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Inside you’ll find helpful articles & video resources

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• Musicality
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• Spins & Turns
• Connection
• Anchor Steps
• Footwork
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Beginners

Introduction

• What is West Coast Swing ................................................................................... 3

• Understanding West Coast Swing as a Beginner........................................4

Basic Patterns

• 3 Fundamental Patterns of WCS ....................................................................... 5

• 6 Count Basic Patterns .......................................................................................... 6
• 8 Count Basic Patterns .......................................................................................... 8

Learning the Triple Step

• Learning the Triple Step? ...................................................................................... 8

• How to Master the Triple Step ........................................................................... 8
• How to Master the Anchor Step ........................................................................ 9

Music & Timing

• How to Find the Beat in the Music? ............................................................... 10

• How to Connect Your Steps to the Music! ................................................. 13
• How to Stay on Time to the Music ................................................................. 16
• How to Dance 6 Count Patterns to 8 Beat Music.................................... 19

Helpful Tips for Beginners

• How to Remember Your Patterns? – Top 5 Tips ...................................... 20

• How to Feel Comfortable Dancing – Top 5 Tips ...................................... 22
• 5 Ways to Improve Your Connection as a Beginner ............................... 24
• Standard Foot Positions ..................................................................................... 28

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• Building Body Awareness for Dancing ......................................................... 31

• 7 Challenges of West Coast Swing ................................................................ 32

Helpful Resources

• West Coast Swing Dance Shoes...................................................................... 34

• 10 Things Good WCS Dancers Do Differently ......................................... 42
• Top 10 Struggles of WCS Dancers ................................................................. 45
• How to get the most out of your Group Classes,
Private Lessons & Workshops ......................................................................... 50
• The complete guide for beginners (video course)

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What is West Coast Swing

West Coast Swing is a popular form of swing dancing that has spread
across the world.

Part of the appeal of WCS is that it is an adaptable dance; it can be danced

to a variety of musical styles and genres!

In addition, the dance itself creates room for improvisation and interaction
between the partners.

Combine these elements with the ethos of a street dance—most west coast
dancers resist the urge to formalize the dance into a ballroom-like
curriculum—and it’s easy to see why west coast can be so hard to define
but so easy to love!

Characteristics of West Coast Swing:

• WCS is a lead-follow partner dance that emphasizes the
conversation between the partners.

The leader is responsible for selecting the patterns of the dance, but
is encouraged to create opportunities for the follower to shine
within the dance. The follower is responsible for carrying out the
intention of the leader, but is encouraged to play and interpret
within the leader’s overall structure.

Create a free login & learn the basics of WCS here

• WCS is generally danced in a linear slot, with the follower moving

to either end of the slot and the leader remaining in the center.

Although the slot can rotate or travel on occasion, WCS is not a

circular or progressive dance.

• Every pattern in WCS ends in an anchor; the leader and follower

are stretched away from each other.

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This stretch, or elasticity, creates a smooth and relaxed look for the
dance. In contrast to other forms of swing, west coast settles into
the end of each pattern through the anchor. Need some style in your
anchor step? Learn our 6 anchor step variations.

Why do people love West Coast Swing?

One of the greatest parts about west coast swing is that the dance is
highly personalized.

There is no “one way” to dance WCS, and dancers are encouraged to

develop their own style within the basic framework of the dance. Although
it is a ‘lead and follow’ partner dance, it allows for a vast amount of
freedom, expression and individuality!

What does it look like?

This ‘viral’ video of two high level west coast swing dancers is a great
example of what is possible with this style of dance.

There is no choreography in this video, just 2 dancers using the music and
improvisation to create a fantastic and hopefully inspiring dance. back to
our website and get started learning.

Understanding West Coast Swing as a Beginner

West Coast Swing for beginners can be intimidating. Underneath the

infinite variety of WCS moves lay a small number of fundamental patterns.
If you can learn to see the dance as variations on these fundamental
patterns, it becomes incredibly easy to learn complicated movements.

All patterns of WCS are based off of 3 basic patterns:

1. The push (sugar push or push break)

2. The pass (left & side pass or under arm turn)

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3. The whip.

If you can look at a pattern in WCS and ask yourself which one of these 3
basics it was created from, west coast swing will become will become
much easier to understand.

TAKE ACTION> Watch our Push, Pass & Whip Videos.

3 Fundamental Patterns of WCS

Side Passes
Side Passes are six-count moves in which the follower moves from one end
of the slot to the other. The leader steps out of the slot in order to let the
follower pass, and then returns to the slot after she passes. During the
whole move, the leader remains roughly in the middle of the slot; it is the
follower who travels the length of the slot. Examples of side passes include
the left and right side pass, the side tuck, the inside roll, and the barrel roll.

Push Breaks aka Sugar Push

Push Breaks are also six-count patterns. In a push break, the leader stays
in the slot. The follower moves in towards the leader and then is
redirected back towards the end of the slot from which she came, without
ever passing the leader. Common push breaks include the basic sugar
push, the sugar tuck, and the push break with an inside roll to closed
position.

Whips
Whips are eight-count patterns. In a whip, the leader lets the follower
pass, but then redirects her back to where she started. The whip action of
passing the leader and then being sent past the leader again requires more
time than just coming into the leader and going out (like a push break) or
just passing the leader (like a side pass), and therefore the pattern is

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extended up to eight beats to give the follower time for her extra travel.
Common whips include the closed whip, basket whip, reverse whip,
apache whip, and the same-side whip.

BONUS:

4 Count Triple Pairs

Four count triple pairs are just what they sound like: a pair of triple steps
that take four beats total. In four-count triple pairs the follower is not
being led down the slot and hence has no need for a walk, walk. Thus, the
basic six-count rhythm is shortened to just the triples. Four-count triple
pairs are the foundation for starter steps and triple rhythm breaks and are
also used to create alternating triple patterns.

TAKE ACTION> Watch our videos on the fundamental patterns

6 Count Basic Patterns

Sugar Push
(AKA push break) A six-count basic where the follower, facing the leader,
is then led from the end of the slot towards the leader before being
returned to the same spot. Although this seems like a simple move the
pattern requires both a ‘towards’ and ‘away’ connection making it quite
difficult for beginners.

Count: 1 2, 3&4, 5&6

Sugar Tuck
A six-count basic similar to a sugar push where the follower is lead from
her spot in the slot back to the same spot she started. The difference in the
sugar tuck it in the fact that the leader ‘tucks’ the follower causing her to

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face away from him on count 4. Then the follower heads under the leader’s
arm to face him again at the end of the 5&6.

Count: 1 2, 3&4, 5&6

Right Side Pass

(aka under arm turn) A six-count basic where the follower is led to the
other end of the slot, passing on the leader’s right (right side pass) or
additionally under the leader’s arm (underarm pass).

Count: 1 2, 3&4, 5&6.

Left Side Pass

A six-count basic where the follower is led to the other end of the slot,
passing on the leader’s left.

Count: 1 2, 3&4, 5&6

Tuck Turn
Six-count basic similar to the left side pass. This pattern has a ‘tucking’
action on the 2 where the follower turns toward the leader then back
away down the slot on the 4. The follower then turns under the leaders
arm on the 5&6. Although this is a very common partner in intermediate
west coast swing it is sometimes left out of beginner classes because of its
difficulty for new dancers.

Count: 1 2, 3&4, 5&6

Rolling Side Pass

A six-count basic where the follower passes the leader while executing
one and a half turns ending on the other side of the slot.

Count: 1 2, 3&4, 5&6

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TAKE ACTION> Watch our video of the 6 count basics

8 Count Basic Patterns

Whip
The first eight-count basic pattern. In a whip, the follower is led past the
leader and then redirected back towards the end of slot over 8 beats of
music. The basic footwork for a whip extends the six-count pattern by
inserting a pair of walking steps between the triple steps. The footwork
becomes “walk walk, tri-ple-step, walk walk, tri-ple-step.”

Count: 1 2, 3&4, 5 6, 7&8

TAKE ACTION> Watch our video of the 8 count basics

Learning the Triple Step?

Triple steps are three complete weight changes in two beats of music. If
you simply march to the beat of a WCS song, you will take two weight
changes in two beats of music: For a triple step, we need to fit a full
additional weight change in the exact same amount of time, which means
that we need to take quicker steps. You will step on the first beat, take a
second step on the & count that is halfway between the first and second
beats, and then a third step on that second beat.

How to Master the Triple Step

One of the most difficult elements in west coast swing is the triple rhythm.
Most dancers struggle with the body control necessary to do three weight
transfers in two beats of music because the body has to syncopate. As a
newer dancer, we must first master the basic timing of the triple step.

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To practice dancing triple steps, start with a slower WCS song. (90–95
beats per minute)

Need practice music? Check out our list of 10 practice songs.

If you have a hard time finding the & beat, start by clapping the triple step
rhythm rather than stepping it first.

Then progress to working on becoming comfortable with taking three full

weight changes in each two-beat period (i.e., left right left or right left
right). Boom! That’s your triple step.

As you get proficient at stepping out triples to slower songs, practice doing
triples to songs that have higher tempos. Eventually, you want to be able
to comfortably triple step to song at 120bpm.

How to Master the Anchor Step

The anchor is one of the most important parts of west coast swing.

Not only does every pattern end in an anchor—so you dance anchors a
lot—but the anchor is also responsible for much of the distinctive look to
WCS.

Elasticity, smoothness, the relaxed groove of the dance: all of these things
are deeply connected to the anchor.

Start now and find out how mastering the anchor step in west coast swing
can help you significantly.

For a beginner, there are two key elements to the WCS anchor.

First: the anchor does not move. Hence the name, “anchor.”

Second: the anchor stretches away from your partner.

“Anchors away!” is a good phrase to keep in mind.

The following drill will help you practice both of these elements.

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The Drill: Without a partner, put yourself in the position immediately

before an anchor. For leaders, your weight is on your left foot; followers,
your weight is on your right. This foot will not move during the entire drill.
We’re going to call this foot the “non-anchor” foot for now.

Take your free foot (leader’s right, follower’s left) and put it in third foot
position, but do not yet put your weight on the foot. If it helps to let your
foot hover slightly, go ahead.

At this point, you are trying to feel where the foot belongs without falling
onto the foot. We’re going to call this foot your anchor foot because your
anchor will start and end with your weight on this foot.

Without moving your non-anchor foot, do a triple step (anchor foot, non-
anchor foot, anchor foot). Even though you are transferring your weight,
focus on keeping the anchor foot in third foot position

Repeat this process until you can comfortably perform an anchor triple in
the correct foot position. Anchors Away! Mastering your Anchor step in
West Coast Swing is in your grasp! Hold on for the ride!

How to Find the Beat in the Music?

Question: Should I count the music?

Answer: Always. *

No matter who you are, what your musical background is, or how skilled
you are at feeling the music, counting always elevates your dance.

Dancers who move by feel only are unattached to their third partner, the
music. Counting gives a way for both partners to be simultaneously
directed to the same thing. Even if you are great at feeling the music, you
will always be more precise if you are also focusing on the count.

Counting while you dance is the dancer’s equivalent of having a click track
in your earpiece. There’s a reason that professional musicians listen to a
click track when recording in the studio: it makes them more accurate.

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How to hear the beat?

The first element to finding the beat is simply being able to hear the beat.
For individuals without some past musical experience, this can be a tricky
skill.

TAKE ACTION> Watch our video on Counting the Music

To learn this skill, put on a song with a very clear and consistent beat.

Good songs include: “Goin’ Down South” by R.L. Burnside and “Juke Joint”
by Johnnie Taylor.

Both of these songs have very solid beats without much distraction
happening in the bass line.

As you listen, clap on the beat (which is the loud drum noise in these
songs).

Keep practicing this skill until you can effortlessly clap along with the beat
through the whole song!

How to practice counting while dancing.

With or without a partner, dance and focus on counting through the entire
song. Whether you count patterns, eights, or downbeats and upbeats is up
to you: the key is to keep the count running through your head for the
entire song. This drill works great during social dancing as well as during
solo or partnered practice, so give it a try the next time you head out social
dancing.

If you struggle to dance and keep the count going at the same time, spend
some time listening to WCS music and counting throughout the song. As
that becomes more comfortable, you can add in solo dancing WCS
rhythms and finally WCS patterns. If you are a dancer who moves by feel,
this may take a while to become comfortable with counting and dancing.
That’s ok: you are reprogramming the way you listen to music so that you
can perform at a much higher level, and that’s going to take some time.

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Don’t think you need to count?

Some people learn to dance without spending a lot of time counting music,
and they tend to dance by feel. If you are one of those people, you
probably think that counting the music while you are dancing inhibits your
ability to dance to the lyrics or the melody. You’re probably right. But that
doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t count. That means that you need to
practice counting in order to be more comfortable thinking in musical
terms. Being able to count while you dance raises the ceiling on how
precise your dancing can be; actually, counting in turn helps you tune in to
the music at a higher level.

Is counting easy for you?

When you dance a part of the song lyrically, you need to be able to
reattach to the beat once the lyric has finished. If you are not rock solid at
counting, there will be a slight jar as you catch the beat again. By contrast,
if your counting is rock solid, you can deviate from the beat and reattach
seamlessly. So, if counting is easy for you….

Take your dancing to the next level - Learn the #1 Key to

Musicality for WCS

This post started with the question, “When should you count,”
There was an asterisk on the initial “always.”

Here’s the caveat:

there are some rare instances in which counting by numbers may impede
your ability to feel something really awesome within the music. In those
instances, you may have more success if you “count” with sounds—making
the mm-da-duh in your head as your “count.”You still want to do
something to stay attached to the music, but it may not be numeric.

Having said this, be honest with yourself. If counting numbers truly stops
you from moving a specific way, that’s one thing. But if you say that to
yourself all the time, it might be that you need a stronger technical

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foundation in counting music and you’re just covering up for it. Great
performers seek out weaknesses in their game and struggle to overcome
them; mediocre performers hide (from) their weaknesses.

How to Connect Your Steps to the Music!

The essence of dancing is movement to music, so finding the beat in a song

is extremely important. Being able to move on the beat for any kind of
dance requires skill, and this is particularly true for west coast swing
because WCS music tends to feature breaks, syncopations, and other
unique rhythms that make the beat less obvious.

The goal of this article is to develop the ability to find the beat and to keep
moving on the beat even when thinking about other aspects of the dance.

What’s the key to musicality in WCS?

There is one thing all ‘musical’ WCS dancers do. I explain in this video

Phase 1—Hearing the Beat:

The first element to finding the beat is simply being able to hear the beat.
In the section above we covered how to hear the beat. I’ll repeat it again in
case you missed it. I’ve you’ve got this part covered jump to “Phase 2-
Moving to the Beat” below.

TAKE ACTION> Watch our video on Counting the Music

To learn this skill, put on a song with a very clear and consistent beat.

Good songs include: “Goin’ Down South” by R.L. Burnside and “Juke Joint”
by Johnnie Taylor.

Both of these songs have very solid beats without much distraction
happening in the bass line.

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As you listen, clap on the beat (which is the loud drum noise in these
songs).

Keep practicing this skill until you can effortlessly clap along with the beat
through the whole song!

Phase 2—Moving to the Beat:

Put on a song with a clear and steady beat again. This time, instead of
clapping, take a step on each beat. You should focus on putting your
weight onto the new foot as the beat hits. At first, you may stumble; this is
probably because you didn’t start moving your body until too late.
Continue working on stepping on the beat, and you will gradually learn
when you need to start moving your body in order to land on the beat.

Phase 3—Downbeats and Upbeats:

Most music for dancing, with the exception of waltz music, has beats occur
in pairs. The first beat of each pair is the downbeat; the second beat is the
upbeat. Being able to distinguish downbeats and upbeats is important
because WCS begins each pattern on a downbeat.

In pop music, downbeats and upbeats and generally played with different
instruments. The downbeat is usually a drum or bass (a low pitch), while
the upbeat is a cymbal or other higher pitched instrument. If you try say
“boom-chick” along with the song, the boom is the downbeat and the chick
is the upbeat.

For this part of the exercise, put on a song that clearly distinguishes
between downbeats and upbeats. “Juke Joint” is a good song; Prince’s
“The Word” also has a clear distinction, especially during the chorus (the
downbeat is more subdued during the verses, although the upbeat
remains very clearly accented).

As this song is playing, you should do step-taps: step on the downbeat and
tap your free foot on the upbeat. This is a single rhythm unit, which means
that you will change weight once every two beats.

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Phase 4—Keeping the Beat Through Complications:

Now that you can dance on the beat throughout a song and can distinguish
between downbeats and upbeats, the next challenge is to maintain the
beat in your movement when the song isn’t helping you.

One of the ways that music can be more interesting is by having the
instruments or vocals do stuff that doesn’t perfectly match the beat.
Although the beat of the song stays the same, the song itself isn’t marking
the beat for you.

Here are 2 different complications you may encounter:

#1 – A song with a break

You might have a song that just has a break; in this case, the music stops
and you have to finish counting the phrase on your own and keep dancing
to the beat when the song isn’t marking the beat for you.

Examples of this kind of music include “Sweet Sixteen” by Junior

Wells (there is only a subtle instrument for the last four beats of each
major phrase), Buddy Guy’s “What Kind of Woman Is This?” (which does
the same thing without the instrumental cues), and “Man in the Mirror” by
James Morrison (which frequently has a sustained vocal note without
background instrumentation at the end of mini-phrases).

#2 – A song with a syncopated rhythm

The second way that a song can obfuscate the rhythm is by having
instrumentation that is syncopated against the beat. Robin Thicke’s
“Cocaine” is an extreme example; the syncopation is so strong that
beginning dancers have an extraordinarily difficult time staying on beat.

A more subdued example is “She’s Right Here” by Ne-Yo (featuring

Brandy)—the bass drum on the & before the 3 encourages a syncopated
triple rather than a standard triple, which usually results in beginners
rushing the upbeat and getting off time. When practicing to these kinds of

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songs, try dancing both walks and triples. While doing triples, focus on
delaying the triple as long as possible.

TAKE ACTION> Once you’ve mastered this and you’re ready to

take your musicality to the next level. Watch our video “The #1 key
to musicality” It’s what you’ll need to really connection your
dancing to the music!

How to Stay on Time to the Music

The #1 struggle we hear from new west coast swing dancers is that they
struggle to stay on time. While they might be ok when dancing just the
basics, things tend to fall apart as they dance more complex moves. If you
struggle to dance and keep the count going at the same time this article is
for you!

TAKE ACTION>> Watch How to Stay on time in WCS!

1. Count the music

Some people learn to dance without spending a lot of time counting music,
and they tend to dance by feel. No matter who you are, or how skilled you
are at feeling the music, counting always elevates your dance. Counting
gives a way for both partners to be simultaneously directed to the same
thing. Even if you are great at feeling the music, you will always be more
precise if you are also focusing on the count.

When your counting is rock solid, you’ll be able to deviate from the beat
and reattach seamlessly.

How do you improve your counting?

First, spend some time listening to WCS music and counting throughout
the song. (I do it in the car) As that becomes more comfortable, progress to
dancing your basic patterns by yourself with no partner. (a partner will

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complicate things at this point) Finally, give it a try while out while social
dancing or while practicing with a partner.

Focus on counting through the entire song. No matter how you count, the
key is to keep the count running through your head for the entire song.

If you are a dancer who moves by feel, this may take a while to become
comfortable with counting and dancing. That’s ok: you are reprogramming
the way you listen to music so that you can perform at a much higher level,
and that’s going to take some time. One of the tips I use is to ‘sing the
counts’ in my head which creates a more solid connection from the counts
to the music.

2. Learn Downbeats vs Upbeats

Because west coast swing is a two-beat dance, recognizing the difference
between downbeats and upbeats is an essential skill. As patterns become
more complex and as the dancers introduce more play in the middle of
patterns, you need to immediately know which beat is which, in order to
stay on the correct timing.

• Downbeats are the 1, 3, 5, or 7.

• Upbeats are the 2, 4, 6, or 8

Put on a song and start counting the music in downbeat-upbeat pairs.

Listen to make sure you are starting on a downbeat of the music (the 1, 3,
5, or 7 of the set of 8) and count downbeat, upbeat, downbeat, upbeat, ….
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8

TAKE ACTION>> Watch 4 keys to better timing for WCS

The purpose of this exercise is to train yourself to instantly recognize

whether you are on a downbeat or upbeat. To get to the point of
instinctive recognition, you need to practice well beyond the point of
conscious understanding.

This drill will feel simplistic after a short while, and that’s okay. It’s much
easier to keep the rhythm of downbeats and upbeats in your head when

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you have no other distractions. Your goal is to practice to the point where
you can’t lose track even if you are distracted.

Once you have this exercise mastered, practice by skipping your music
player to the middle of the song and see how quickly you can correctly
identify which beats are the downbeats and which are the upbeats. Or,
carry on a conversation with a friend while music is playing in the
background, and re-identify which beats are which throughout the
conversation.

This part of the exercise trains you to make the identification quickly
when you haven’t been following the music closely, which is similar to
what will happen in the wild when you lose the beat of the song and need
to quickly reset your internal metronome.

3. Understand WCS as a 2-beat dance

Although west coast swing is composed of six- and eight-count patterns,
the actual dance itself is a two-beat dance. Every movement in west coast
swing goes through a downbeat-upbeat pair. Those pairs of downbeats
and upbeats are then joined together into a full pattern, an extension, a
chunk of play, or anything else within the dance.

