 years old. Nightclub two step is typically danced to popular, medium ballads with a distinctive "shi-shi-boom" (quick-quick slow) drum beat.

Buddy was doing a line dance called "Surfer Stomp". It originated on two steps and a stomp. This dance fit well with quick music, but the footwork was too slow for medium and slow tempo songs. The timing was adjusted and it went from a line dance to a partner dance. This then became the dance called "Two Step". Eventually in 1978, Buddy opened a dance studio in Costa Mesa, California and started teaching "Night Club Two Step".

The "Two Step", like all dances has gone through modifications over time. It has developed into two different feeling dances. "Rock, In place, Side" (Quick, Quick, Slow), which exists in the dance called "Night Club Two Step" was the original footwork.. The Country Western dancers have adopted it and have included it in their competitions. However, it has been "ballroomized" into a dance called "Ballroom Two Step". Ballroom Two Step's basic foot work is "Side, Cross Behind, In place (Slow, Quick, Quick).

These two distinctions have very different feelings. The "Ballroom Two Step" is move smoothly, continuous, strong and powerful with a big sweeping feeling. It is accurate and quite technical. "Night Club Two Step" feels more like a choppy Cha Cha and is quite compact. It has a more laid-back relaxed feeling.