Consider a basic side pass. We normally count out the pattern as “walk
walk, tri-ple step, tri-ple step.” This language reveals the two-beat
increments underlying the pattern: a walk walk, a triple, and another
triple. If we want to change the pattern, we will do it by changing a full
two-beat rhythm. For instance, we could replace the anchor triple with a
delayed single like a drag-step. We can’t just change one beat of the
pattern since that would affect our footwork on the rest of the rhythm
unit.

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How do you make use of west coast’s two-beat

foundation?
First, every movement belongs to a downbeat-upbeat pair. If you are
having problems with a move, break it down into each downbeat-upbeat
pair to see where the problem lies.

Second, all of your footwork happens in two-beat increments. If you want

to learn footwork syncopations or variations, you should practice the two-
beat chunks: kick-ball change, tri-ple step, step-blank, etc. It’s much easier
to do footwork on the fly if you can pull from two-beat increments rather
than trying to memorize full syncopation sequences.

Third, playing happens in two-beat increments. If the follower wants to do

something on the downbeat, she also needs to fill the upbeat. If the leader
wants to re-start the dance, he needs to do so on a downbeat rather than
an upbeat.

How to Dance 6 Count Patterns to 8 Beat Music

There are two basic rhythms in WCS: the 6-count rhythm and the 8 count
rhythm.

Six Count Rhythms: Once you are comfortable with triple steps, six count
rhythms are easy. The basic rhythm for six count patterns in WCS is
double triple triple (also called walk-walk, triple step, triple step, and
counted 1, 2, 3 & 4, 5 & 6). In short: you step on the beat twice, then
perform two triple steps. Leaders start the rhythm by putting their weight
on the left foot on 1, while followers first move onto the right foot on 1.

If you have a background in music, you’ll notice that dancing 6-count

rhythms to a song feels a little weird because WCS music is phrased in 8
beat segments, rather than 6 beat chunks. This is a feature, not a bug;
because WCS is an inherently off-phrase dance, the dancers have the
opportunity to use their pattern selection to interpret the music in a way
that’s not possible in many other dance styles.

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Having said that, you’re right that your timing will be off from the song at
first.

When you start learning about musicality, you’ll learn how to reattach
WCS rhythms to the phrasing of the music.

Eight Count Rhythms: The basic 8-count rhythm simply extends the 6-
beat rhythm with two walking steps between the triples. The rhythm is
thus double triple double triple, or 1, 2, 3 & 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8. Again, leaders
start on the left and followers on the right.

How to practice this?

Put on a slow to medium tempo song and practice doing nothing but six
count rhythms. Your goal is to become comfortable alternating between
the double rhythm and the triple rhythm so that you move fluidly through
the entire six beats

As you gain proficiency in moving between double and triple rhythms,

practice dancing to faster songs. Initially, you should aim to dance up to
120 bpm, which should allow you to keep up with most songs played
socially. Eventually your goal will be higher (some social songs go up to
130 bpm), but getting to 120 bpm will give you plenty of music to dance to
in an evening.

Once the six count rhythms are instinctive and comfortable, do the same
thing with the eight count rhythms. The final addition is to switch between
six and eight count rhythms during the song. The key here is to make sure
that you finish your last triple before switching—if you try to switch after
only 4 beats of a six count pattern (or 4 or 6 beats of an eight count), you
will be on the wrong foot and things will feel really awkward.

How to Remember Your Patterns? – Top 5 Tips

Listen to my podcast on this topic

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Trick #1 – Take Notes or a Video

t’s often helpful to have a small notepad with you so that you can jot down
some notes about the patterns you just learned. What is name of the
pattern? What are the lead and follow techniques? What is the count for
each dance pattern? By writing down some notes, your mind creates a
stronger memory for that dance pattern. A quick cell phone video will also
be a big help. Lots of students this trick to remember patterns.

Trick #2 – Practice New Dance Steps Immediately and

Often
Chances are that if you do not review your new patterns immediately
after a lesson or at least on the same day, you will most likely forget it.
Right after class is over, take a few min break then come back to the
pattern and try it again. This will help groove the memory for easy recall. A
few times per week try to walk through your pattern at least once to keep
the memory fresh.

Trick #3 – Use Visualization

Many Olympic athletes routinely use visualization to perfect their sports
performance and you can do the same for your dancing. Simply relax, play
some music and start to visualize in detail how you are going to dance to
the music. Think about those cool moves that you just learned and
visualize yourself dancing those dance steps to the music. Visualization is
an extremely powerful technique that allows you to rehearse your
patterns in your head before you ever step out on the dance floor.

Trick #4 – Remember the Basics in Your Patterns

Each move has a basic. Is you new move based off of a push, pass, tuck or
turn? Remember what basic the pattern is built on and then try to find the
thing that makes that move different. What makes this move unique. If
you can remember that key difference it will be easier to recall and then
lead the new pattern!

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Trick #5 – Teach Someone Else

This isn’t for everyone but teaching someone else or practicing with a
partner is a great way to remember! When you are teaching, you are
forced to think back and remember all of those lead and follow techniques
that you were taught in class. By verbally teaching a dance move, your
mind quickly transitions from the mindset of “I can’t remember the dance
move” to “I remember the dance move and can teach it to someone else”.
This is a powerful shift in thinking.

How to Feel Comfortable Dancing – Top 5 Tips

Being a new dancer can be intimidating. These five tips are designed to get
you out on the floor and feeling comfortable as quickly as possible.
Remember… the dance community wants to see new dancers continue
enjoying WCS for years to come, so they are cheering for you to have fun
and to keep dancing!

1. Go Out and Dance!

For a new dancer, almost nothing is scarier than going to your first social
dance. Trust me I remember my first time at a WCS dance and I was
overwhelmed too. You might be thinking…. What if I don’t know anyone?
What if I mess up? I know so little that I’ll bore my partners. Ignore that
voice!

Dancers love to see new people joining the community, and will be patient
as you learn the dance. Remember that they were beginners too, and they
know exactly how you feel right now. The sooner you go to a dance, the
sooner you’ll realize that you had nothing to fear.

2. Practice Your Basics

The importance of practice is so well known that it has almost become a
cliché. Many beginners don’t practice because they don’t know what to

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work on. Actually, this is a huge advantage for beginners: because you only
know a few moves, everything you can practice is a foundational skill. Drill
your six-count rhythm, your anchor triples, and your footwork for basic
patterns. You will use these elements every time you dance, so starting to
work on them now will pay dividends for the rest of your dance career.

Download the WCS beginner patterns FREE>> Send me the video!

3. Everyone Else Feels Awkward, Too

No matter how confident others look, they have insecurities about their
dancing. Being a new dancer means feeling like your feet are on
backwards, you don’t know how to walk—and how the heck did my arm
get there? Don’t be frustrated; you have the opportunity to do something
new, with no expectations! Give yourself permission to feel awkward, and
know that every dancer has to go through that feeling before they look
cool.

4. You Can Learn WCS

Anyone who is willing to put in the effort can become a good social dancer.
From sports to chess to math, researchers are discovering that “natural”
talent doesn’t really exist. In fact, the single most important factor in
whether—and how fast—someone learns is whether they believe that they
can improve. Are you SUPER EXCITED to learn as much as you can about
WCS?

You’ll want to check out>> The BEGINNERS GUIDE TO WCS It has

literally everything you need to get comfortable at WCS. SERIOUSLY… It’s
everything you’ll need to know to move from a beginner to a comfortable
intermediate dancer in WCS. Get it here

5. Have Fun!
Dancing is supposed to be fun! No matter how challenging the dance feels,
remember that this is ultimately a recreational activity. There’s no
prerequisite for having a good time when you dance. Even if you’re

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tripping over your feet and can’t find the beat to save your life, you can
still smile and enjoy spending your three minutes with your partner. You
can keep working on your skills!

PS we know its a challenging dance. You are not alone.

Read>> The 7 Challenges of WCS It will give you some tips to help!

5 Ways to Improve Your Connection as a Beginner

1. Isolate your connection point

When styling, many dancers drag their connection point with them, pulling
their partners off balance or undermining their frame.

Excellent dancers, by contrast, know how to dance so their partners can

feel their styling, without moving their point of connection.

In this video we explain how to isolate your connection point to allow your
body to stay free for own styling.

Do this drill alone: By yourself, stand next to a wall. Make a fist and put
your fist against the wall, roughly between your waistline and your belly
button. Your goal is to leave that connection point unaffected. As you
start, focus on simply not moving the hand.

When you master that skill, increase the difficulty level by keeping the
amount of connection with your partner, or in this case the wall, constant.

Progress into doing any body isolations, footwork, arm styling, or any
other motion that you might use in your WCS. If you need ideas to start,
practice doing triple variations.

Make sure that you aren’t moving your hand! Use your wrist, elbow, and
shoulder in order to isolate the body’s motion from your hand’s
connection point.

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2. Keep your connection low

The WCS connection is relaxed. Even during the crazy patterns, the pros’
bodies may be flying but their connection won’t show the tension. We
need to work on bringing that relaxed look to our dance.

In the default hand connection, the partners are connected with their
arms like telephone wires. The shoulder of each partner is the highest
point on the arc, and the arms should rest at the bottom of the arc. If the
partners move further away, the hands will rise, but if they move closer
together the hands will lower further. Just like a telephone wire does not
lift itself up in between the posts, the WCS hand connection should not lift
itself between the partners. Your arms should never end up in a “W”
position, where the hands are above the elbows!

Good example of hand position The dreaded ‘W’ look we are trying to avoid

Most dancers carry some degree of tension in their arms, and the result is
to destroy this telephone pole analogy. By engaging the arm muscles, not
only do the hands rise (which makes the connection look stiff)—the
connection itself suffers because the arm muscles get in the way of the
center-to-center connection.

The Drill: With a partner, practice simple side passes (with no turns).
Focus on relaxing the arms so that they drop naturally as the partners pass
and rise naturally as the move away. The rising action should happen
without any effort; simply because of the increased distance, the hands

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will move up just like a telephone wire will stay higher if the poles are
separated.

Your arms should never end up in a “W” position, where the hands are
above the elbows. If that occurs, reset and try again.

3. Keep your hands still

Many beginning dancers accidentally add noise to their connection by
moving their hands around.

They may be keeping time by moving their hands on the beat or they may
simply be unaware of how their hand is moving because they are focused
on other parts of their body.

In either case, the end result is the same—lots of unnecessary movement

that is transmitted through the hand connection to their partner.

Practice calming your hands while you dance so your connection isn’t
filled with noise and distractions.

A fun drill: Put a coin on your hand as you stand in a normal dance
position. By yourself, dance through your basics and focus on keeping your
hand from moving. If the coin falls off your hand, that’s a sign that your
hand is too noisy!

Pay particular attention to what your hand does on the anchor.

Many dancers conduct their hands on the anchor as if they were keeping
time. They bounce, make figure 8 motions, etc.

These habits can become deeply ingrained, so use this drill to keep your
hands quiet on the anchor. You should still be able to create a good stretch
by moving your center away without shifting your hand.

4.. Connection exiting turns

It’s very common for the hands to stay up after an outside turn (like a
sugar tuck or a whip with an outside turn).

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Practice letting the hands relax as the follower finishes the turn so that
both hands are low at the end.

Leaders: do not push the hand lower, and make sure that the hand isn’t
lowering before the follower is looking at you. Lowering the hand early can
cause serious injury to the rotator cuff.

Followers: make sure that you stay close enough during the turn that you
have the slack to lower the arm. If you feel like you can’t let the arm relax,
you have probably overextended yourself on the turn.

5. Avoid this common mistake

Many beginning dancers accidentally add noise to their connection by
moving their hands around.

They may be keeping time by moving their hands on the beat or they may
simply be unaware of how their hand is moving because they are focused
on other parts of their body. In either case, the end result is the same—lots
of unnecessary movement that is transmitted through the hand
connection to their partner.

In this exercise, you’ll practice calming your hands while you dance so your
connection isn’t filled with noise and distractions.

Your Drill: With a partner, practice simple side passes (with no turns).
Focus on relaxing the arms so that they drop naturally as the partners pass
and rise naturally as the move away. The rising action should happen
without any effort; simply because of the increased distance, the hands
will move up just like a telephone wire will stay higher if the poles are
separated. Your arms should never end up in a “W” position, where the
hands are above the elbows. If that occurs, reset and try again

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Standard Foot Positions

All forms of dance share several standard foot positions. This article will
describe the standard foot positions and explain where they turn up in
west coast swing, and you never know when this information might come
in handy!

First Foot Position

In first foot position, the two feet are next to each other.

Like all foot positions, this position can have varying degrees of turnout
because everyone is different.

In the picture above, the toes are pointed out from each other about 30
degrees total.

A slight degree of turnout adds stability and avoids the ugly lines created
by toed-in or pigeon-toed feet. On the other extreme, having the feet
turned out all the way looks unnatural and doesn’t fit well with the WCS
aesthetic. For west coast, a good general rule is that the feet should be
turned out somewhere between 20 and 80 degrees.

First foot position is often taught in many beginner patterns.

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For instance, the 2 through 3& of the leader’s left side pass and the 3& of
the follower’s push break are described as together steps.

Because WCS is a leverage-based dance, however, more advanced

dancers will tend to use a subtle third foot position instead of first in order
to create a front and back foot while maintaining the leverage/
compression dimension of the dance.

Second Foot Position

Second foot position is a side step.

The feet maintain the same degree of relative turnout as in first foot
position, but the heels are separated along a horizontal axis.

This position is used by the leader when crossing the slot (as on count 4 of
a whip), but is less common on the follower’s side since she remains in the
slot for most of the dance. Both partners will frequently use second
position when hitting a pose and presenting towards the audience.

Third Foot Position

In third foot position, the heel of the front foot is lined up with the instep
of the back foot.

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Either foot can be the back foot; the picture shows the leader’s typical
third foot anchor, while the follower’s anchor has the left foot behind the
right.

Third position can also be performed with varying degrees of openness: a

closed third has the heel of the front foot almost touching the back foot’s
instep, while an open third can go almost as far as a fourth position step.

Third foot position is extraordinarily common in WCS.

It is the basic anchor position because it encourages the dancer to keep

their weight away from their partner, and it is often used in the middle of
patterns instead of a first position in order to sustain the away connection.

Fourth Foot Position

Fourth foot position is a forward step.

Notice that the heels remain in a line even though the toes are turned out;
this technique, known as single-tracking, helps create clean lines and
makes possible good contra-body movement.

Followers use fourth foot position at the beginning of every pattern, but
the leaders probably use fourth position on push breaks and when setting
the post on beat 4 or 6.

Fifth Foot Position

Fifth foot position is not used often in WCS except for variations.

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In fifth, the toe of the back foot is almost touching the heel of the forward
foot. This position is unique in that the heel of the back foot remains off
the ground; only the toe base touches the floor.

Cross Foot Position

In the cross-foot position, the foot to be weighted crosses in front of the
other leg before receiving weight. Although the weighted foot is in front of
the other foot, the energy from a crossed foot position is backwards. As a
result, this makes the cross-foot position extremely common on anchor
variations. Followers also use the cross on the first triple of their side
passes in order to continue traveling down the slot.

Hook Foot Position

The hook foot position places the weighted foot behind the other leg.
However, the energy of the hook movement is forward rather than
backwards; the hooked foot is pushing the free leg forward. Because of
this forward energy, hooks are often used to flare the free leg out for a
sweep or ronde

Building Body Awareness for Dancing

Have you ever watched your dancing and thought, “I didn’t think my [body
part] was in such a weird place!”? It’s very common to find your hands,
feet, head—and almost any other part of your body—in an awkward
position. This drill will develop your body awareness so those awkward
moments are less common.

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The Drill: Without a partner, stand in front of a mirror. Close your eyes
and move to a specific position, like hitting an arm line. Imagine where all
the parts of your body are as you move to this position.

Then, without moving, open your eyes and check where you actually
ended up. If you tried to move your arm to parallel with the ground, for
instance, is it actually parallel, or is it pointing slightly up? Are your wrists
and elbows smoothly in the line, or is one of your joints bent at an odd
angle? If there’s something off about your position, fix it, then relax and try
to hit that position again.

The technical term for body awareness is “proprioception”: the awareness

of where one’s body parts are. Most of us have pretty good proprioception
for basic life tasks, like walking and picking up a pen. However, we have
less experience coordinating our body like we do in dance. As a result,
using a mirror to get feedback on where your limbs actually are is
important for effortlessly going to specific positions on a whim

7 Challenges of West Coast Swing

West coast swing is generally regarded as one of the most challenging

social dances to learn. The purpose of this section is to explore some of the
reasons why WCS can be challenging in order to help you understand why
learning WCS can be difficult.

Obviously, I believe that west coast is well worth the challenge, but it’s
also worth acknowledging that this is a demanding dance, and that it’s
natural to have moments of frustration. Here are 7 common challenges of
West Coast Swing:

1. Triple steps are hard.

Very few social dances use triple steps because they require a strong
sense of rhythm to place the & and they demand a high level of control
over the body center during the triple. They are often hard for beginners

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and still difficult for advanced dancers to master. Read more about
mastering the triple step here.

2. Dancing in open position requires a good frame.

There are a lot of ways for closed position dancing to compensate for a
weak frame. In open position, if you don’t maintain your own frame then
you’re lost. There is a great free video about connecting to partners with
poor connection on our video page.

3. WCS is not a mirrored dance.

Followers can’t just match their leader. West coast demands a higher level
of knowledge from the follower than many social dances. Followers really
need to know their own footwork in WCS so make sure you master
the basics! If you are looking to add some styling to your game as a leader
or follower, check out our styling resources page.

4. Anchoring and elasticity are high-level concepts.

Not only are these concepts tricky for beginners to master, they are also
fundamental to the dance. In a way it’s one of the reasons that make WCS
so unique. Elasticity is needed not only on your anchor step, but in hidden
places like the coaster step in the whip. Learning to stay back on the
anchor is WCS 101.

5. West coast is inherently off-phrase.

Because WCS has six beat patterns, the dance always gets off time from
the music. This enables high-level dancers to reattach to the music in cool
ways, but it means that beginners can get lost in the beat. Need to improve
your musicality in WCS?

Download this video>> The #1 Key to Musicality in WCS

It will really help unravel WCS musicality for you!

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6. WCS is a conversation.
Dancers are expected to not just perform their role, but to adapt to what
their partner does during the dance. This requires both partners to learn
lead and follow skills. Once you are past being comfortable with your
basics it’s good to learn when and how you can take advantage of the
freedom of wcs.

7. There is a huge range of musical styles and tempos.

Extreme slow and fast requires a high level of body control, and expressing
different genres requires a broad range of movements. WCS even changes
the way that patterns are counted based on the music (straight vs. rolling)!
Looking for some WCS music to practice to?

Check out our WCS music page.

In short, it’s OK to feel like west coast swing is a difficult dance. It is! The
key is to remember that this difficulty is not created just to mess you up—
all of these challenges give WCS a huge degree of freedom and flexibility.
Putting time into mastering these skills has a huge payoff precisely
because developing talent at WCS forces you to learn a lot of solid dancing
skills.

It’s OK to feel like west coast swing is a difficult dance. It is! The key is to
remember that this difficulty is not created just to mess you up—all of
these challenges give WCS a huge degree of freedom and flexibility.
Putting time into mastering these skills has a huge payoff precisely
because developing talent at WCS forces you to learn a lot of solid dancing
skills.

West Coast Swing Dance Shoes

I constantly get questions about which kind of dance shoes should we

wear for West Coast Swing and where to get them.

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My first piece of advice to find west coast swing dance shoes is to seek out
the shoe vendors at WCS events.

I always prefer seeing dance shoes in person and even trying them on
before shopping online. If you are not able to attend a big weekend west
coast swing event then hopefully this blog post will be your #1 resource to
choosing the right west coast swing dance shoes for you.

Pro tip: When picking out a dance shoe that is right for you, comfort and
style are key factors. Be prepared to allow a break-in period for any new
pair of dance shoes.

Want to hear what other dancers have to say about west coast swing
dance shoes? Read this post from our Facebook page It has some fun 'real
world' info from other dancers.

Women’s Shoes

Sandals

Although the fashion boots have become the in thing these days... the
'strappy sandals' or "practice cuban heels' are a core shoe that will serve
you well for not only WCS but your other dance styles as well.

Pro tip: The fit of these shoes is important. Your big toe should line up with
the front edge of the shoe. Also remember these shoes will stretch out
overtime and form to your foot.

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Style Options: There are many options for sandal and strappy looks. These
are nice if you are wanting to wear shorts or a skirt, as well as pants.
While the tan strappy sandals are probably the most common selection,
the nice thing about these shoes is that the major shoe vendors make
several styles of them so you can get something that both fits your taste
and your feet.

Where to buy:
• Dance Shoes of TN has a nice line of these types of shoes. You'll also
see them as vendors at many weekend dance events. They are
REALLY good folks!

• Very Fine is another common company that has a nice selection.

They carry many different options but here is a link to the most
popular one, the tan practice cuban strappy's.

• Supadance is a very popular shoe in the ballroom community and

they make a quality option for WCS dancers

West Coast Swing Dance Boots

West Coast Swing boots are also popular favorites these days. Several
manufactures have created several different high quality dance boots. As

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of the date of this post in 2019, dance boots may be the most popular
options for women at west coast swing events.

Style Options: They come with many options of brand, color, heel size &
shape, and material (usually suede or leather).

Pro tip: Sway'd boots have the most comfortable stylish options for west
coast swing.

Where to buy:
• Dance Shoes of TN carry our favorite west coast swing boots for
women. Sway'd boots! They are urban in style and can be dressed up
or down

• Dance Connection also has some options for you as well.

Danceweare Europe has some high quality stylish boots and might be
easier to get if you live in Europe.

Closed toed practice shoes

These are not the most popular choice for west coast swing but they serve
a purpose. If your feet don't fit the strappy sandals or if you want to
protect your toes... these are an option.

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I recommend a shoe with a heel height of about 1.5 inches tall. The most
popular for woman are black, closed-toe heeled shoes with laces. For a full
description of heel heights check out this page.

Style Options: While the black closed-toed options are usually chosen for
comfort and protection of your feet, there are still some cool options. Ray
Rose has some cool choices. There are so many options for material, color,
and style, that your choice comes down to personal preference.

Pro tip: You will find a lot of professional dance teachers wearing these. I
always recommend double knotting the laces.

Where to buy:
• Dance Connection has several basic options including one with extra
padding.

• Ray Rose is one of the highest quality shoes out there. Plus, they
have some fun color choices.

Hybrid Dance Sneakers

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While not the most popular option among women (these are very popular
for male dancers) these hybrid dance sneakers provide a comfortable
option for long hours on the dance floor.

Style options: These come in several color options however there might be
a long wait time for some colors

Pro tip: Again if comfort is your main concern Dance Connection makes a
pair of hybrids with extra padding.

Where to buy:
• Dance Connection has some comfortable options for aching feet and
different colors as well.

• Veryfine makes several selections in different colors

Street shoes
Ladies have LOTS of different options for shoes. Here is a
great video on Street Shoes vs Dance Shoes so you can
learn the no no's of what shoes you should avoid.

Many of my students have taken regular street shoes to a

cobbler and requested that felt or suede be added to the bottoms. The
result: a pair of cool, danceable street shoes. These students want to look
like they fit into a club or bar without looking pretentious. This route
makes them feel more comfortable, like they naturally fit into the scene.

Pro tip: The shoe brand Tom's is popular for WCS social dancing.

Shoe bags
Lastly, it is always recommended that you don't wear your dance shoes on
any floor other than a dance floor. Use a shoe bag to transport your dance
shoes to and from the car, and change shoes before and after dancing.

Pro tip #1: Let shoes air out before putting them back in the shoe bag or
they will get stinky. Leave your shoe bag in the trunk of your car instead of

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the back seat when not in use. I have had many dancers report that their
car got broken into because they left a shoe bag in plain sight and it got
stolen!

Pro tip #2: Make sure you add a unique marking to your shoe bag. I've
seen many people mistakenly take home the wrong shoe bag because they
all look the same.

Men’s Shoes

Ballroom Shoes

If you dance other dance styles Dance shoes with heels are very popular
for competitions and social dancing in the West Coast swing genre for
both men. A traditional Latin dance shoe usually has a thick, chunky heel
that is 1.5 inches tall. I recommend a smooth style dance shoe, which is
typically one inch tall. The most popular for men are the black, closed-toe
heeled shoes with laces.

Style Options: While black shoes are pretty standard and go with
anything, if you are looking for a bit more style check out some of the
options at Very Fine

Pro tip: I always recommend double knotting the laces for competitions
and shows.

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Where to buy:
• Supadance make a quality dance shoe worn by many professional
dancers

• Dance Connection can be found at many WCS events.

Their 'Ultimate' shoe has the most padding on the market

Hybrids

These might be the most popular shoe for male west coast swing dancers
as I write this in 2019. They are reasonably stylish and very comfortable. If
you're looking to put in lots of hours of dancing these are a good choice.

Style Options: Again black is the most common choice but you can actually
get these in different colors and with some cool stylish options

Pro tip: If you want comfortable shoes these are your best choice

Where to buy:
• Dance Connection offer the most common hybrid dance sneaker for
west coast swing

• Very Fine has several different styles and options

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Street Shoes

Many of my students have taken regular street shoes to a cobbler and

requested that felt or suede be added to the bottoms. The result: a pair of
cool, danceable street shoes. These students want to look like they fit into
a club or bar without looking pretentious. This route makes them feel
more comfortable, like they naturally fit into the scene.

Pro tip: The shoe brand Tom's is popular for WCS social dancing.

10 Things Good WCS Dancers Do Differently

There are a lot of things that separate good dancers from poor dancers
and great dancers from good dancers.

Background, physical talents and years in the game are all factors that
come into play.

As a teacher, I live in a world where I’m consumed by getting the most out
of what I have without making excuses.

That being said here are 10 things that you can and should be doing if you
want to take your West Coast Swing dancing to the next level.

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1. Commit to getting better

Nothing starts without a goal and the commitment to follow through. You
have to know where you are going and be willing to stay the course.
Committing to getting better is a both a mindset and a process.

2. Learn to dance by yourself

Too many people in West Coast Swing are limited by ‘needing a partner.’
Hogwash! Learn to dance on your own and practice on your own. All
serious dancers do.

3. Take music seriously

There is no way around this one in the West Coast Swing world. We are so
driven by different kinds of music that if you don’t become a bit of a music
nerd you are giving away a step to the dancers who do.

4. Learn to love drills

Learning to isolate techniques to drill them is a fast track to better
learning. I personally use drills before most lessons and practices and have
for almost 10 years now. They are very valuable. Read 5 Drills to Improve
your WCS in 30 seconds!

5. Develop a relationship with a coach

Notice I said relationship? Too many people in WCS run around taking
random lessons from random coaches. While each coach has something to
offer I think this process is flawed. I don’t have time to fully cover my
thoughts on the subject but does Tiger Woods take lesson from different
golf coaches ever week? Right! Find a coach that you can develop a long-
standing relationship with and it will pay off in spades.

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6. Develop a work ethic

You have to develop a consistent approach to practice if you want to gain
momentum. Just like going to the gym or eating healthy, it doesn’t really
show results if you only do it once in a while.

7. Learn to cope with self-doubt

There are ABSOLUTELY going to be periods of self-doubt. Know that they
will come and do your best to work thought them when they come.

8. Take overall physical fitness seriously

Sometimes it shocks me when people want to move like high level dancers
yet they let their basic physical fitness get away from them. Things like
Yoga, Pilates are great for dancers. As we get older some form of
resistance training is helpful as well. Combine these with a healthy diet
and you’ll be in much better shape to take your dancing seriously as well.

9. Realize that learning curve is not a straight line

Bad dances, bad competitions, bad lessons and crummy days are just a
part of doing business. Learn what you can from them and come back
smarter the next day. Don’t get discouraged. Learn the lesson and move to
be better next time.

10. Learn to dance with different partners.

One of the best things you can do is to cultivate the ability to dance with a
wide range of partners. Not only partners that are brand new but also
partners that are far ‘out of your league’ It’s good to be able to the the skill
and courage to dance with everyone on the spectrum of abilities. It’s the
essence of social dance, the essence of West Coast Swing.

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Top 10 Struggles of WCS Dancers

Over 2 years I polled tens of thousands of WCS dancers across the world
to find out their biggest struggles.

I was fascinated to hear what new dancers struggled with the most.

My assumption is that once we reach an intermediate level, we have more

skills knowledge and resources and we will be more comfortable finding
our own way in the dance.

I just don’t want you to quit before you get there!

Dancers of EVERY level have struggles both mental and physical.

My goal is to create resources to help pave the way for you to enjoy west
coast swing with as little frustration as possible.

You’re not alone – All of us go through struggles – It’s a normal part of the
process.

We received 1000’s of emails and comments – here are the top struggles
of WCS dancers worldwide. Here are the top 10 replies we received!

We included some actual responses we received via email – please

forgive the grammatical errors. I’m using their words.

1. I have trouble staying on time to the music.

“I took a weekend workshop. I had never even seen the west coast swing
before before. What a fiasco! Left was right and right was left. I was f-ing
lost. Yes, that word describes my situation precisely. I did not take the 2nd
class as I did not want to screw up any partner. Then for the next couple of
years I avoided the dance when I could.”

“I no problem executing patterns with no music but as soon as the song

comes on…I really struggle with staying on beat”

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REPLY: Check out our Musicality Resource page. There are a few good
blogs and videos to help you stay on time!

Or just download our video 4 KEYS TO BETTER TIMING

2. I can’t remember my patterns

“My biggest WCS struggle is that I forget new moves shortly after learning
them. Seems like lessons never spend enough time on practice, which I
think may help my retention”

“My biggest WCS struggle is that I forget new moves shortly after learning
them.”

“I seem to know the pattern after class but when I social dance… BLAM it
all goes out the window”

REPLY: Check out our 5 tips to remember your patterns blog post

3. I lack self confidence

“I first started to learn dancing to help recover from the side effects of
being in a toxic relationship. I didn’t know which direction to go. My self
confidence was shot, I was unsure of myself, and my soul was crushed.

One of the hardest struggles I had to overcome was to get rid of the the
self defeating doubts that I had with in myself!

Thanks to dancing and especially West Coast Swing. I have performed in 2

show case dances. I have also competed. My first time competing, I got the
best all are Swing Dancer Award. I have done things that I have always
seen done, but I never pictured myself doing!

Dancing has changed my life in more ways than I ever imagined.”

“I just recently started ballroom and social dance lessons at age 65. My
instructor is a very talented 24 year old. Yikes! The thing is I really can do
the steps. My lack of confidence holds me back”

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REPLY: Everyone and I mean EVERYONE struggles with self confidence

during their dancing. You are not alone. Be patient with yourself and
remember to enjoy the learning process because you ARE good enough!

4. I don’t have anyone to practice with

“I love WCS but I can’t find a regular partner to practice with”

“We are new to west coast swing and there is no dancing in my area so I
struggle with practicing on my own.”

REPLY: Practicing by yourself can be rewarding. Also I suspect there are

others in your area with a similar frustration. Perhaps forming a practice
group with a couple of them would be a fun idea.

Read our Practice by Yourself blog post

5. I struggle with styling, creativity & musicality

“My wife and I got into WCS late (early 60’s / late 50’s) from a social
ballroom background. We can learn patterns and moves but #1 struggle is
learning to play with the music and look like the rest of the West Coast
World”

“As a follower I feel like I lack styling. I don’t want to be boring. I want to
look good so others will dance with me”

REPLY: For help with musicality watch this video - #1 Key to Musicality
for WCS.

For help with styling, check out our Styling Resource page

6. I get stuck on various things despite knowing what

I’m doing is incorrect or could be done better
“I’ve taken private lessons from lots of top pros. I know what my problems
are but I have trouble correcting them even though I know EXACTLY what
is wrong”

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“I struggle with staying back in the connection. Even though my teacher

has explained it to my 100 times I still can’t seem to get it right.”

REPLY: You are 100% normal. Actually, you are lucky too! Knowing what
you need to fix and being aware of it is a HUGE step to actually getting
better. Be patient, enjoy the process and as time goes by look back and
appreciate how far you’ve come! If you have access to a good regular
teacher/coach then use their expertise to guide you. A lot of what they can
share is not only technical by mental. Staying positive and knowing that
you’re struggles are normal will help keep you in the game

Check out our Video Page for some awesome tips and techniques. There is
a Q&A section where I have done video replies to your questions!

7. I look around at everyone else, and I’m frustrated at

how little I know.
“Every time I go social dancing it’s demoralizing. I feel like everyone else
knows what they are doing but I’m just a dumb beginner”

“I get so overwhelmed with all the technique I hear in lessons and

workshops. I feel like I don’t know a thing and I’m never going to be any
good.”

REPLY: Be okay with not knowing! Chances are lots of other dancers in
the room feel the EXACT same way. Trust me I was one and now I run the
worlds largest wcs website. You’re gonna be ok!

8. West Coast Swing seems so much harder than my

previous dancing.
“I’ve done several ProAm ballroom competition but man starting WCS was
the hardest thing I’ve done in dancing”

“I was very into social ballroom but WCS was super confusing to me at
first. It didn’t seem to fit the mold of my other dances. The music didn’t
seem to match the timing of the patterns. Very confusing!”

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REPLY: Yes WCS is a VERY difficult dance to be really good at. It can be
learned fairly quickly buy as we get more advanced it becomes infinitely
challenging. This is why we all love it so much though There are so many
things to keep us entertained and excited.

Wanna learn more? Our video page has 400+ videos to help!

9. Social dancing WCS is, frankly, waaay beyond my

comfort level.
“Truth be told, even now, social dancing WCS was like to visiting a rural
part of a foreign country while knowing only five words of the language. I
still do not possess enough of the vernacular, vocabulary, or processing
speed to be confident as a follower in WCS.”

“Leaders who get frustrated when I don’t know what they think they’re
leading, pushy/pulling/yanking leads, or shy (lack of leading) leads and you
have a perfect storm to keep me from the local social dances, workshops,
and conventions.”

REPLY: There is only one way to fix this one…. Like Nike says… JUST DO
IT! Make a goal to dance for just 30min of a social dance. Heck, maybe
make it a goal just to dance once! Then slowly add to your goal until you
can get through an entire dance. You might even enjoy it!

10. Finding a place to dance.

“We live in a small town with no west coast swing dancing. We have to
travel 2 hours to find the closest social dance.”

“There are no west coast swing teachers in our area. We dance in a small
group at our studio but none of the instructors are ‘real’ west coast swing
teachers”

REPLY: After teaching around the world (25+ countries) I have learned
this truth. Every dance community started with just a few passionate
people who really spurred growth. Maybe YOU are the one to do it in your
community!

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Start with just a few friends and start inviting people. If you are not
confident in your ability to teach others… shoot me an email and I’ll give
you some awesome resources that you can use to help instruct others and
build your community.

CHECK OUT our Beginners Guide to WCS was created to help move
people from Beginner to Intermediate.

Bonus: My husband/wife, boyfriend/girlfriend is not into dancing

“I love dancing but my husband hates it. I just want him to dance with me.
What do I do?”

REPLY: As much as we love dancing…It’s not always for everyone. If you

are lucky enough to have the support of your partner, be grateful and
enjoy your dancing! The dance bug is likely to hit you hard and you might
want to dance 5 nights a week but be respectful of your partner because
they are likely not to understand your new passion.

How to get the most out of your Group

Classes, Private Lessons & Workshops

Listen for technique tips:

Throughout group classes, instructors make asides about little technique
bits that make the move work. Listen for these. Ask yourself why they are
important on this move, and what other moves can benefit from those tips.

Watch the instructors:

There is almost always something to admire about the way a pro dances.
Find something that you like about your workshop instructors, and watch
closely while they demo their patterns. For instance, if you like their
anchor, pay close attention to where their feet are, where their weight is,
where in the body they settle their weight, etc. You can learn a ton from
close observation.

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Learn the opposite role:

This can involve the whole range of options from actually taking the
workshop in the opposite role to paying close attention to what your
partner is doing during the pattern. In true lead-follow dancing, the leader
is more concerned with what he asks the follower to do than what he is
doing per se.

Likewise, the follower doesn’t know the pattern and so can’t be focused on
what she ought to do; she needs to be focused on what the leader is asking
from her. Group classes are a great way to develop this skill because you
can concentrate on how the leader’s movement is creating a lead for the
follower, and what the follower needs to do in order to feel that lead and
respond appropriately.

Notice what makes each dancer differently:

Because you rotate through partners in a group class, you can become
aware of how your partner’s dance style affects the movement.

Leaders, pay attention to the ways in which the follower may not be
prepared for the upcoming lead, and either find a way to make the lead
work or to mentally scratch off that lead in that situation.

Followers, notice the variety of ways your leader can communicate a lead,
and focus on making your movements in a way that allows you to respond
to any of those versions.

Practice your technique in complicated moves:

Most workshop patterns are at least moderately complicated moves.
Whatever material you’ve been working on in private lessons—from
anchoring to stretching to rolling through the feet—should be able to be
applied in this move.

A group class provides a great opportunity to practice your technique while

performing more complicated patterns.

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Don’t stop taking group classes!

As I write this in early 2017, a friend of mine recently ranted online about
people thinking they were too good for group classes. He said something
that resonated with me. He said,

“if you can’t get something out of a group class you’re not trying hard enough”

I think this is completely true. Even today I’m always search of better ways
to understand concepts and as a pro, especially better ways to teach them!

3 Tips to Better Private Lessons

Looking forward to a private lesson with a big-name Pro?

Many years ago, I came away from my first private lesson with a ‘big name
instructor’ frustrated and disappointed. I had spent almost $300 for 2
hours of lessons and I felt like it was a waste.

I learned a valuable lesson that day that I would like to pass on to you.

First let me say this...

My biggest mistake in my first big time private lesson was that I didn’t not
take control of it. I wandered into the lesson not having a clue what was
about to happen. Had I had something as simple of these 3 tips, I would
have most assuredly had a much better experience!

Tip #1 – Know what you want out of the lesson

You need to be specific in what you are trying to achieve with the lesson.

Are you looking to learn new patterns? Do you have questions about a
specific subject? The lead of a pattern or perhaps you are having trouble
with a spin? Know ahead of time what you are looking to achieve then
communicate that to your teacher.

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Tip #2 – Communicate with your teacher

Chat briefly about your experience level at the top of the lesson.

Its important for your teacher to know where you are coming from.
Letting your teacher know how long you have been dancing, classes you
attend regularly, your private lesson background and practice habits are
all important things to talk about at the top of the lesson.

Its also helpful if you know your own learning style. Some people are very
visual. If that is you then your teacher can demonstrate more doing your
lesson. Some people are very ‘feel’ oriented. If that’s the case then you
might need to dance more on your lesson. Yet others still are extremely
detail oriented. Knowing this your teacher can help fill in all the details for
you.

Tip #3 – Let your teacher teach

Once you trust that your teacher knows a little bit about you, your goals
and your learning style it’s time to sit back and be the student.

This does not mean that you shouldn’t ask questions (you absolutely
should ask plenty of questions) but you need to allow your teacher to work
through the material he or she has been asked to convey to you.

Often times as a teacher I will resist answering a question until give my

answer a little context first. This is the type of expertise you are paying for.
Your Pro often has years of communicating their knowledge.

So, to sum it up… begin with the end in mind, communicate (especially
right in the beginning) then ask questions as you let your teacher quite you
though what will hopefully be a much better experience than my first
lesson with a ‘big time pro’

BTW if you want to know who the Pro was??? It was a latin dude. I’m sure
he couldn’t west coast swing a lick!

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How to Practice After a Workshop

You just got home from a great workshop! Right now, you are inspired.

You don’t want this workshop to be just like all the others, when in a week
you go to social dance and can barely remember what you learned.

What can you do differently to get more out of this workshop?

Immediately after the workshop

• Record what you did. Most pros are great about letting workshop
participants video a summary of the class. If not, grab a friend and go
in the hallway to make your own video. Mention all the little details
you can remember, because this will be your reference when you
have a question.

• Write down what you did. Video is powerful, but the act of taking a
video doesn’t require much concentration. The act of writing,
however, requires you to go through the movement again, to think
about how you would break it down, and to recreate it in words.
Whether you write the entire thing, or add stick figure sketches, you
will remember a lot more if you force yourself to write down some
notes.

• Practice it that night. Most groups have dances after lessons, so you
should be able to try throwing your new skill in during a song. You
can also take a one-song break to walk to the corner of the room and
practice on your own. No one will mind, and you’ll get a chance to
reinforce your memory before the night is done. If there is not a
dance, take five minutes in your room before bed to walk through
the movement again.

The Next Day

The first 24 hours are critical to our memory. If we re-activate a memory
within 24 hours, the brain is much more likely to try storing that
information into long-term memory. So, within 24 hours:

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• Review your video/notes. As you do so, try to remember what else

was mentioned in the workshop that you don’t have noted yet, and
write that down. The details of the workshop itself will fade from
your memory quickly, so this is one of your last chances to recall a
tip that you heard but didn’t yet process.

• Practice the skill. Work through it at whatever speed you can. If all
you can do is step-by-step, that’s fine. Fluency is not important at
this point, but re-imprinting the memory is.

• Put it in a song. If you have enough fluency to dance the movement,

even at a painfully slow tempo, do so. This begins the process of
training your mind to see this movement as an opportunity while
you are dancing, so it can come out spontaneously instead of having
to be planned.

The Rest of the Week

Keep practicing! A few minutes every day are better than 15 minutes
every other day. Every other day is better than practicing once at the end
of the week.

This is a little bit different than normal skill-building.

With normal practice, there’s a lot of value in getting in dozens of

repetitions in the same session.

When you are trying to build fluency, lots of repetitions are essential and
doing a movement dozens of times is extremely valuable. But, when you
are trying to remember a movement, the more important variable is how
many times you come back to the idea, not how long you worked on it
during each session.

Some people can remember what a movement is with two or three

sessions; others may need a dozen reviews.

As you add more movements to your repertoire, you’ll be able to

recognize similarities and pick up on new movements quicker, so don’t be
discouraged if you need more reviewing right now.

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If you follow this process, you’ll be amazed at how much more you learn
from workshops.

Remember: a workshop can introduce an idea, but owning it requires

some effort on your part.

If you are deliberate in re-visiting the skills during that first week, you’ll
see a huge improvement in your memory and your dance ability!

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Musicality

Musicality & Timing Basics

• Musicality Introduction ...................................................................................... 58

• How to Find the Beat in the Music? ............................................................... 58
• How to connect your steps to the music? ................................................... 62
• How to Stay on Time with The Music ........................................................... 65
• How to Dance 6-Count Patterns to 8-Bead Music ................................. 69

Understanding Music

• Learning Major Phrases ...................................................................................... 71

• Identifying Musical Phrases .............................................................................. 73

Accenting the Music

• The #1 Key to Musicality for WCS ................................................................. 74

• Dancing to the Lyrics ........................................................................................... 75
• Musicality for Follower: Accenting the 1 .................................................... 77
• Musicality for Leaders: Accenting the 1 ...................................................... 79
• Choosing Patterns to Hit Accents .................................................................. 81

Helpful Resources

• 10 Practice Songs for WCS ............................................................................... 85

• Other musicality resources
• VIDEO COURSE – Ultimate Guide to Musicality

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Musicality Introduction

West coast swing has a reputation for being an incredibly musical dance.

While other dances are danced to music, WCS provides the opportunity
for both partners to interpret the music to a far greater degree than other
dance styles.

This series will introduce you to the fundamentals of musicality!

If you don’t have a background in music, this is a great place to start!

If you already know music theory, this series will help you work that
knowledge into your dancing.

Like all skills, actively listening to music and musical interpretation require
practice. If you don’t already, start listening to music on a regular basis.
Whether you listen while driving, exercising, doing the dishes, or working,
make music a constant part of your life.

For now, feel free to listen to anything.

We’ll identify specific elements of WCS music in the future, but for now
the key is to get a lot of music running through your head.

How to Find the Beat in the Music?

Question: Should I count the music?

Answer: Always.*

No matter who you are, what your musical background is, or how skilled
you are at feeling the music, counting always elevates your dance.

Dancers who move by feel only are unattached

to their third partner, the music.

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Counting gives a way for both partners to be simultaneously directed to

the same thing.

Even if you are great at feeling the music, you will always be more precise
if you are also focusing on the count.

How to hear the beat?

The first element to finding the beat is simply being able to hear the beat.
For individuals without some past musical experience, this can be a tricky
skill.

TAKE ACTION> Watch our video on Counting the Music

To learn this skill, put on a song with a very clear and consistent beat.

Good songs include:

• “Goin’ Down South” by R.L. Burnside and

• “Juke Joint” by Johnnie Taylor.

Both of these songs have very solid beats without much distraction
happening in the bass line.

As you listen, clap on the beat (which is the loud drum noise in these
songs).

Keep practicing this skill until you can effortlessly clap along with the beat
through the whole song!

How to practice counting while dancing.

With or without a partner, dance and focus on counting through the entire
song.

Whether you count patterns, eights, or downbeats and upbeats is up to

you: the key is to keep the count running through your head for the entire
song.

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This drill works great during social dancing as well as during solo or
partnered practice, so give it a try the next time you head out social
dancing.

If you struggle to dance and keep the count going at the same time, spend
some time listening to WCS music and counting throughout the song.

As that becomes more comfortable, you can add in solo dancing WCS
rhythms and finally WCS patterns.

If you are a dancer who moves by feel, this may take a while to become
comfortable with counting and dancing. That’s ok!

You are reprogramming the way you listen to music so that you can
perform at a much higher level, and that’s going to take some time.

Don’t think you need to count?

Some people learn to dance without spending a lot of time counting music,
and they tend to dance by feel.

If you are one of those people, you probably think that counting the music
while you are dancing inhibits your ability to dance to the lyrics or the
melody.

You’re probably right.

But that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t count. That means that you need
to practice counting in order to be more comfortable thinking in musical
terms.

Being able to count while you dance raises the ceiling on how precise your
dancing can be; actually, counting in turn helps you tune in to the music at
a higher level.

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Is counting easy for you?

When you dance a part of the song lyrically, you need to be able to
reattach to the beat once the lyric has finished.

If you are not rock solid at counting, there will be a slight jar as you catch
the beat again.

By contrast, if your counting is rock solid, you can deviate from the beat
and reattach seamlessly. So, if counting is easy for you….

Take your dancing to the next level…

Download this video> The #1 Key to WCS Musicality

A different way to ‘count’ music

There are some rare instances in which counting by numbers may impede
your ability to feel something really awesome within the music.

In those instances, you may have more success if you “count” with
sounds—making the mm-da-duh in your head as your “count.”

You still want to do something to stay attached to the music, but it may not
be numeric.

Be honest with yourself.

If counting numbers truly stops you from moving a specific way, that’s one
thing. But if you say that to yourself all the time, it might be that you need
a stronger technical foundation in counting music and you’re just covering
up for it.

Great performers seek out weaknesses in their game and struggle to

overcome them; mediocre performers hide (from) their weaknesses.

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How to connect your steps to the music?

The essence of dancing is movement to music, so finding the beat in a song

is extremely important.

Being able to move on the beat for any kind of dance requires skill, and this
is particularly true for west coast swing because WCS music tends to
feature breaks, syncopations, and other unique rhythms that make the
beat less obvious.

The goal of this article is to develop the ability to find the beat and to keep
moving on the beat even when thinking about other aspects of the dance.

Phase 1—Hearing the Beat:

The first element to finding the beat is simply being able to hear the beat.
In the section above we covered how to hear the beat. I’ll repeat it again in
case you missed it. I’ve you’ve got this part covered jump to “Phase 2-
Moving to the Beat” below.

TAKE ACTION> Watch our video on Counting the Music

To learn this skill, put on a song with a very clear and consistent beat.

Good songs include:

• “Goin’ Down South” by R.L. Burnside

• “Juke Joint” by Johnnie Taylor.

Both of these songs have very solid beats without much distraction
happening in the bass line.

As you listen, clap on the beat (which is the loud drum noise in these
songs).

Keep practicing this skill until you can effortlessly clap along with the beat
through the whole song!

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Phase 2—Moving to the Beat:

Put on a song with a clear and steady beat again.

This time, instead of clapping, take a step on each beat.

You should focus on putting your weight onto the new foot as the beat
hits.

At first, you may stumble; this is probably because you didn’t start moving
your body until too late.

Continue working on stepping on the beat, and you will gradually learn
when you need to start moving your body in order to land on the beat.

Phase 3—Downbeats and Upbeats:

Most music for dancing, with the exception of waltz music, has beats occur
in pairs.

The first beat of each pair is the downbeat; the second beat is the upbeat.
Being able to distinguish downbeats and upbeats is important because
WCS begins each pattern on a downbeat.

In pop music, downbeats and upbeats and generally played with different
instruments.

The downbeat is usually a drum or bass (a low pitch), while the upbeat is a
cymbal or other higher pitched instrument. If you try say “boom-chick”
along with the song, the boom is the downbeat and the chick is the upbeat.

For this part of the exercise, put on a song that clearly distinguishes
between downbeats and upbeats.

• “Juke Joint” is a good song

• Prince’s “The Word” also has a clear distinction, especially during

the chorus (the downbeat is more subdued during the verses,
although the upbeat remains very clearly accented).

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As this song is playing, you should do step-taps: step on the downbeat and
tap your free foot on the upbeat.

This is a single rhythm unit, which means that you will change weight once
every two beats.

Phase 4—Keeping the Beat Through Complications:

Now that you can dance on the beat throughout a song and can distinguish
between downbeats and upbeats, the next challenge is to maintain the
beat in your movement when the song isn’t helping you.

One of the ways that music can be more interesting is by having the
instruments or vocals do stuff that doesn’t perfectly match the beat.

Although the beat of the song stays the same, the song itself isn’t marking
the beat for you.

Here are 2 different complications you may encounter:

#1 – A song with a break

You might have a song that just has a break; in this case, the music stops
and you have to finish counting the phrase on your own and keep dancing
to the beat when the song isn’t marking the beat for you.

Examples of this kind of music include:

• “Sweet Sixteen” by Junior Wells (there is only a subtle instrument

for the last four beats of each major phrase)

• Buddy Guy’s “What Kind of Woman Is This?” (which does the same
thing without the instrumental cues)

• “Man in the Mirror” by James Morrison (which frequently has a

sustained vocal note without background instrumentation at the
end of mini-phrases).

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#2 – A song with a syncopated rhythm

The second way that a song can obfuscate the rhythm is by having
instrumentation that is syncopated against the beat

• Robin Thicke’s “Cocaine” is an extreme example; the syncopation is

so strong that beginning dancers have an extraordinarily difficult
time staying on beat.

• “She’s Right Here” by Ne-Yo (featuring Brandy) A more subdued

example. The bass drum on the & before the 3 encourages a
syncopated triple rather than a standard triple, which usually results
in beginners rushing the upbeat and getting off time.

When practicing to these kinds of songs, try dancing both walks and
triples. While doing triples, focus on delaying the triple as long as possible.

Struggling to stay on time to the music?

• Do you struggle to stay on time to the music?

• You know your patterns.

• You understand how to lead or follow.

• But when the music comes on your timing falls apart.

We’ve got your covered!

Learn to stay on time while dancing to music with this video…

DOWNLOAD THE VIDEO>> 4 Keys to better timing

How to Stay on Time with The Music

The #1 struggle we hear from new west coast swing dancers is that they
struggle to stay on time with the music.

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While they might be ok when dancing just the basics, things tend to fall
apart as they dance more complex moves. If you struggle to dance and
keep the count going at the same time this article is for you!

TAKE ACTION>> Download our VIDEO – 4 Keys to Staying on

Time

1. Count the music

Some people learn to dance without spending a lot of time counting music,
and they tend to dance by feel.

No matter who you are, or how skilled you are at feeling the music,
counting always elevates your dance.

Counting gives a way for both partners to be simultaneously directed to

the same thing. Even if you are great at feeling the music, you will always
be more precise if you are also focusing on the count.

When your counting is rock solid, you’ll be able to deviate from the beat
and reattach seamlessly.

How do you improve your counting?

First, spend some time listening to WCS music and counting throughout
the song. (I do it in the car)

As that becomes more comfortable, progress to dancing your basic

patterns by yourself with no partner. (a partner will complicate things at
this point)

Finally, give it a try while out while social dancing or while practicing with
a partner.

Focus on counting through the entire song. No matter how you count, the
key is to keep the count running through your head for the entire song.

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If you are a dancer who moves by feel, this may take a while to become
comfortable with counting and dancing. That’s ok!

You are reprogramming the way you listen to music so that you can
perform at a much higher level, and that’s going to take some time.

One of the tips I use is to ‘sing the counts’ in my head which creates a more
solid connection from the counts to the music.

2. Learn Downbeats vs Upbeats

Because west coast swing is a two-beat dance, recognizing the difference
between downbeats and upbeats is an essential skill.

As patterns become more complex and as the dancers introduce more

play in the middle of patterns, you need to immediately know which beat is
which, in order to stay on the correct timing.

• Downbeats are the 1, 3, 5, or 7.

• Upbeats are the 2, 4, 6, or 8

Put on a song and start counting the music in downbeat-upbeat pairs.

Listen to make sure you are starting on a downbeat of the music (the 1, 3,
5, or 7 of the set of 8) and count downbeat, upbeat, downbeat, upbeat, ….
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8

TAKE ACTION>> Watch our video - 4 keys to better timing in

WCS

The purpose of this exercise is to train yourself to instantly recognize

whether you are on a downbeat or upbeat.

To get to the point of instinctive recognition, you need to practice well

beyond the point of conscious understanding.

This drill will feel simplistic after a short while, and that’s okay.

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It’s much easier to keep the rhythm of downbeats and upbeats in your
head when you have no other distractions.

Your goal is to practice to the point where you can’t lose track even if you
are distracted.

Once you have this exercise mastered, practice by skipping your music
player to the middle of the song and see how quickly you can correctly
identify which beats are the downbeats and which are the upbeats.

This part of the exercise trains you to make the identification quickly
when you haven’t been following the music closely, which is similar to
what will happen in the wild when you lose the beat of the song and need
to quickly reset your internal metronome.

3. Understand WCS as a 2-beat dance

Although west coast swing is composed of six- and eight-count patterns,
the actual dance itself is a two-beat dance.

Every movement in west coast swing goes through a downbeat-upbeat

pair. Those pairs of downbeats and upbeats are then joined together into a
full pattern, an extension, a chunk of play, or anything else within the
dance.

Consider a basic side pass.

We normally count out the pattern as “walk walk, tri-ple step, tri-ple step.”

This language reveals the two-beat increments underlying the pattern: a

walk walk, a triple, and another triple.

If we want to change the pattern, we will do it by changing a full two-beat

rhythm.

For instance, we could replace the anchor triple with a delayed single like a
drag-step. We can’t just change one beat of the pattern since that would
affect our footwork on the rest of the rhythm unit.

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How do you make use of west coast’s two-beat

foundation?
First, every movement belongs to a downbeat-upbeat pair. If you are
having problems with a move, break it down into each downbeat-upbeat
pair to see where the problem lies.

Second, all of your footwork happens in two-beat increments. If you want

to learn footwork syncopations or variations, you should practice the two-
beat chunks: kick-ball change, tri-ple step, step-blank, etc. It’s much easier
to do footwork on the fly if you can pull from two-beat increments rather
than trying to memorize full syncopation sequences.

Third, playing happens in two-beat increments. If the follower wants to do

something on the downbeat, she also needs to fill the upbeat. If the leader
wants to re-start the dance, he needs to do so on a downbeat rather than
an upbeat.

How to Dance 6-Count Patterns to 8-Bead Music

There are two basic rhythms in WCS: the six count rhythm and the 8 count
rhythm.

Six Count Rhythms: Once you are comfortable with triple steps, six count
rhythms are easy.

The basic rhythm for six count patterns in WCS is double triple triple (also
called walk-walk, triple step, triple step, and counted 1, 2, 3 & 4, 5 & 6).

In short: you step on the beat twice, then perform two triple steps.

Leaders start the rhythm by putting their weight on the left foot on 1,
while followers first move onto the right foot on 1.

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If you have a background in music, you’ll notice that dancing 6-count

rhythms to a song feels a little weird because WCS music is phrased in 8
beat segments, rather than 6 beat chunks.

This is a feature, not a bug; because WCS is an inherently off-phrase

dance, the dancers have the opportunity to use their pattern selection to
interpret the music in a way that’s not possible in many other dance styles.

Having said that, you’re right that your timing will be off from the song at
first.

When you start learning about musicality, you’ll learn how to reattach
WCS rhythms to the phrasing of the music.

Our Video, Counting Straight 8’s will explain

Eight Count Rhythms: The basic 8-count rhythm simply extends the 6-
beat rhythm with two walking steps between the triples.

The rhythm is thus double triple double triple, or 1, 2, 3 & 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8.

Again, leaders start on the left and followers on the right.

How to practice this?

Put on a slow to medium tempo song and practice doing nothing but six
count rhythms. Your goal is to become comfortable alternating between
the double rhythm and the triple rhythm so that you move fluidly through
the entire six beats

As you gain proficiency in moving between double and triple rhythms,

practice dancing to faster songs.

Initially, you should aim to dance up to 120 bpm, which should allow you
to keep up with most songs played socially.

Eventually your goal will be higher (some social songs go up to 130 bpm),
but getting to 120 bpm will give you plenty of music to dance to in an
evening.

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Once the six count rhythms are instinctive and comfortable, do the same
thing with the eight count rhythms.

The final addition is to switch between six and eight count rhythms during
the song.

The key here is to make sure that you finish your last triple before
switching—if you try to switch after only 4 beats of a six-count pattern (or
4 or 6 beats of an eight count), you will be on the wrong foot and things
will feel really awkward.

Musicality: Learning Major Phrases

Music is written in major phrases.

Many contemporary songs are written in 32-beat phrases, or 4 sets of 8

beats; blues music that follows the 12-bar blues progression occurs in 48-
beat phrases, or 6 sets of 8 beats.

Each major phrase ends by resolving to the tonic.

The tonic is the key, or base, of the song.

When musicians play the tonic after doing a bunch of other stuff, the
result is a harmonious sound that releases, or resolves, the tension that
had been building up.

Because the resolve is a powerful moment in the song, as west coast

dancers we want to be aware of when that resolve occurs so we can
acknowledge it in our dancing.

The Drill: To learn how to listen for the tonic, you can practice a brief line
dance.

The dance starts with your weight on your right foot.

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Begin by taking slow walks for 16 beats: walk (hold 2) walk (hold 4), walk
(hold 6) walk (hold 8), and repeat.

For the third set of 8, point out to the side on the odd beat and then bring
the foot back in on the even beat.

So, you will point left 1, step your left next to your right on 2, point right 3,
step your right next to your left 4, and so on for 8 beats.

The final 8 gets a little trickier.

Point forward with your left on 1. Hold beat 2.

On the & of beat 2, step your left next to your right and point your right
forward for 3.

Again, hold beat 4.

On the & of 4, step your right together with your left, and point your left
out for 5.

Now, keep moving every half beat: on the & of 5, step your left together,
on 6 point your right forward, on & step your right together, on 7 point left
forward, on & step left together, on 8 point right forward, and on & step
right together.

This line dance, emphasizes all the main resolves in a 32-beat phrase. The
busy-ness in the final 4 beats obviously resolves into the tonic on the 1 of
the next phrase.

There are also changes after 16 beats (which is a minor resolve), and the
dance builds energy through the entirety of the last 8 beats in order to
really accent the resolve on the next 1.

We do an abbreviated version of this drill in our Ultimate Guide to

Musicality Video Course. The course included 17 videos all related to
mastering musicality for WCS dancers.

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When you are comfortable with the dance itself, try dancing beginning on
the new phrase for a song that’s perfectly phrased. (A great practice song
is Heather Headley – Fallin’ For You; start dancing at the “you” of “I’m
falling for you.”)

Identifying Musical Phrases

When you learned WCS, you learned to distinguish downbeats and

upbeats.

In musical terms, the downbeat and upbeat are quarter note rhythms:
they take up a quarter of a measure, which is the division used in musical
scores.

A single measure of music for WCS songs takes four beats: a downbeat, an
upbeat, another downbeat, and another upbeat.

(There are exceptions to the previous sentence, but we’ll set those aside
for the moment.)

WCS music is generally phrased over two measures, or eight beats.

Each eight-beat phrase is the musical equivalent of a sentence.

Most verses, for instance, have a natural break every eight beats.

For instance, listen to Michael Jackson’s The Way You Make Me Feel

(Sentence:) Hey pretty baby with the high heels on

(Sentence:) You give me fever like I’ve never, ever known
(Sentence:) You’re just a product of loveliness
(Sentence:) I like the groove of your walk, your talk, your dress

You can hear the musical sentences continue throughout the song. Now
it’s time to count them.

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How to practice this!

Listen to a song phrased in perfect eight-beat phrases, like The Way You
Make Me Feel.

Count the eights: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, [repeat].

Your goal is to train yourself to hear and feel the beginning of a new set of
eight.

If you don’t have previous musical training, it will take a while to master
this drill. That’s ok!

Being able to quickly identify the 1 of a new phrase is extremely important

for musical phrasing, so it’s worth spending time on this skill.

Wasn’t to learn all of this on video?

You’ll love our “Ultimate Guide to Musicality”

The #1 Key to Musicality for WCS

There is a concept that you must understand before you can connect your
patterns and dancing to the music.

It’s called counting straight 8’s

Learn counting straight 8’s with this video

When you first learn west coast swing you typically will count your
patterns.

Imagine dancing 2 sugar pushes… You would count 1,2,3&4,5&6 for the
first sugar push then 1,2,3&4.5&6 for the second sugar push.

The music however will not stop at count 6. It will continue through 8
beats of music.

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Counting straight 8’s is counting the music, not just the beats in your
pattern.

Counting your 2 sugar pushes in straight 8’s would be counted like this.

1,2,3&4.5&6 for the first sugar push, 7,8,1&2,3&4 for the second.

You are not essentially counting the music while you dance, not just your
patterns.

It’s a tricky concept but it’s the #1 thing you need to master to connect
your patterns, styling and dancing to the music.

You can download a video of us demonstrating the concept here.

Dancing to the Lyrics

Many musicality drills focus on dancing to 8-beat phrases within the

music.

However, dancers can also bring out the lyrics of the music.

Although some lyrical dancing requires actually knowing the song, it’s
possible to dance to lyrical phrases even if you’ve never heard the song
before.

NOTE: If you do not understand the concept of “Counting Straight 8’s”

please watch this video first.

Lyrics are generally written within musical phrases that last for eight
beats.

Usually, the last word of the lyrical phrase has some kind of accent.

The accent can be a hard accent: da-da da-da da-da da-DIT.

Alternatively, the accent can be stretched out: da-da da-da da-da da-DEE.

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Al Green’s “So Tired of Being Alone” is a great example of a stretched out

accents, which are also common in lyrical or acoustic pieces;
contemporary, hiphop, and club songs tend to have harder accents.

Because the ending of the lyrical phrase is usually a consistent kind of

accent and usually occurs in a similar place in the 8-beat phrase, it’s
possible to dance to that accent as you are listening to the song for the
first time.

The following drill will develop your ability to dance the lyrical phrases.

The Drill Part 1: In this first part of this drill, you will prepare some
possible accents to dance within your basic patterns.

Pick a simple pattern like a push break and ask yourself what you could do
to indicate a soft accent that began on the anchor.

You could drag or brush the foot, do a ronde, do a body roll into your
anchor, etc.

Practice that variation until it feels comfortable.

Now go through each of the other two beat sections of the pattern.

If the drawn out note was on the walk walk, what could you do?

What about during the first triple?

If you’re doing a whip, what could you do during the 5, 6? By the time you
finish this part of the drill, you should have a way to show a drawn out
accent during any part of the push break.

The Drill Part 2: The second part of the drill can be done alone or with a
partner.

Put on a song with soft accents at the end of lyrical phrases. A song like
“Sitting on the Dock of the Bay” is a good choice because it has very
consistent lyrical phrases: sitting on the dock of the bay, watching the tide
flow away, etc.

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Dance just push breaks to that song.

When the lyrical accent occurs, use the variation you practiced in order to
highlight the drawn out syllable.

Musicality for Follower: Accenting the 1

For followers, accenting the 1 of the musical phrase is more challenging

than for the leaders because you don’t get to pick the pattern that is being
led.

As a result, you need to have options to accent the 1 at any point within a
pattern. In this article, we will help you!

The good news is that you don’t have to do any math while you’re dancing
to figure out how long you have until the accent occurs; as long as you can
identify the 1 of the music, you don’t need to calculate how many beats
away you are like the leaders do.

Need to find the ‘1’ in the music? Watch this video on our website about
counting the music. Watch it here

Here is how to practice this!

With or without a partner, practice dancing side passes to a song that has
a clear accent on the 1, like Fill Me In, Pt. 2 by Craig David.

Begin by dancing the side pass starting with the 7 of the phrase and note
where you are in the side pass (it should be count 3).

Pick some styling option that you like in order to accent that count.

As a “starter kit” for follower accents, try out the following

options:
• Tilt your head

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• Drop a shoulder

• Do a chest pop

• Isolate your ribcage to the side

• Push the free arm out

• Throw a hip to the side

• Syncopate your footwork to accent the downbeat

• Add a level change

After you dance the accent, reset for the next 7 of the music.

If you miss the 7 because you or your partner aren’t in position, wait until
the next 7 rather than rushing to catch up.

The point of this drill is to teach your subconscious how to style a side pass
when you start on beat 7; practicing a different timing will negate the
value of the exercise.

Once you find an option that is comfortable, watch in a mirror or video

tape yourself to make sure that the movement looks good.

Keep practicing that movement until it becomes second nature when you
are led in a side pass beginning on count 7.

Next Drill: Repeat this exercise but start the side pass on beats 1, 3, or 5 of
the phrase.

The “start on 1” option is especially important because at that point your

leader has missed the accent and can’t set you up. If you can create
something out of that situation, it will dramatically improve the musicality
of your partnership.

Once you are comfortable with all the times that you could start a side
pass, extend the drill to your other basics. Your eventual goal is to have
the ability to accent any downbeat within any pattern.

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Struggling to make your dancing musical?

• Do you feel ‘stuck’ in connecting your patterns and movements to
the music?

• You hear the beats in the music very well.

• You’re lead and follow is on point.

• But you still struggle being able to connect your movements to the
music.

While there are many layers to west coast swing musicality…

There is one concept that ‘unlocks’ the connection between your patterns
and the music.

It’s something that all great WCS dancers use.

We’ve got you covered!

WATCH THE VIDEO>> The #1 Key to Musicality for WCS

Musicality for Leaders: Accenting the 1

Musicality in West Coast Swing for leaders comes down to this… Your
ability to connect your patterns to the music.

Once you’ve learned to hear musical phrases, the next step is to start
matching those phrases with the patterns you lead. This drill is designed to
ingrain some simply accents into your dance memory.

Need to find the ‘1’ in the music? >> Watch this video “counting the
music”

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How to practice this!

Put on a song with a clear, repetitive accent on the 1 of each musical
phrase.

Fill Me In, Pt. 2 by Craig David works well for this exercise.

With or without a partner, stand in an anchored position and count until

beat 6 of the phrase.

On beat 7, begin leading a sugar tuck; the accent on the 1 should naturally
fall onto the compression of the tuck.

Immediately after leading the tuck, reset into an anchor position for the
next beat 7.

If you or your partner don’t get into position in time, skip that phrase and
wait until the next beat 7.

The goal of this exercise is to teach your subconscious to select a tuck if

you are starting a new pattern on a 7; the exercise loses its value if you
don’t start on the correct beat.

Bonus Variations: The tuck has a natural accent on the 3 of the pattern.

Practice doing the same thing with patterns that have natural accents on
the 5 or 7 of the pattern.

Barrel rolls or inside rolls have natural accents on the 5, so you would start
those patterns on the 5 of the previous phrase.

A side pass with the guy spinning on the anchor into a throwout works well
to accent the 7, so you could practice leading those two moves beginning
on the 3 of the music.

Eventually you will want to go through all of your patterns and identify
where the natural accents are, so you have multiple options, from
different starting hand connections, that orient towards the audience
depending on what side you are. Whew!

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For now, drill yourself to have at least one option when you start the
pattern on the 3, 5, or 7 of the music.

Want to watch a version of this drill? Check out this video

Choosing Patterns to Hit Accents

In West Coast Swing, the leader has the primary responsibility for
selecting the patterns, that will hit accents in the music. It’s tricky stuff but
we are going to try to help you here!

Because west coast patterns are typically six or eight counts, and the
music we dance to is written in eight-beat phrases, WCS is an “off-phrase”
dance. Unlike a waltz, WCS patterns don’t always start on the downbeat of
the music.

While this makes WCS seem confusing, it also creates the opportunity for
dancers to be very musical and create awesome moments within the
dance.

The drill below is written primarily from the perspective of the leader.
However, the follower needs to understand this process as well, so that
she can add her own styling and sell the accents the leader patterns to
compliment the accents within the music.

Musicality is about teamwork and understanding what your partner is

doing is an important element of the partnership.

Watch this video first >> Counting Straight 8’s It’s the #1 Key to
WCS musicality.

Before working on this drill, you should be very comfortable counting

straight 8’s in the video above.

This drill is fairly complicated and puts together a lot of skills.

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If you want to read more about musical phrases and finding the 1 in the
music, this articles will help: Musical phrases

How to practice this!

Leaders, we’re going to create a simple dance that puts the natural accents
of patterns onto the accents of a typical musical phrase.

For this exercise, you can use any song that is perfectly phrased in 32
beats.

Start with a left side pass…

On the 1 of the musical paragraph, start by doing a left side pass. The left
side pass will finish on beat 6, so the music is going to go 7, 8, 1, and on the
one there will be a new set of 8. We want to hit that accent, so we need a
pattern that has a natural accent three beats in. For now, let’s pick a sugar
tuck.

Add a sugar tuck…

If we keep counting the music, the sugar tuck will finish on beat 4 of the
second set of 8. There will be another musical one in five beats (5, 6, 7, 8,
and 1 is the accent), so we need a pattern that has a natural accent on
count 5. We can use a whip and emphasize the send out on 5, so let’s do
that.

Now a whip….
The whip will finish on beat 4 of the third set of 8. We’ll have another
accent in another 5 beats, so we need another pattern that has an accent
on count 5. Let’s do a left side inside roll. Because the spin happens on
counts 3&4, count 5 can either be quiet (the energy has dissipated from
the spin), or it can be loud (we’re pushing the energy from the spin into
that next step and then settling). In this case, we want count 5 to be loud,
so we’ll choose the second option.

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Add a spin…
Our inside roll finishes on the music’s beat 2 of the fourth set of eight, so
we have six more counts left before the next musical paragraph. This time,
we’ll have the leader spin.

Do a left side pass, and instead of a normal anchor, the leader is going to
spin to the left. If you are really new to spinning, just do a half turn:
connect with your right hand to the follower’s right (handshake) as you
face down line, and then you will step forward on 1 (which is away from
your follower) in a slingshot position. If you are more comfortable, you can
do 1½ spins, either as a triple or on one leg. In any event, you should finish
with a right-to-right handhold and be facing down the slot.

Take another version of this drill on video

Wash, rinse & repeat…

At this point, the music has come to a new major phrase, and you can
repeat the sequence you had above. Since you finished in a slingshot
position, just convert the first left side pass into a slingshot side pass and
do a hand change to end up back in a left-to-right handhold.

To recap, your patterns and accents are:

• Left side pass / slingshot side pass with accent stepping down line on
1

• Sugar tuck with accent on the tucking action (count 3)

• Whip with accent on the send out (count 5)

• Inside roll with accent on the first beat after the spin (count 5)

• Left side pass with leader spinning on the anchor (spin sets up the
accent on count 1 of the next pattern)

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The real purpose of this drill is not to have a sequence of steps that you
dance every time you hear a 32-beat song.

The goal is to start thinking about where the accents are within your
patterns and to line those up with where you are in the musical phrase.

For instance, you could replace the sugar tuck with any six-count pattern
that has an accent on the 3—any tuck, a side pass with the follower
starting a spin on 3, an accelerated throw-out with a freeze on 3, etc.

As you become more comfortable with what your options are, you’ll be
able to choreograph to the accents on the fly.

Struggling to make your dancing musical?

• Do you feel ‘stuck’ in connecting your patterns and movements to
the music?

• You hear the beats in the music very well.

• You’re lead and follow is on point.

• But you still struggle being able to connect your movements to the
music.

While there are many layers to west coast swing musicality…

There is one concept that ‘unlocks’ the connection between your patterns
and the music.

It’s something that all great WCS dancers use.

We’ve got you covered!

WATCH THE VIDEO>> The #1 Key to Musicality for WCS

Maybe you just need something to spice up your dancing?

If so checkout our Styling Resource Page

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10 Practice Songs for WCS

Head over to our website to get 10 practice songs for west coast swing.
You can play these songs through YouTube right from the webpage.

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Styling

Basic Concepts (don’t skip these)

• Footwork Basics .................................................................................................... 88

• Movement Basics .................................................................................................. 93
• Connection for Styling ........................................................................................ 98

Anchor Step Styling

• Stretch your Anchor Step ............................................................................... 100
• 6 Anchor Step Variations ................................................................................ 101

Musicality & Styling

• 7 Ways to Accent Every Style of Music .................................................... 104
• Create Footwork That Matches the Music ............................................ 111

Body & Arm Movement

• How to Stop looking stiff................................................................................. 113
• Style Your Walks ................................................................................................ 115
• Learning Body Isolations ................................................................................. 117
• Ultimate Guide to Arm Styling..................................................................... 118

Advanced Concepts
• How to Play in WCS .......................................................................................... 124
• Working Off Your Partner’s Styling ........................................................... 131
• Coloring the Dance: Introduction ............................................................... 137
• How to hitch in west coast swing ................................................................ 143
• Create your own styling .................................................................................. 145

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Styling Resources
• Your Styling Checklist ...................................................................................... 149
• Become a Member of WCS Online!............................................................ 150
• The Ultimate Guide to Styling for Leaders
• The Ultimate Guide to Styling for Followers
• The Ultimate Guide to Musicality

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Footwork Basics

There are lots of styling options to make you look good on the dance floor.
However, if we don’t cover a couple basics first… it will all be for naught.

I want to talk about 3 important footwork concepts.

1. Turnout of your feet

2. Rolling through your feet.

3. Small steps

All good WCS dancers do these and you should too.

1. Turnout Your Feet

“Keep your feet turned out” is as close to an absolute rule as WCS has.

Yet remembering to keep your feet turned out during fancy footwork is
hard.

How can you train your feet to stay turned out in any position?

This drill will focus on foot turnout through every position you put your
feet in. By repeating this exercise, you will build the muscle memory to
automatically turn out, no matter how strange the position you find
yourself.

The Drill: For this drill, you’re going to freestyle dance. Start with your
feet in first position, with between 30° and 45° of turnout. (In other words,
your feet should form a maximum of half a right angle.)

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(Point your toes towards the arrows with your heels together
somewhere between 30 & 40 degrees)

Now start moving your feet.

The only rule for this exercise is that the feet have to keep the same
degree of turnout relative to each other. If your left foot rotates out, your
right foot needs to turn the same amount in the same direction. The feet
can be in any position—left in front, right hooked behind, right to the side,
whatever. But, the angle of the feet should not change.

For this drill, being more turned out is as bad as being turned in, because
your goal is to keep the angle between the feet exactly the same as when
you started.

As you continue to move your feet, you will discover when you need to
rotate your standing leg in order to keep the same degree of turnout. Keep
moving until you rotate your standing leg instinctively.

By continuously pushing your feet to keep the same degree of turnout,

you’ll become aware of the motions that tend to turn in, and you’ll also
train your supporting leg to adjust in order to avoid turning in.

2. Rolling Through Your Feet

One of the earliest techniques that WCS dancers need to learn is rolling
through the feet.

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Good foot articulation not only makes your dancing look smoother and
more controlled, but it also enables you to develop body flight throughout
your movement.

Many dancers struggle with rolling through the feet because their steps
are flat footed, and so there is not enough foot articulation to be able to
roll through.

In this drill, we’re going to address that issue by thinking about peeling the
feet off of the floor.

TAKE ACTION> Download our video “Rolling Through Your Feet”

By articulating the foot as it comes off the floor, you can ensure that your
foot is in a good position to roll back onto the floor when you take your
next step.

The Drill: Stand with your feet next to each other in a turned out first
position, and put your weight entirely on one foot.

Slowly peel the unweighted foot off the floor.

As the knee of the unweighted leg bends, think of the heel coming off the
ground, then the midsection of the foot, then the ball, and finally the toes.

Notice the position of the foot as it finally comes off the ground. Because
your foot is pointed, the heel is further off the ground than the toes and
ball of the foot. That gives you space to roll through the foot when you
place that step.

Reverse the process to roll down through the foot: toe is in contact with
the ground, then the ball, then the midsection and finally the heel.

Switch weight and repeat the process with the other foot.

As you are peeling each foot off the floor, pay attention to how the ankle
helps articulate the foot.

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You should feel the ankle acting to point the foot as you get closer to the
toe and controlling the foot’s action as you bring the rear part of the foot
back into contact with the floor.

This is a drill, so over exaggerate the motion in order to develop the

peeling action.

When you are actually dancing WCS, you won’t have time to work all the
way to a pointed foot (especially on your triples), but the process of
peeling the foot off the floor in order to roll back onto the foot will help
your footwork look more controlled and deliberate.

TAKE ACTION> Download our video “Rolling Through Your Feet”

3. Keep your steps small

Most dancers move too much.

When dancers take steps that are too large, they can run out of room at
the end of the slot; either the anchor, posture, or frame will suffer.

They can also struggle dancing to faster music because there simply isn’t
enough time to cover the distance.

Learning to dance small is not easy.

Because your steps are smaller, you have a smaller base to balance on as
you transfer your weight.

You also have a smaller area to cover as you move your center, which
means that you need to control a slower movement of your center in order
to fill the space between beats.

Smaller steps also require more foot and ankle control in order to roll
through the feet. In short, dancing with smaller steps requires a lot of body
control.

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This exercise is designed to practice dancing with smaller steps. It will be

challenging, especially if you aren’t very conscious of your step size or if
you are just learning to control your center.

Once you learn this skill, you’ll find that you have much better control not
just through your small steps, but also when you intentionally decide to
move further for styling.

The Drill: For this drill, use a short length of rope, a Thera band, or a
bungee cord.

Make a loop about the width of your hips and put the rope around your
ankles.

Be careful so you don’t trip yourself during the next phase of this
exercise—start slowly so you can get used to your limited mobility.

Dance your basics and be aware of the size of your steps. The loop will
limit your step size, forcing you to be keep your movements small.

As you dance, focus on maintaining your body flight throughout the

movement. You will need to control your weight transfer through every
part of your foot.

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If you are struggling, pay attention to what part of your foot has your
weight at every moment. Start with broad areas: the front of the foot, the
heel, etc.

As you practice, work on feeling where your weight is more precisely:

instead of the front of the foot, narrow it down to the ball, behind the ball,
between the ball and toes, toes only, and so forth.

When you can feel smaller distinctions in where your weight is, then
continue practicing until you can control your weight at that smaller scale

Movement Basics

Moving smoothly is a key to looking good on the dance floor. Let’s cover
some of the core concepts of movement that will set the foundation for
smooth movement and great styling!

In this section, we will cover:

1. Walking like a dancer

2. The difference of Forward vs Backward movement

3. Moving smoothly forward

4. Moving smoothly backward

1. Walk Like a Dancer (single tracking)

Single tracking refers to the relative placement of the feet while
progressing down the slot.

In general, the heels of the feet should remain in a straight line, as if you
were walking on a balance beam.

This technique creates clean leg lines and allows for much better control
of the center’s movement.

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If both feet remain on separate tracks, the resulting movement will waddle
between the two tracks—which is neither pretty nor efficient.

The Drill: Without a partner, practice walking forwards and backwards

while keeping your heels on a straight line. The feet should brush past
each other on every step

For Leaders:

Single tracking creates clean lines, but doing it constantly creates a

feminine look.

For Followers:

Femininity looks elegant so single tracking is the core of your dancing.

On the leader’s side of the dance, it looks submissive and unconfident.

As a result, leaders are allowed to cheat slightly when single tracking. It’s
ok to have a slightly wider base between the feet on the leader side of the
dance; the feet don’t have to literally brush past each other.

Double tracking looks like a sore cowboy rather than a confident leader,
so don’t let your feet extend outside of your hips on normal steps. You are
still single tracking—you just have a slightly wider track to work with.

Watch a video where we talk about single tracking in different places.

2. Forward vs Backwards Movement

When dancing, you need to switch between moving forward and moving
backward regularly, especially in a non-progressive dance like west coast
swing. However, there is a difference in how we move in each direction.

Before we can master moving smoothly, we need to understand the

difference.

So, let’s start their first…

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The Drill: Find a space large enough to walk in a circle, and begin walking
forward using the point technique: finger pointed forward from your rib
cage.

Continue walking as you turn around so that you are now going
backwards.

As you do so, flip from a point to a poke: finger poking into your navel.

You should feel your feet moving earlier than your upper body so you can
maintain your forward pitch as you move backwards.

Switch back and forth between the two directions, pointing when you are
moving forward and poking when you move backward.

The goal of this exercise is to train yourself to adjust your body mechanics
automatically when you move in a different direction, so keep practicing
until it becomes second nature.

3. How to Move Forward Smoothly

We often describe great dancers as having “body flight,” but what does
that mean?

Body flight is hard to define, but you can see it when the movement of the
center is perfectly controlled during the entire process of moving from
one foot to another.

There are a lot of skills that go into creating great body flight, including
rolling through the feet and using the sending foot.

This drill puts a number of these skills together.

You will practice controlling your center’s movement as you go

incrementally through the foot and to the next foot, using both your
sending and receiving legs to control the flight of your body’s center.

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TAKE ACTION> Watch this video on ‘Rolling Count’ for WCS. It

will help you move more smoothly when you dance.

The Drill: Find a space where you can walk forward in a straight line.

Start with your feet together and put all of your weight on one foot.

Throughout this drill, you are going to imagine that there is a laser pointing
straight down from your center to the floor so that you can see where you
weight is.

Right now, the laser dot showing where your weight is should be in the
middle of your foot on the front-to-back axis and centered or slightly
towards the inside on the left-to-right axis.

Use your supporting leg to slowly move the dot forward, towards your toe
base. As you get to the toes, let your free leg move in front of you and
place it down, but do not commit any weight yet. The dot should still be
over the toe base of your rear (supporting) foot.

Now, continue to push through the rear foot while simultaneously using
the front foot as a brake to your movement. You should be able to move
the dot so that it rests just in front of your rear foot. In this position, you
are literally split weight—your center of gravity is hovering between your
legs.

Now using your rear leg to push you forward and your front leg to control
the energy, continue to slowly move the dot forward until it reaches the
heel of your front leg. At this point, there should be no weight on the rear
leg.

Slowly move your weight forward from the heel up to the toe base of your
supporting leg, and as you get to the toe base let the trailing leg move
forward past the supporting leg.

Repeat this drill as you continue to move forward step by step.

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4. How to Move Backwards Smoothly

Previously we worked on controlling our center movement during
forward steps.

Now it’s time to extend that drill so that we can have just as much control
when going backwards.

In this drill, we’re again going to imagine that there’s a laser pointer aiming
straight down from our center to the floor, and we’re going to watch how
the dot on the floor moves through out feet.

If you haven’t read it, take a look at the previous section for details.

TAKE ACTION> Watch this video on ‘Rolling Count’ for WCS. It

will help you move more smoothly when you dance.

The Drill: Start with your weight fully on one foot, and visualize the dot
that represents where your center is over the foot.

Adjust your positioning so that the dot is directly over the ball of the foot
(front to back) and either in the center of the foot or slightly inside of
center (left to right).

Slowly move your center backwards, visualizing the dot moving from the
ball of your foot through the middle of the foot and all the way back to the
heel.

When the dot reaches the front edge of the heel, continue to slowly move
the dot backwards as your free leg brushes past your supporting leg and
then reaches back.

As the toe base of your free leg makes contact with the ground, the dot
should be around the center of your front heel.

Using the toe base to control your motion, continue bringing the dot
backwards until it is just behind your front foot.

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You should feel like your back leg is bracing you, although the weight is
closer to the front leg.

Control the motion of the dot as you smoothly transition your center
through the space between your feet.

You should feel like you are working the toe base of your back foot.

As the dot reaches the toe base of your back foot, you should be able to
release your front leg. Leave the leg in place, but without any weight, as
you move the dot through the new supporting leg, and finally gather and
move the leg backwards as the dot reaches the heel of the new supporting
leg.

Connection for Styling

One of the great elements of WCS is that each partner can add their own
styling to the dance without throwing off the other partner.

But, that’s only possible once each partner learns to move without
affecting the connection.

When styling, many dancers drag their connection point with them, pulling
their partners off balance or undermining their frame.

Excellent dancers, by contrast, know how to dance so their partners can

feel their styling, without moving their point of connection.

In this drill, you’ll practice dancing within your own frame so you can
dance without moving your connection point.

This skill is essential for styling without negatively affecting your partner.

TAKE ACTION> Watch this drill on video

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The Drill:
Find an edge of a surface that you can hold onto—the lip of a sink, the
frame of a door, or the handle of your refrigerator will work nicely.

Make sure that you have some space around the surface to move around.

Hold onto the edge as if it was your partner.

Move your center just slightly further away from the edge than your feet
so you can feel a connection.

This should be slight: if you have enough force to open the fridge or move
a door, you’ve gone too far.

You want just a little bit of away energy.

While maintaining that position, try to move around the edge. You can
move closer or further away by adjusting the distance from your center to
your elbow, and you can move side to side by pivoting around your
shoulder or wrist.

No matter where you move, try to maintain the hand position and the
away connection that you initially established.

As you become comfortable moving your body without disrupting the

connection, you can start putting in footwork or styling variations.

You can do body isolations, footwork, arm styling, or any other motion
that you might use in your WCS.

Focus on dancing underneath your hips and keeping your back active so
you don’t overextend your arms.

Make sure that you aren’t moving your hand!

Use your wrist, elbow, and shoulder in order to isolate the body’s motion
from your hand’s connection point.

Voila. You’ve isolated your connection point and you’ll be able to style
without negatively effecting your partner!

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Stretch your Anchor Step

Many dancers struggle to roll through their feet.

Especially when the music gets fast, it’s easy to dance flat-footed or fall
through the foot so quickly that the roll gets lost.

If you missed the section on rolling through your feet?

TAKE ACTION> Watch ‘Rolling Through Your Feet’ first

Most footwork exercises emphasize rolling through the last step of the
triple because that step gets more time, and so there’s more opportunity
to roll through the foot.

This is an important foundational skill.

But, if you only practice taking time through the “step” of “tri-ple step,” the
first two weight changes of the triple get neglected.

In this exercise, we’re going to give our focus to the first two steps of the
triple so they aren’t neglected.

This drill is a corrective: we’re going to over-emphasize the first two steps
even if it means the last step gets short shrift.

In the wild, you’ll want to strike a balance so all the steps get their
appropriate length, but for this drill we’re going to err on the side of
putting too much focus on the first two steps because it’s so easy to
neglect them during practice.

TAKE ACTION> Watch the entire drill on video here

The Drill: Put on a slow song and dance triples while rolling through your
feet. As you do so, think about the tri- and -ple parts of the “tri-ple step”
cadence being really long.

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Normally, dancers think about triples with the focus on the last beat. The
cadence tri-ple step encourages you to draw out the last foot action by
lengthening the step into something that sounds like “steeeeep.”

By contrast, tri- and -ple become quick sounds.

The effect is to dance “short short long” (or even “short short looong,”
really drawing out the long sound).

In this exercise, make the tri- and -ple weight changes long sounds as well.
Think “long long longer” rather than “short short long.” As you dance to
long sounds on the first two steps of the triple, concentrate on feeling your
foot articulate all the way through the sound.

At first, you will probably be late on your weight changes. That’s ok. Keep
practicing.

Eventually, you will be able to sustain the long sound on the first two steps
of the triple while staying on time.

Doing so requires a lot of control, so keep working at it!

The end result will be much better footwork through your entire triple,
not just the last part.

TAKE ACTION> Watch the entire drill on video here

6 Anchor Step Variations

The anchor is arguably the essential element of west coast swing.

A true anchor is not a specific foot position; it is a connection that occurs

at the end of a pattern.

So, any combination of footwork or body movement that produces the

correct connection can be an anchor.

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This flexibility—along with the fact that every pattern ends in an anchor—
makes the anchor a logical place to begin introducing variations into your
dance.

Are you visual?

Watch these on video!
TAKE ACTION> Download our ANCHOR STEP STYLING VIDEO

1 – Side-and-Third Anchors
To be an anchor, any anchor variation must maintain the away connection
that characterizes the anchor. The standard third foot position anchor is
designed to make that connection automatic. We’re going to start
changing the anchor with a variation that ends in third foot position in
order to make it as easy as possible to sustain that connection. Thus, this
drill will work on the side-and-third anchor. Learn the Side-and-Thrid
Anchor

2 – Cross-and-Third Anchors
The next anchor variation is the cross-and-third anchor. This variation is
tricky because the feet come towards your partner on the first beat of the
anchor, but you still need to keep your body back. This drill will work on
maintaining the proper anchor connection during this variation. Learn the
Cross-and-Third Anchor

3 – Hook-and-Third Anchors
In the cross-and-third anchor, you learned to move the start of the anchor
towards your partner without changing the connection. The hook-and-
third anchor does the opposite: you start by hooking your anchor foot
behind your supporting leg, and the key is to keep your weight back even
as you recover from the hook. Learn theHook-and-Third Anchor

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4 – Back-and-Third Anchors
In addition to taking the first step of your anchor either side, you can
check backwards. The back-and-third creates a great leg line, but can be
tricky to perform while maintaining the anchor connection. Learn the
Back-and-Third Anchor

5 – Anchors Ending to the Side

So far, our anchor variations have played with the first step of our triple.
We’ve worked on keeping the anchor connection regardless of whether
the first step crosses in front, moves to the side, or hooks behind.

As you practiced those variations, you may have felt a bit awkward in
returning to a third foot position to finish the anchor. There’s a reason for
that: the first part of the variation built some energy with the shaping to
the front/side/back, and now you need to go somewhere with it. These
variations will give you that somewhere to go with that energy. Learn the
Anchor Ending-to-the-Side

6 – Anchors Ending in a Cross

Our last variation introduced anchors that ended to the side. Another
common ending position is the cross, in which the anchor foot is crossed in
front of the other leg. This ending position occurs in a lot of more
complicated anchor variations, such as the side-and-cross; for this drill,
we’ll focus on a simpler version with a third-and-cross. Learn the Anchor-
Ending-in-a-Cross

Are you visual?

Watch these on video!
TAKE ACTION> Download our ANCHOR STEP STYLING VIDEO

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7 Ways to Accent Every Style of Music

Out of all the social dances, west coast swing has arguably the broadest
range of dance music.

WCS can be danced to everything from 1940s big band blues to today’s
top 40 music, from slow lyrical pieces to dubstep.

This series will give you some ideas for how to improve your west coast
swing styling in each genre of music within WCS.

Great dancers know how to take their WCS fundamentals and flavor them
through styling, syncopations, and variations in order to make each genre
look as unique as it sounds.

Learning how to dance each genre will make a huge improvement in your
musicality, whether you’re a social dancer or a competitor.

If you don’t have a background in music, the Ultimate Guide to Musicality

this is a great place.

To really connect your dancing the music you must first understand:

• Musical Phrasing

• How to identify the 1 in the music

• Critical Timing

• Critical Accents

• Counting Straight 8’s

• Mapping the music

• Understanding the build in the music

If you don’t then you’ll want to get the Ultimate Guide to Musicality first.

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At the very least you MUST understand the single biggest key to
connecting your dancing to the music. “Counting Straight 8’s”

If you already know music theory, this series will help you work that
knowledge into your dancing. Let’s jump in!

Please take note, there are 3 really important caveats to these lessons:

1. Don’t forget your WCS fundamentals! This series will contain a

number of variations. Just like any other variation, if it’s done
occasionally it shows control. If you do the same variation all the
time, it’s a bad habit. Don’t let these variations replace your WCS
fundamentals.

2. Don’t do everything. For each genre, you will get a list of ways to
bring out that genre in your dancing. This is a tool box, not a
checklist. If you try to do everything, you will probably look spastic
rather than musical. Pick a couple of tools that fit the specific song
and go from there.

3. Remember this order: partner, then song, then tools. Your primary
collaborator in the dance is your partner. Make sure that you are
staying connected to him or her, and don’t ignore your partner in
order to do your cool thing. If you’re in tune with your partner, then
you can start collaborating with the song that’s playing. You should
only reach for these tools after your connections with both your
partner and the song are in good condition.

Ok ready to get started?

To improve your west coast swing styling, you’ll want to understand these
4 main styles of music.

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1. Dancing to top 40’s Music

Top 40 music is extremely popular in WCS. Whether it’s mid-afternoon
and you’re ready to rock, or 3am and you need a pick-me-up, pop music
has a high-energy vibe that gets you moving.

In this post, we’ll talk about some strategies for dancing to top 40/pop
music. As always, remember the caveats for styling any kind of music.

• Practice your phrasing. Most pop songs stick to the standard 32-
beat structure to an almost formulaic extent. The one twist that’s
common is to use 4, 8, or 16-beat “tags” in a song, such as between
the verse and chorus.

• Hit accents with sharp motions. Freezes, dips, and strong taps are
great tools because top 40 songs tend to contain bold accents.

• Use staccato footwork. Pop music has distinct, crisp notes rather
than legato sounds. Let your feet show off this texture.

• Add volume changes to your dance. Top 40 songs tend to build in

volume before having an instrument drop out, or start quiet and add
instruments into a raucous climax. Changing the height and length of
your basics is a great way to bring out the volume changes.

• Play to the phrase. Whenever you play, try to end the play with the
end of the phrase. This is good advice in general, but it’s really
important for top 40 songs, which have strong downbeats to start
the new phrase. To really understand phrasing for WCS music.
Check out our “Ultimate Guide to Musicality”

• Use funky movements and body isolations. Lots of pop music is

influenced by hiphop, krump, and other street styles. Use crisp
isolations and sharp angles rather than elegant lines to show that
heritage. Check out some styling options here.

• Dance the verse-chorus structure. Because so many top 40 songs

have a verse-chorus structure, aim to create similarities in the look

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of your verses, and create a distinct look for the chorus. Again,
length and height are great variables to use.

• Leave yourself somewhere to go. Lots of pop songs keep building

throughout the song. Make sure you incorporate quiet moments
into your dance so you have somewhere to go when you need to
dance a build.

2. Dancing to Lyrical Music

If you’ve been to a WCS event in the last few years, you’ve heard lyrical
music or acoustic covers played. These genres (which we’ll discuss
interchangeably for this post) have rapidly become a significant part of
social WCS music. This post will give you some tools for dancing to these
kinds of songs.

• Take out footwork. Use drags, holds, and rondes in order to match
the longer vocals or drawn-out instrumental lines in the music. Learn
some styling options here.

• Count the beat in your head. Acoustic music can be challenging

because there’s no bass drum keeping the time. Keep the count in
your head so you can stay on time even when there are gaps in the
sound. If this is a struggle you’ll want to master counting straight
8’s. Watch the video here.

• Float the anchor. Lyrical music tends to dissipate rather than having
a hard end. By letting the anchor float, you can replicate that feeling
in your movement.

• Use long arm lines. Lyrical music is open and expressive; your arms
should take the same quality by using full movements.

• Hit accents via play. Because accents tend to occur inside of

phrases, it makes sense to hit accents within patterns. Play also
allows a more free-form accent, which matches most acoustic
songs. Watch this video first >>Learn the #1 key to musicality.

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• Exaggerate the elasticity. Lyrical music stretches and breathes, so

milk the elasticity in your connection to the fullest.

• Dance a wider slot. Moving side-to-side as well as up-and-down

gives you another dimension to your shaping, and it embellishes the
swell-and-fall of the lyrical phrase.

• Use smooth body motions. Rolls, ripples, and rondes are great ways
to fill the space of the dance without adding noisy footwork.

3. Dancing to R&B Music

If you want to dance to a relaxed, groovy rhythm & blues song, it would be
hard to find a dance better suited than west coast swing. This will help you
feel the rhythm in your own dancing.

As always, remember that these suggestions should not override your

basics—they are styling choices and should be treated accordingly.

When you dance to R&B, keep in mind that contrast is key. You want to
have contrast in all of your dancing, but it’s particularly important when
dancing to R&B music because the genre tends to blend smooth and hip-
hop already, so your dancing needs to acknowledge that mix.

• Mix up staccato and legato styling. If you’re in a legato section, find

ways to hit staccato accents (such as tap steps, isolations, and
freezes). In a staccato section, listen for moments that flow, and use
rondes, body rolls, and fluid movements to bring those sounds out.

• Soften your isolations. Hiphop has lots of sharp hits and

correspondingly large isolations. R&B is subtler; you want to include
those isolations, but take them down in both size and frequency.

• Relax the slot. An elongated, wider slot brings out the relaxed and
flowing quality of R&B music.

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• Use blues footwork. R&B’s blues heritage comes through in a lot of

instrumental rhythms, and your blues footwork variations and
syncopations are great tools to show this ancestry.

• …But keep the footwork quiet. In blues music, the rhythm is often
the focus of the song. In R&B, it tends to back up the vocals or the
melody. Keep your footwork smaller and closer to the ground (for
instance, with a hold-ball change rather than a kick-ball change) in
order to show that difference.

• Use distance to change the volume. Contrast between the louder

choruses and the quieter verses can be shown by shortening the
distance between the partners during quieter sections and opening
up the dance during louder sections.

• Within phrases, height changes can show volume. Lots of R&B

music has volume changes within the phrase as well, and the height
of your dance can change to reflect that quality. For some styling
options check out this page

• Play within patterns or by extending patterns. Setting up large hits

with patterns is too much for the relaxed sound of most R&B.
Instead, use the middle of the pattern to shape within your basics, or
groove at the end of the slot while waiting for the next phrase to
begin.

• Use lyrical elements when appropriate. While R&B is not as free-

flowing as an acoustic cover, it has a similar character. Taking your
lyrical stylings such as arms and rondes and making them a little
subtler can often fit the music well.

4. Dancing to Blues Music

Blues music is the grand-daddy of west coast swing. You’re almost
guaranteed to hear blues music playing at a WCS night, and if you’re a
competitive dancer then you can count on getting a blues song during your

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competitions. Although every song has its own quirks, the following list of
skills will help you get started in dancing to blues music.

All of these suggestions are elements that you should think about
incorporating into your dancing when the DJ is playing the blues.

However, many of these elements are variations, syncopations, or styling

choices.

You should still show off the WCS fundamentals throughout your dancing;
use these elements to add a blues flavor to the dance.

• Learn to dance rolling count. Blues music is much more likely to

have a rolling count than other WCS genres. Although not all blues
artists use the rolling count, being able to dance rolling count is a key
to successfully dancing to many classic blues songs as well as music
by new blues artists such as Keb’ Mo’. Learn more about rolling
count.

• Use hitch ball-change rhythms in your patterns. Kick ball-change,

hold ball-change, etc. all emphasize the pulse on the upbeats and the
swung rhythm. Add this rhythm pattern into your doubles in order
to bring out those elements of the music. You can learn hitch ball
changes by reading the ‘how to hitch’ in WCS in the menu of the
styling section of this eBook or in on our video page.

• Listen for 48-beat phrases. Like the rolling count, lots of blues songs
are written in 48-beat phrases rather than 32-beat phrases. By
listening for the blues chord progressions, you can find the accents
more easily. Detailed description of phrasing can be found in
our “Ultimate Guide to Musicality”

• Use footwork. In WCS, blues music is danced primarily in the feet.

Become comfortable with footwork variations in order to create
energy during the dance. Shag dancers can provide great inspiration
for how to use footwork to bring out the excitement of blues music.

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• End patterns with double resistance. The double resistance anchor

emphasizes the upbeat nicely, and it also easily blends into a hold
ball-change at the beginning of the next pattern

• Dance into your knees. Especially with “dirty” blues music (think
about a smoky lounge with spilled beer dried on the worn wood
floor), dancing low can bring out the groovy sound of the blues.

• Hit accents inside of moves rather than with all-out breaks. Most
blues music doesn’t just stop for a break, so find ways to accent the
hits within your patterns. Learn our “practice pattern set” for
musicality. It’s in the paid membership section of our site but I’m
linking it for free .

If you REALLY want to put this all together, these are our BEST resources!

• The Ultimate Guide to Styling for Leaders

• The Ultimate Guide to Styling for Followers

• The Ultimate Guide to Musicality

Create Footwork That Matches the Music

One of the most common types of contrast within a song is between

smooth and crisp sounds.

Vocalists will draw out some syllables and punch others; instruments will
let some chords ring while others are attacked and then silenced.

Great dancers show these moments of contrast within their bodies.

Footwork is a great place to show the contrast between smooth and crisp
sounds because your feet are always moving. By making your footwork
show the difference between these sounds, you can be musical no matter
what pattern you are dancing.

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In this drill, you’ll practice adding contrast to your footwork by changing

how your feet make contact with the floor.

Have you downloaded & watched our video?

Rolling Through Your Feet

The concept is a prerequisite to this drill.

The Drill: For this exercise, practice walking forward at a slow rhythm.

As you walk, pay attention to how your feet connect with the floor.
Specifically, focus on the moment after your free foot is extended in front
of you, but before your weight transfers onto the foot.

If you have practiced rolling through your feet, this is the point when you
would start to articulate through the forward foot.

If you practice a heel lead, you should be releasing the ankle to allow the
heel to connect with the floor. If you use a toe lead, you will be letting the
toe and then the ball of the foot make contact.

Either will work for the next part of the drill.

The first version of the drill is to practice letting your foot continue gliding
forward at this point.

The bottom of the shoe is touching the floor, but because your weight is
not fully over the front foot you can still let the foot glide forward. It can
help to make an S sound in your head—”sssssss”—as the shoe brushes
across the floor. This glide forward will only be an inch or two, but it is
enough to create a little extra smoothness in your footwork.

Once you have practiced the S variation, it’s time to add some crispness to
your footwork. Again, start the drill by stepping forward. However, this
time, your foot’s forward motion should halt when your shoe pushes into
the floor.

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Instead of an S sound, think of making a T—a sharp, staccato sound. Your

goal is for the foot to “stick” to the floor as soon as you begin to roll
through the foot: no further movement is allowed.

After practicing both smooth and crisp variations, try mixing them up.

Start walking and alternate between taking “ssss” steps and “T” steps.

When you feel comfortable switching between the two, dance a song of
basics and listen for opportunities to use each type of footwork during the
song.

Struggling to connect your dancing to the music?

Download the #1 key to musicality for WCS

How to Stop looking stiff

Watch a class of beginner dancers, and you’ll see a lot of people looking
stiff. Even when the dancers figure out where their feet go, their bodies
still look robotic. To look comfortable dancing, you need to learn how to be
less stiff.

One of the best tools to reduce the appearance of stiffness is contra-body

movement.

The basic idea of contra-body movement is that your hips and shoulders
should always be shaping in opposite directions. Not only does contra-
body movement eliminate the robotic look of having your hips and
shoulders locked together, but it also can help prep your body for your
next movement.

This drill is designed to teach your body the basic contra-body motion.

I’ve done a video of this in our Full Access Member section of our website.

Here is a copy you can watch for free. Watch the Drill Video

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The Drill: Without a partner, stand with your feet shoulder width apart.
You are going to do back-and-side triples. Take your right foot and step
behind your left (like a fifth position step), then step your left foot in place
and finish the triple with your right foot back in second foot position.
Think about moving side to side rather than forward and backwards—the
back step means that your right foot passes behind your left, rather than
in front, but your motion should be linear.

Do the same with your left foot: step your left behind your right and then
finish the triple in second foot position. (If you’ve done night club two step,
this will feel incredibly familiar.)

Now we’re going to add contra-body movement to these triples. Pause

while your right foot is behind your left. In this position, your hips are
pointed towards your right. To be in contra-body, therefore, your
shoulders need to point left. Think of twisting your entire core, starting
from your shoulders, to the left as far as you can. Overdo it for now in
order to feel a stretch through your sides. Now back off to where the
rotation feels comfortable. This is your contra-body position.

As you finish the right triple and come back to second foot position, let
your center unwind so that you are neutral when your feet (and hips)
square up.

Now do the same thing with the left triple. As your left foot goes behind
your right, your shoulders and core should rotate right in order to oppose
the hip rotation. At first, overdo the rotation in order to make sure you are
feeling it, then back off to a normal amount of contra-body rotation.

Continue doing your triples, rotating your shoulders and core in

opposition to your feet and hips. (You no longer need to overdo the
rotation; try to keep your upper body motion as smooth as possible.) The
goal of this drill is to teach your body to instinctively rotate the shoulders
as your feet move, so keep repeating this exercise until you start adding
contra-body movement into your dance naturally.

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Bonus Variations: You can also practice these triples with your foot going
in front rather than behind at the beginning of the triple. To do so,
remember that the shoulders must rotate the other way. When your right
foot is in front, your hips are aiming left and so your shoulders need to go
right. When your left foot is in front, the shoulders need to rotate left.

Style Your Walks

There are a lot of syncopations available in west coast swing. However,

the safest option is walks.

Because west coast swing is a two-beat dance, styling & play happen in
two-beat units. I explain in this video

So, if you can fill two-beat units with stylized movement, you can look
good while you or your partner play.

A pair of walking steps is finished every two beats, so you can naturally go
from walking back to the WCS pattern structure. And, unlike triples, walks
will end on the same foot after every two beats.

With triples (or other odd rhythm syncopations like rondes or drags), you
can be caught on the wrong foot if your partner ends the play before you
do.

Advanced dancers can learn to fix their footwork, but when you’re starting
off it’s easier to not worry about being on the wrong foot in the first place.

Looking for some Anchor Step Styling Options

Download our video 5 Ways to Style your Anchor Step

The Drill: By yourself, put on some music and start taking walking steps:
one step on every beat

Your goal is to add some life to these walks.

This is an experimental drill, so just try things and see what feels good.

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You can try transferring your weight faster or slower, being more staccato
or smooth, using more or less hip, changing levels, adding shoulder hits or
chest pops, etc. At this stage, there isn’t a right or wrong way of doing
things.

Your goal is to experiment with as many configurations as possible. Most

of them will feel weird, and that’s okay.

What you are trying to do is find the 10% or so of movements that feel like
they might be worth polishing up.

Remember that you are dancing with the music: use the music to inspire
your choices. If you are hearing drawn out vocal phrases, find some part of
your body that can match that draw. It can be your shoulders, your arm,
your feet, whatever. Use the sounds you hear to suggest ideas for how
your body can move. Again, most of this will be junk.

Keep trying different things until you find an option that isn’t awful.

Once you have found a movement that might have potential, go in front of
a mirror, a video camera, or a trusted friend.

Practice doing the movement in different ways.

Refine your understanding of how your body creates the motion so you
can control how it looks every time. This is not always a short process. You
might be able to figure out the movement quickly if you are very
kinesthetically aware, but for most people it will take a while. The good
news is that this process of practicing will make you more able to control
new movements in the future, so the tenth session will be much easier
than the first.

This is the part of dancing that is challenging to teach because it requires

adaptation to your body.

No pro can just give you a movement—you need to learn

how to put that movement in your body.

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You can get ideas and inspiration from what other dancers do, but unless
you put in the practice time discovering how it works for your body, it
won’t translate to the dance floor.

Want more styling ideas?

We have a complete guide for you!
Leaders: The Ultimate Guide to Leaders Styling
Followers: The Ultimate Guide to Ladies Styling

Learning Body Isolations

Body isolations are movements of body parts independently from the rest
of the body. Dancers can use body isolations to bring emphasis to their
movement: popping the rib cage on a hit, dropping the shoulder on an
accent, or settling into the hip to complete a sinking motion. The goal of
this drill is to become familiar with the process of isolating parts of the
body to move.

The Drill: Without a partner, stand in front of a mirror. Pick a part of the
body to isolate and work on moving that body part without moving
anything else. Every part will have a natural range of motion, beyond
which it becomes impossible to move the part further without moving
another part of the body as well. Try to find the boundaries of your natural
range of motion and to push up against that edge without going over.

Common body isolations to practice include:

● Head: try to move your head side to side without twisting your
shoulders.

● Shoulders: move each shoulder joint up or down without tipping the

rest of the shoulders/collarbone. You can also roll each shoulder
either forwards or backwards.

● Upper torso: rotate the shoulders and upper body to the side,
without shifting the direction of the head or the hips.

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● Ribcage: work towards being able to move the ribcage from neutral
to any direction in the forward half of a circle (i.e., left, left-forward,
forward, right-forward, right). You should be able to move the
ribcage without taking either the shoulders or torso with you.

● Hips: for side to side movement, try to push the hip to either side
without moving your shoulders or rib cage. Practice up and down
movement by thinking about lifting or dropping the hip without
moving the opposite leg and without letting the motion ripple up to
your ribcage. Move each hip forward or backward by thinking about
taking the pocket on your jeans and lifting it onto a hook (like on a
coat rack).

As you start practicing, it can be helpful to physically touch the body part
you want to move (e.g., put your hand on the center of your ribcage) in
order to feel the movement you are creating. Some movements may feel
natural; others will require lots of practice before you can consistently
isolate the body part.

Ultimate Guide to Arm Styling

Many dancers want to improve their west coast swing arm styling. If you
want to style your arm effectively, you first need to become comfortable
with where your arm will end up. This post will help you develop your
vocabulary of typical arm positions.

We will be covering 4 things:

1. Arm Styling Basics

2. What to do with your free arm

3. Moving your arms naturally

4. Putting your arms into patterns

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Want 3 free videos on Arm Styling?

Read ‘The Ultimate Guide to Arm Styling” on our website.
There are free video resources included there!

1. Arm Styling Basics

We’re going to base our work on the standard ballet arm positions.
Although WCS dancers will modify the lines of these positions in order to
create more relaxed, “cool” looks, the ballet arm positions provide a great
foundation to start with.

If you haven’t done ballet before, there are tons of YouTube videos
walking through the basic ballet arm positions, including the one below:

As you can see, the ballet positions cover the common arm locations: in,
out to the side, out and up, in and up, both up, and both down.

Once you’ve seen the standard ballet positions, stand in front of a mirror.
Go into each position, and play with that position until it looks like a good
pose for you. It can help to think about where you might use each position.
Some common examples:

● With both arms in, first position could be used during a free spin

● Second position could appear in a slingshot throwout as you stretch

away from your partner

● With one hand up and the other hand counterbalancing to the side,
third position could occur in a sugar tuck

How does this apply to west coast swing arm styling?

Again, it’s unlikely that you will use the ballet positions verbatim in your
WCS. Instead, use those positions as foundations for your own
positioning. In front of the mirror, play with each position until you find
something that looks good on you.

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There are a couple of general tips for arm locations. Not only do these
principles improve the look of the arm, but they also reduce stress on your
shoulder.

● The elbow should stay in front the shoulder, to avoid a chicken wing
effect

● There should be a slight bend in the elbow so the arm doesn’t look
rigid

● Keep tone in the arm without being stiff. You want to engage the
muscles but not make them look tense.

Want 3 free videos on Arm Styling?

Read ‘The Ultimate Guide to Arm Styling” on our website.
There are free video resources included there!

2. What to do with your free arm?

Styling with the free arm is one of the most common ways to add interest
to the dance. Your arm can complete a movement, make the dance louder
or quieter, lyrical or funky, and more. But what do you do when you don’t
have a specific styling in mind?

Developing a comfortable neutral position for your free arm is the

foundation for all styling. If you have a quiet, relaxed neutral position, it’s
easy to draw attention to your styling when you want to. Conversely,
having an awkward or unnatural free arm position immediately detracts
from the look of your dance. Fortunately, it’s easy to develop a
comfortable neutral position.

The Drill: Without a partner, stand in front of a mirror. Turn so that your
free arm side is towards the mirror. Pretend to hold a bottle of beer (or
soda, if you’re underage). While holding your drink, bring your free arm up
so that your forearm is parallel to the floor or just below parallel (i.e., your
wrist is no higher than your elbow).

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Once you are in this position, go through the following list of tweaks:

● Your elbow should be at or slightly ahead of your shoulder You don’t

want the elbow to sneak behind your shoulder, since that creates an
ugly chicken wing.

● Your forearm should be relatively level. It’s ok for the wrist to be

slightly below the height of the elbow, but not by much. The wrist
should not be higher than the elbow.

● Your wrist should be straight. Don’t bend the wrist down or up—
think of the hand forming a straight line with your forearm.

● Your imaginary beer or soda bottle should be relatively straight. If

it’s turned too far outward, the bottom of your arm will be facing up.
If it’s too far down, the side of your arm will be facing the mirror
instead of the back of your arm.

Now, without moving your arm, rotate yourself so you are looking in the
mirror.

Make the following adjustments, if necessary:

● Make sure your elbow is not pinned to your side. Think of holding a
tennis ball in your armpit (or actually use a tennis ball!)—this should
create a couple of inches between your elbow and your side.

● Your wrist should be slightly closer to your body than your elbow.
From a perfectly straight position (where the forearm is pointing
directly at the mirror, just bring the wrist in an inch or two.

Got it? Notice how this position feels. Now drop the arm to your side and
relax. Try to go back to that same position, and use the mirror to check
yourself. A good goal for beginners is to find that neutral position five
times in a row.

Bonus Variations: Once you can find the neutral position on your own, try
incorporating that position into your basics. With or without a partner,

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dance your basics and stop periodically to check that your arm is still in the
correct position. With the exception of two-handed or closed position
moves, you should be able to dance any pattern with this neutral arm
position.

Want 3 free videos on Arm Styling?

Read ‘The Ultimate Guide to Arm Styling” on our website.
There are free video resources included there!

3. Move your Arms Naturally

West coast swing tends to have subtle arm movement. In general, the arm
doesn’t draw your attention unless there’s a specific accent…or unless the
arm is frozen against the body. In this exercise, you’ll develop your natural
arm motion so your arm can flow with your body.

Beginners are taught to hold their arm in a neutral ready position. This
fixes the problem of having a dead arm laying against your side. But, as you
develop your body flight, the rest of your body will be moving

smoothly, and so you need to add that same fluidity to your arm motion.

The Drill: By yourself, stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Let your
arms hang with no tension. Shift from side to side and let your arms swing
with your body. Don’t try to move the arms; just feel how they swing with
the momentum of the body.

After a few minutes, you should begin to feel how the arms flow from the
movement of your center. In particular, notice what part of your arm is
moving. You should feel like your arm motion begins from the shoulder,
goes down through the elbow, and then finishes at the hand. We’re going
to try to recreate that feeling in a controlled way.

As you continue shifting from side to side, let the momentum start to
swing your arms, and then slowly continue that motion until your arm gets
to chest height (somewhere below your shoulder but above your waist).
Focus on how your arm moves rather than where it moves. Your goal is to

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replicate the fluidity and natural swing of the arm. Feel the motion
naturally working down your arm, from the shoulder all the way down to
the hand.The point of this exercise is to develop the feeling for a natural
arm swing. This is a feeling—it’s not an exact science. It will take a lot of
repetition to figure out what feels

natural on your body. As you practice, it’s a good idea to check how it looks
in a mirror every now and then, but remember that you’re trying to
develop a feeling.

When you have this feeling, you can start making the arm movements
smaller and finding places to include that flow within your basic
movement. We’ll talk more about that in a future post!

Want 3 free videos on Arm Styling?

Read ‘The Ultimate Guide to Arm Styling” on our website.
There are free video resources included there!

4. Adding Arms into Patterns

In this drill, you’ll learn to put a natural arm motion into your basic
patterns. This drill is an extension of finding the natural swing of your
arms, so review that exercise before trying this.

So, you’ve found your natural arm swing? Quickly do that drill again, and
focus on feeling the connection between your center’s movement and the
initiation of the arm swing. We’re going to look for that moment in your
basic patterns.

The Drill: Slowly dance through your basic patterns. For each step, feel
how your center is moving. If you were to continue that motion, how could
the arms follow through?

As you discover places for the arms to follow through, try adding that
motion as you dance. Start by focusing on the timing and direction: when
should the motion start, and which way should the arms follow through?

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And when should the motion end (because your center has now moved in
a different direction)? Concentrate on filling the time with your arms.

Once you have the timing down, look at the magnitude of your movement.
A video camera, mirror, or friend can be helpful for this step.

You want to make the size of your arm motion match the energy from your
center’s change of direction. A fast, sharp change of direction will have
more momentum, and so the arm should move more. For smaller center
movements, the arm motion should stay quieter.

As you play with the size of your arm motion, remember that you still need
to fill the time with your motion. If you need a smaller motion, you will
need to sustain the motion’s energy through a smaller range of space, so
make sure that you take your time in getting to the end of your range of
motion!

Want 3 free videos on Arm Styling?

Read ‘The Ultimate Guide to Arm Styling” on our website.
There are free video resources included there!

How to Play in WCS

Introduction to Playing
West coast swing, unlike most partner dances, encourages play between
the partners. The leader can give the follower the freedom to do whatever
she feels at a given point in the song, and the follower can request time to
interpret the music instead of being led through a movement.

This interaction, or “play,” is one of the reasons that WCS is such a creative
and personalized dance.

This series will help you to play better within the dance.

A couple of clarifications will be helpful before we jump in.

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● Play can happen both within and outside of the traditional WCS
structure. Many dancers think that play is simply freestyle dancing.
That is just one version of play. It’s also possible to play within WCS
patterns with extensions, pauses, or breaks.

● Play can be solo or tandem. It’s possible for play to occur on just one
side of the dance, with the other dancer simply marking time. But,
great dancers will find ways to include their partner in their play.

● Play is not hijacking! Hijacking occurs when the follower takes over
the dance without warning. Play is consensual—both partners know
it is happening and give permission for it to occur.

● Likewise, play is not an excuse for not leading! When giving

followers the opportunity to play, leaders are responsible for setting
up the play and (hopefully) doing so at a time when there’s
something for the follower to dance to.

● Finally, play should always enhance the dance. Play is not a

substitute for WCS. It is a method to compliment the WCS
conversation, and should make the dance more fun for both
partners!

Getting Out of Play

Because play occurs within the WCS dance, it is important to be able to
get out of play and back into WCS. Just like gymnasts begin learning
tumbling skills by practicing how to land safely (and how to fall safely
when the landing doesn’t work!), we will start by practicing how to get out
of play and resume the WCS dance.

General Principles for Ending Play:

● West coast swing is a two beat dance. Play should thus generally
start on a downbeat and end on an upbeat. Eventually, you will want

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to signal the play is done on an upbeat so the partners can resume

WCS on the next downbeat.

● Whoever initiates play is responsible for ending it. If you are

suggesting a change to (or extension of) the standard WCS
structure, you need to make sure that your partner is on board for
when it ends. Essentially, the person who starts play is taking over
the leader role, and as a leader your responsibility is to take care of
your partner.

● Anchors are a great way to signal the end of play. An anchor is

normally a chance for both partners to regroup before starting a
new pattern, so it makes sense to use that structure to transition
back into the dance. This is not a requirement—play can end in
almost any position—but it’s a very safe place to finish.

The Drill: Without a partner, put on a song with a clear beat. Freestyle
dance for a little bit, then perform an anchor step on a downbeat-upbeat
pair. This requires two skills. First, you need to hear when you are on an
upbeat. Second, you need to recognize whether you are on your normal
foot for count 4 (leader’s left, follower’s right). If you are on your normal
foot on the upbeat, do your anchor as normal. If you are on the wrong foot,
you need to take an extra step on the & before the downbeat in order to
do your anchor. Repeat until you can fluidly anchor on a downbeat-upbeat
pair after freestyling.

If you struggle with anchoring when you are on the wrong foot on an
upbeat, practice simply putting your weight on the wrong foot. As you
listen to the song, think downbeat-upbeat and when you hear an upbeat,
immediately go into your & anchor step. Once you can do this smoothly,
you should be able to pull out this skill if your freestyle leaves you on the
wrong foot.

Extending the Drill with a Partner: Once you and your partner can both
do the solo version of the drill, put on another song and pick one person to
end the play. The person who will end play should do their freestyle dance;

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the other partner should simply mark time by doing walk walks. The drill is
for the freestyling partner to go into an anchor as soon as the upbeat
happens. Although the anchor footwork doesn’t start until the downbeat,
the dancer wants to move into the anchor position after the upbeat so that
the other partner has time to react. The partner marking time should
match that anchor (fixing the feet with an & step if necessary). Switch roles
and repeat until both partners can join in the anchor once the freestyling
partner has indicated the end of play by going into their anchor.

Signals to End Play

Earlier in Getting Out of Play, we suggested ending play in an anchor as a
safe way to signal that you’re ready to resume the dance. This post will
build on that idea by looking at the signals that play is finished.

Since we described play as a temporary deviation from the basic WCS

structure (whether in terms of extending a pattern, holding part of a
pattern, or doing something entirely unrelated to the pattern), play ends,
almost by definition, when standard WCS resumes.

If play ends when standard WCS resumes, there are a number of ways to
signal the end of play to your partner.

● Anchor: Every pattern in WCS ends in an anchor, so no matter what

craziness happened earlier, the anchor is a time to get back on the
same page. Anchoring is particular useful for signaling the end of
play because it gives your partner two beats to realize play is ending
and to prepare for the next move (whether that’s the leader getting
time to think of a pattern or the follower having the opportunity to
put herself in the right position physically to follow).

● Square up: Squaring up is the dance equivalent of conversational

eye contact. When you square up, you are telling your partner that
you are listening to what they have to say with your undivided
attention. Followers, ending your play by squaring up tells your
leader that you are listening to what he wants to say next. Leaders,

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squaring up signals that you want to speak up next, and it

encourages the follower to prepare for the next lead.

● Connect: It’s a lead-follow dance, so restoring the normal

connection is a simple way to tell your partner that you are ready to
move on. One of the reasons the anchor is a good signal for the end
of play is because the anchor connection is one of the easier
connections to find in WCS. But, even if you are playing in the middle
of a pattern, resuming the connection enables the partners to get
back into the dance together.

● Phrase: When you and your partner both understand musicality,

phrasing becomes a way to indicate the end of play. Generally, you
want to end your play at the end of the phrase so that the new move
can begin with the new musical sentence. By timing your play with
the end of the phrase, it makes it easier for both partners to resume
normal WCS at the same time.

The pro tip for these signals is that you don’t have to choose just one!

Especially if you are dancing with a less experienced dancer, combining

the signals is the best way to help your partner understand when you are
ending the play. If you end your play by squaring up, anchoring, connecting
into that anchor, and doing it at the end of the musical phrase, it’s almost
impossible to not realize that play is ending.

There is not a specific drill to practice these elements, but it’s easy enough
to work on with a partner. Have one person initiate play. That same
partner should then use some combination of these signals to tell that play
is ending. Keep practicing until both partners are able to smoothly
transition from play back into the standard dance.

Getting Into Play

Now that you know how to get out of play, it’s time to get into it.

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Play is a temporary break from the standard WCS structure. So, you can
indicate that play is starting by departing from what would normally be
expected in the WCS connection.

For these drills, we’re going to take a basic left side pass. With your
partner, dance a couple of left side passes and notice what the connection
feels like between 2 and 3. It should be an away connection, and we’re
going to give it a number. On a scale of 1 (almost no connection) to 10 (the
heaviest connection you could possibly dance), what you normally feel at
that point is going to be a 3. Dance it a few more times and mentally file
away what 3 feels like.

The Drill—Leader-Initiated Play:

Leaders, getting into play on your side really means giving the follower an
opportunity to play. You don’t have the ability to force her to play, so you
get into play by telling the follower, “You can take this if you want it” and
then giving her that opportunity. The easiest way to do that is to dial down
the connection so she knows that she isn’t being asked to do anything in
particular.

The drill for leader-initiated play is to dance a left side pass. After count 2,
the leader should dial down the connection from 3 to 1. There is still a little
connection, but it’s noticeably less than it would normally be. Followers,
that’s your cue to do your thing. Match the level of connection he’s giving
you, and proceed to play. Restart the side pass and practice doing a normal
1, 2 and then the leader dialing it down to 1 by count 3, until the leader can
reliably change the connection and the follower can reliably match it.

The Drill—Follower-Initiated Play:

Followers, you are welcome to request play at any point. However, you
need to do so in a way that allows the leader to say “now’s not a good time”
if necessary. Otherwise, you are hijacking the pattern rather than playing.
The easiest way to do this is to turn up the connection. With the side pass,
you are going to turn the 3 up to a 5.

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Again, dance a left side pass. This time, at count 3, the follower is going to
increase the connection to a 5, and the leader will match it. This act of
matching tells the follower that playing is ok. Practice the start of the side
pass and the follower-initiated play until the follower can reliably change
the connection and the leader can reliably match it.

Building a Play Vocabulary

You can get into play and you can return to the normal dance. Now what?

This is the part of the process that is different for everyone. In short, you
need to develop your repertoire of movements that fit you and your dance
style so that when you want to play, you have a dance vocabulary to draw
from. This drill is the first step in discovering the movements that make
sense for you.

The Drill: This drill is done without a partner. Actually, it’s done without
anyone: get away from the kids, close the door on the pets, and draw the
blinds. You may also want to have a glass of wine on hand.

Put on a song that makes you want to dance and freestyle. Whatever
comes to mind, do it. This is not the time for self-censorship: if you have an
urge to air guitar or booty shake, now’s the time. There’s a reason you
closed the blinds earlier.

About 80% of what you do will be awful. If over half of what you’re doing is
not bad, you’re not trying enough new things. Again, this is not the time to
hold back—dance like a fool.

As you try a thousand different moves, most of which will be awful, you
will eventually stumble upon something that’s not half bad. It’s probably
not good, but you will feel like that might be cool, someday. Figure out
what that movement was and make a note of it. Voice recorder or video
camera apps can be useful, but make sure you’re only recording the good
stuff: you don’t want to fear preserving your 80% of awful moves.

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By the end of your private dance party, you should have found one or two
movements that have potential to become part of your dance. What you
will want to do eventually is polish those movements. Congratulations—
you have discovered something you can do when you play!

Keep putting on songs from a broad range of genres, and you’ll slowly
discover the movements that make up your dance. This will be the
vocabulary that you draw from when you play.

Working Off Your Partner’s Styling

Pro dancers have a phenomenal ability to work off of what their partner is
doing. Many of the magic moments we see in on-the-fly choreography
come from a particularly inspired way for the partners to build on each
other.

Want to create that magic on your own, you have three options:

1. Match what your partner is doing,

2. Compliment your partner’s choice, or

3. Contrast against your partner’s choice.

TAKE ACTION> Download our video explaining all 3 styling

options

Each of these options can create a beautiful moment, but some are easier
than others. Generally, newer dancers think about trying to match their
partner’s movement because all you have to do is mimic your partner.

1. Matching Your Partner

However, it turns out that matching is actually the most difficult of the
three options, and should probably be your last choice.

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Why is matching so difficult?

Well, it’s easy to stumble over yourself when trying to figure out what
your partner is doing. And, there’s no guarantee that you will be
comfortable with the body mechanic that your partner’s movement
requires.

To take a simple example, boogie walks are hard to match if you aren’t
familiar with the technique behind that movement.

The Drill: For the next week, pay attention to your partner’s styling during
each dance. At this point, you’re not yet doing anything with this
information—you are simply building your awareness. Believe it or not,
that’s actually a skill in itself! Especially when you are doing complicated
movements, noticing what your partner is doing is challenging, and
adjusting your movement to what your partner does is a level above that!
We’ll get there, but it will be much easier if you concentrate on developing
your awareness first.

2. Mirroring Your Partner

The third option for styling as a partnership is to mirror your partner.
While this is the method of “team styling” that most people think of first,
it’s actually a risky choice because there’s a lot of opportunities to get out
of sync. But, mirrored styling does look impressive when done well, so it’s
worth learning how to do it.

The interaction between partners in general is better with better

communication, but it’s really important when mirroring. The person who
is mirroring the movement obviously needs to be paying attention, but the
person who is initiating the movement has a big responsibility to express
their intention clearly.

The Drill: Stand in front of your partner. One of you will be the initiator
and the other person will be the responder. The initiator’s job is to pick a

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movement and execute it as clearly as possible. The responder’s job is to

mirror that movement.

Begin with simple, slow movements:

● Taking the arm out to the side for four counts, and then bringing it
back in for another four counts

● Stepping to the side and taking four counts to transfer your weight,
then coming back for four counts

● Changing levels by relaxing the knees for four counts, and then
straightening the knees for another four counts

The responder will have plenty of time to catch these movements, so the
initiator should focus on making the rest of the body quiet and initiating
the movement from the body, so the responder’s eye is drawn to the
movement.

As you become comfortable with four count motions, you can speed up to
two count motions, or you can do more complicated movements. Try
matching footwork variations, rotation to the side, or body isolations.

As the movements become more complicated, it becomes increasingly

important for the initiator to be consistent. Your partner has no chance of
matching your footwork if you are changing every two beats, but if you
repeat the same triple (e.g., side and cross), the responder has the
opportunity to pick up the movement.

Responders: when movements become more complicated, focus on first

matching rhythm and then matching placement. For instance, if your
partner is doing footwork, try to match their rhythm (double, kick-ball
change, triple, etc.) first. Then, keep doing that rhythm with the initiator
while you adjust the details (are they crossing or hooking their feet? Is the
arm going straight to the side or at an angle?)

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3. Complimenting Your Partner’s Styling

You’ve practiced paying attention to what your partner is doing. Now it’s
time to do something with that awareness. In this drill, we’re going to
focus on how to compliment your partner’s styling.

Complimentary styling is a great way to show that you are working with
your partner to interpret the music. It also is a great choice if you are
dancing with a dancer whose musicality is stronger than yours, because
you can benefit from their skill in interpreting the song.

So, how do you do complimentary styling?

You pick some element of their movement and create the same effect in
your body. This isn’t mimicry—you aren’t trying to mirror their movement.
Instead, you are picking a quality of their movement and using that in a
way that makes sense for your body.

For the Leaders:

Let’s take a concrete example. Let’s suppose the follower is coming in for a
sugar tuck, and on the tuck she hears something in the music that she
wants to draw out, so she extends her free arm to the side. The leader
could try to mirror that movement, but it’s easy to look awkward in that
position. So let’s try a complimentary movement instead. The follower is
opening up, filling the space and extending her body. As long as the leader
can find a way to create that same effect in his body, it doesn’t matter how
he does it. He can:

● Raise up slightly during the tuck in order to fill a larger vertical

space,

● Extend his free arm downward to make his body look elongated, or

● Settle onto his right foot for the tuck and extend his left leg to the
side in a line.

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What about the follower?

Well, let’s say that the leader has led the follower into a side pass, and
during the side pass he stands on his right leg while pulsing his free knee
on the beat. The quality of movement is an accent on each beat, so the
follower has lots of options to create that during her side pass. She can:

● Syncopate her footwork by doing double rhythms,

● Do chugs down the line, or

● Use a shoulder isolation to accent each beat.

The Drill: With a partner, take turns being the styling partner and the
complimentary partner. When the styling partner creates an effect with
their dancing, the complimentary partner should find a way to match the
quality of movement in their body. Again, it should not be a perfectly
mirrored movement—that’s a different skill—and it’s okay to pause and try
out some options as you are practicing. Switch roles and try again!

Contrasting Your Partner’s Styling

In this series, we are exploring how to work with your partner’s styling.
Most of the time we think that working with your partner means you need
to be doing similar things, but in this post we’ll learn how to do something
different and make it blend together.

The basic idea behind contrast is that experiences stand out more when
they are brought into sharper relief. We see this in other genres all the
time: for instance, horror movies will limit the background sounds right
before a scary reveal so that the surprise “pops” even more. Great dancers
will use contrast to enhance their individual styling—if they want to draw
attention to their footwork, they will simplify their footwork for a couple
of counts immediately beforehand so the fast footwork appears faster.

We can apply that same idea to the image that you present as a
partnership. If your partner is doing something awesome and you want to

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make it pop, you can do something different in order to make it stand out
even more.

This method of working with your partner’s styling can be very flexible.

Here are some ideas to get your own creative juices flowing:

● Is your partner spinning or doing fancy footwork? Limit your motion

so that their action stands out even more.

● When your partner goes out of the slot, you can move in the
opposite direction to make their motion look even larger.

● Your partner starts doing footwork down the slot, and as part of that
footwork does tap steps to the side. By matching the rhythm but
taking your taps to the opposite side, the movement will look bigger.

● If your partner does a level change during a pattern, can you do a

level change in the opposite direction? Going opposite will make the
height contrast even starker.

These are just some ideas—you are encouraged to come up with your own.

Whatever you do, there are three keys to making contrast work:

1. Be confident! If you look like you are worried about how the
contrast will look, the effect will be lost.

2. Be decisive. Contrast that is hesitant can easily look like a mistake. If

you attack your motion, however, it looks intentional and it
communicates that you wanted to create that look.

3. Match the rhythm. If you are moving, you usually want to match
your partner’s rhythm. Contrasting actions to the same rhythm look
cool; different actions to different rhythms look like you are not on
the same wavelength as your partner.

The Drill: With a partner, take turns picking actions and having the other
partner create a contrasting action. Start by doing this drill facing each

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other, without doing WCS. Once you have some practice identifying what
your partner is doing and picking a contrasting action, you can try doing
this exercise while dancing basic patterns.

Coloring the Dance: Introduction

West coast swing gives dancers more liberty to change the look of the
dance basics than most other forms of social dancing. Being able to modify
the look of the dance within the basics is an important skill for both
competitive and social dancers.

For competitive dancers, even at the champion level, at least half of the
dance’s patterns are simple side passes, push breaks, and whips. The
ability to color the dance makes it possible to match the music within
these basic patterns and gives both partners the ability to get on the same
page while setting up the money moves for that dance.

Social dancers also benefit from coloring the dance. With the ability to
change the look and feel of patterns, a leader can keep the dance
interesting without needing a million patterns. A follower who can color
the dance can interpret the music no matter what the leader is leading, or
even if the leader is not setting up the follower for any key moments. On
either side of the slot, coloring the patterns results in a more dynamic,
engaging, and musical dance.

This series will walk through a number of ways to transform your gray
basics into vibrant colors. Whether the song calls for a calm and laid back
blue or a high-energy yellow, you will make the dance come alive for
yourself and your partner.

1. Coloring with Level Changes

One of the easiest way to color the dance is with level changes. Any
pattern can be danced at different heights: low, normal, or high. By

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changing between levels during a pattern, the dancers can match the
patterns to the melody line of the music.

To dance at a low height, simply add a subtle bend to the knee. You should
not drop more than an inch or so; if you go further, it looks like you are
squatting. The bend should be soft enough to be camouflaged by your
pants.

To dance at a high height, simply straighten the knee and use the ankles to
raise the center slightly. Again, changing by more than an inch or two is
unnecessary and will make you look unsteady. A small, controlled contrast
looks much better than a gigantic lift.

The Drill—Rainbow Effect: On your own or with a partner, dance basic

patterns with the start and end of each pattern at your normal height, and
the middle of the pattern at a high height. The pattern will look like the arc
of a rainbow and will create a light, elevated feeling in the middle of the
pattern.

The Drill—Clothesline Effect: On your own or with a partner, dance basic

patterns with the start and end of each pattern at your normal height, and
with the middle of the pattern dropping to the low height. This effect,
which looks like the drop of a clothesline, creates the sense of energy
falling into the middle of the pattern before relaxing back to normal.

If you are dancing with a partner, repeat these drills with one partner
doing the level changes and the other partner remaining at the normal
height. The partner who is not doing the level changes should not feel a
shift in the connection while the height-changing partner moves.

2. Coloring with Length

Another easy way to add color to the dance is by changing the length of
the slot. Although it is easier for the leader to control this aspect of the
dance, the follower can request a longer slot or shorter slot by changing
the length of her step immediately before the anchor.

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Length changes can create different looks, depending on the energy of the
patterns. In general, longer patterns look more energetic whereas smaller
patterns look quieter. However, this is not a rule. Long flowing movements
can bring out the lyrical quality of songs. Conversely, short slots can
enable tight and fast footwork, which makes the dance look more
energetic.

The Drill: With or without a partner, dance your basic patterns to establish
a neutral length. Then, repeat with a longer slot. For leaders, take your
step immediately before the anchor slightly towards the follower in order
to encourage the follower to travel further. For followers, take a slightly
longer step on the beat immediately before the anchor in order to request
a post further down the slot.

The same modifications can be applied to make a shorter slot. For leaders,
the step immediately before the anchor should move slightly against the
follower’s direction in order to set the post closer in the slot. Followers
should take a smaller step immediately before the anchor in order to
encourage the leader to post closer.

Once you are comfortable with dancing both distances, try applying the
changes in a song. Adele’s “Set Fire To The Rain” contains great contrasts
that can be brought out with this method.

With or without a partner, dance basics to this song.

During the verses, keep your dance at a short distance.

When the chorus downbeat hits on the word “fire,” begin dancing with a
longer slot.

Continue the longer slot through the chorus, then immediately come back
to the short distance beginning with the 1 of the verse. This set of changes
brings out the vocal energy of the chorus, while dramatically taking the
energy down for the verses.

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3. Coloring with Width

A third dimension of patterns that can be modified is the width of the slot.
Wider slots feel more relaxed as the pattern drifts from side to side.
Dancing in a narrow slot creates a tight, crisp look. This drill is designed to
get you comfortable with changing the slot width.

The Drill—Leaders: Find a line on the floor that you can use as a reference
point. With that line as your slot, dance side passes that move further
away from the slot than normal. For instance, your 1 on a side pass can go
slightly away from the slot, as well as down the line; likewise, let your 4 go
all the way across the slot instead of stopping in the slot. Use an anchor
variation that continues across the slot before coming back to the slot for
the end of the anchor (e.g., a side and cross). This is your wide version of
the patterns.

For the narrow version, again dance side passes with a line marking the
slot. This time, every step should either be on the line or directly next to it
(so that the edge of your foot is touching the line). Make sure that you
open your shoulders by 2 so that your follower will have room to pass
through. This is your narrow version.

The Drill—Followers: With a line on the floor marking the center of your
slot, dance side passes. For the wide version, let the middle of your side
pass curve off of the slot. When you post on 4, travel past the slot with
your anchor before coming back to the center for your next pattern. This
is your wide version.

To dance the narrow version, every step should be directly on the line. You
will need to make sure that you rotate your upper body beginning on
count 2 of the side pass; the contra-body rotation is what allows you to
share the slot in close quarters with your leader.

Additional Partner Details: It is possible to lead pattern width. To lead a

wider pattern, the leader can add a slight arc to the connection in order to
encourage the follower to move off of the slot.

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Narrow width can be led by keeping the connection directly in front of the
follower’s connected shoulder, which asks the follower to keep her frame
in line.

For the follower, it is much easier to suggest a wider pattern. During the
middle of patterns, the follower can drift from side to side of the slot as in
the drill above. When the follower is sent out (such as a throwout from a
whip or the tuck of a tuck turn), she can use the opportunity to stay out of
the slot briefly instead of immediately coming back to center.

The other place the follower can create width is during the anchor; it is
okay to anchor slightly off-center from the slot as long as you return to
center by count 2 so the leader can put you in position for the next move.
Beware of anchoring too far off the slot, as that can take away options for
the leader’s next pattern choice. You should be able to comfortably return
to center no later than beat 2.

4. Coloring with Footwork Activity

One of the things we notice about music is how energetic or quiet it is.
Some songs are relaxed; other songs have a driving club feel. Great songs
switch between these options; the song may have a booming energy until
the bridge, when everything suddenly sounds muted, or a song may be
contained until a build into a new phrase. One of the ways to acknowledge
these differences is through the amount of activity in the dance, and the
easiest area for either partner to modify is the footwork.

The Drill: With or without a partner, practice dancing your basics with
quiet feet. Whenever possible, turn your triples into single weight
changes—for instance, with a drag-step or a step-hold. Avoid any ball
changes on the walk walks, since those tend to create movement. Keep
your feet on or skimming the ground as much as possible: no kicks! This
will make the dance seem much less energetic.

Caution! Do not take this drill as license to eliminate your triples in your
regular dancing. This is an exercise, and to make the most of your practice

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time you can take out all of your triples. In the wild, however, and
especially in competitions, triples are still a key element of the dance. A
good rule of thumb is to only replace one triple rhythm in a pattern with a
single; the other triple still needs to occur in order for the swing character
of the dance to be visible.

To add energy to your dance, practice dancing your basics with more
footwork. Instead of plain walk walks, use a kick-ball change; this both
adds an additional movement (kick, ball, and change instead of just walk
walk) and uses a kick to raise the energy level of the dance. If you have
practiced a triple footwork variation like &-kick-ball change, throw that in
on your triples. The goal is to have as much footwork as possible.

You can practice dancing these styles to a song like Demi Lovato’s “Give
Your Heart a Break.” Dance with quiet feet during the verses, and
energetic feet during the chorus. (N.B. Quiet verses and loud choruses
occur in many pop songs, so this is an easy way to put contrast into your
dance on a regular basis.)

5. Coloring with Arm Movements

In WCS, arm movements are used to either finish or dissipate the energy
of a move. An arm that goes up or out signals energy; contained arms or
arms that finish downwards tend to look calmer and less busy. By
adjusting your arm movements, you can ramp up the energy of a
movement or take out the juice.

Have you read “The Ultimate Guide to Arm Styling for WCS” you’ll want to
start there first to understand arm lined!

The Drill: Without a partner, practice arm movements that you use on
patterns that create momentum, such as tucks, throw outs, and hip
catches. For each movement, drill a “loud” version and a “quiet” version.

Some of the ways you can create a “loud” version include:

● Keeping the arm parallel to the ground

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● Raising the arm slightly above neutral

● Taking the wrist outside of your elbow

● Moving the arm to the end of your range of motion rapidly

The “quiet” version can be created through these options:

● Taking the arm downwards (at an angle or straight down)

● Keeping the wrist inside the elbow

● Moving the arm to the end of the range of motion slowly

Note for Leaders: In general, your arm movements should be more

contained than the follower’s. Opening your arms wide is more dramatic
on the leader side of the dance, so it’s easy to overdo it. Keep your arm
variations a notch quieter than the follower’s unless you are deliberately
going for a massive hit.

Leader’s Option: Leaders, you can create the look of big arms by leading
two-handed moves. Two-handed moves look busy, and they also visually
emphasize the open position distance between the partners; both of these
factors raise the “volume” level of the movement. By leading more two-
handed moves when the song is loud, you can call attention to the energy
in that part of the song.

How to hitch in west coast swing

If you need to dress up the first two beats of a pattern, the hitch is a great
option. The hitch can easily be adapted to multiple styles of music. In
bluesy songs, you can add a knee pop to the 1 to create an additional
action; in more lyrical songs you can stretch through the hitch to make the
dance feel gooey and relaxed.

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This post will focus on the technical foundation for the hitch. Next week,
we’ll take a look at some styling options in order to dress it up and make it
your own.

First, a quick definition. The hitch is simply a delayed weight transfer on

the first two beats of the pattern. We normally step on the 1 and 2 of the
pattern:

For the hitch, we’re going to delay the first step until the “a” count in the
rolling count, or the & in straight time. Normally we use the rolling count
to learn hitches because the delayed action on the ball change feels very
natural in the rolling count.

If you’ve done other rhythm syncopations, you may recognize that this is
the same rhythm as a kick ball-change. The difference between the two is
simply what happens with the free leg during the delay. A kick ball-change
puts a kick on the downbeat, while the hitch simply continues to stretch.

The Drill: In this exercise, we’re going to work on continuing the foot
action through the hitch. Normally you roll through your anchor foot on
the 6&a of the anchor. For a hitch, you’re going to cover the same amount
of space on your foot in a longer time: 6&a1. So, the first step is to simply
practice doing that rolling action slowly to develop your ability to stretch
that roll into the 1.

To practice that extension, put on a slower song with a triple rhythm feel.
“I’m the Only One” by Melissa Etheridge is a great song that’s just slow
enough to start learning. To really develop control, you’ll want to work
into songs in the 60 bpm range, like “Bottom Blues” by Brother Yusef or
Albert King’s “Blues Power.” The reason you want a song with the triple
rhythm is so it feels natural to move on the a2. With that song playing,
dance the six-count rhythm with a hitch on the 1a2. Focus on making sure
the anchor foot continues rolling through the entirety of 6&a1, then
quickly moving on a2.

Once the feet are rolling, the next step is to check that your center is
moving with your feet. It’s tough because your center feels huge and your

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foot will feel small. This is where keeping your core engaged will help. As
you develop control over your center movement, it’ll be easier to feel
where your weight is on the foot (i.e., ball, right in front of the arch, over
the arch, front of the heel), and then it becomes much easier to practice
rolling through 6&a1.

The final piece of the hitch from a technical perspective is integrating the
foot roll and center movement with the timing of the stretch. If you’ve
practiced stretching your anchor at the end of the slot, you know the
feeling of hitting your maximum stretch and using it to power the next
motion. Now try to achieve that feeling with the hitch timing, either by
yourself or with a partner.

If you practice with a partner, you should be able to feel when your
partner is hitching. To test your connection, both partners should dance
their normal timing, and one partner is designated to randomly pick a
pattern to hitch on. (Hint: since you need to modify your roll through the
anchor, make that decision before the anchor of the pattern immediately
prior to the hitched 1a2!)

Leaders, if your follower is hitching you should feel that she is not settled
into her anchor enough to lead her forward on 1, and you should be able to
sustain your own roll through the anchor until she is ready.

Followers, if your leader hitches you should be able to feel that he isn’t
stretching as quickly as normal and you should thus adjust your own
timing to match. (This isn’t to say that you have to match your partner’s
timing: it’s fine for one partner to hitch and the other to stick to straight
time. But you should be able to feel what your partner is doing, because
you’ll want to make adjustments to your lead/follow so that you can do
your rhythm without disrupting your partner.)

Create your own styling

Developing your own style is a challenging task.

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Ten years ago, picking up a style variation from a pro would require
booking a private lesson, buying an event tape, or watching really carefully
from the first row of the ballroom.

Now, you can find literally days of footage on YouTube from almost any
pro you can name. In this post, it’s time to learn how to put that video
library to use.

We’re goanna tackle how learn from YouTube and use it to create your
own styling in 2 easy steps.

Step 1. Steal styling from Pros on YouTube

This exercise will focus on how to watch videos in order to pick up styling
ideas.

We’re going to be using YouTube to help us today!

First you should subscribe to the WCS Online YouTube Channel

If you’ve not done that already - You can do that here!

It’s another way to keep up with our awesome free stuff

Then grab a notebook and sit down in front of a computer. Do a search for
your favorite pro on YouTube. Pick a video and watch the whole dance,
making note of the times when you see movements that you’d like to learn.

When you’re finished with the dance, rewind the video clip to the first
moment you marked in your notebook. Go back a little further so you can
see the start of the pattern. Your first task is to identify where the styling
is occurring. Is it an anchor variation? A shape during a spin? A line out of a
hip catch?

You probably know that west coast swing is a two-beat dance, and you
should know how to break down patterns into their basic components.

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Use this knowledge when you analyze the movement. It’s much easier to
identify the movement if you can isolate what it is (e.g., a four beat
alternating triple sequence, a syncopated right triple).

Now, rewatch the movement while covering the top and bottom of the
screen with sheets of paper. You should only be able to see the dancer’s
torso. Pay attention to what moves when. Is the upper body shaping in a
certain direction? When does that movement begin and when does it
finish? For this step, it can be helpful to watch the video in slow motion.

Do the same for the other body parts you can see: watch for the
movement of the arms and the shoulders.

Once you have identified what is moving in the torso, lower the sheets of
paper so you can only see from the knees to the lower edge of the rib cage.
Again, watch for what parts are moving when, in slow motion if necessary.
Is the hip settling? Rotating? Is the hip moving with the core or in isolation?

As you continue to view parts of the body in isolation, you will gradually
discover the elements in the pro’s movement. The next step is to figure out
how they fit together, which will be our next topic!

Step 2. Creating your own styling

You’ve been watching your favorite pro and have found a cool styling
variation that you want to learn. How do you move it from their body to
yours?

Previously, we have talked about how to observe pros to identify styling

movements. In today’s drill, you are going to practice recreating one of
those movements.

The Drill: The first step in recreating the movement is finding a couple of
checkpoints that you need to pass through. Find more than the starting
and ending position. Are there specific positions that the body goes
through during the move? Identify those. Remember that you can play the
video back in slow motion to help with this process.

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Once you have identified a couple of checkpoints along with your starting
and ending position, it’s time to figure out how to move between those
points. This part of the exercise is difficult because there are no universal
answers. Although movement is usually initiated in the core, that’s far
from a universal rule (especially when dancers are doing unusual styling).
The best way to approach this process is trial-and-error. The good news is
that you don’t have to discover the exact sequence of the original move; in
fact, it’s very likely that you will find your own version of that movement,
which is even better than just copying what you see others do.

Even though not every movement will start from the core, that’s a good
place to start your experiment. Try initiating the movement from the
center, then from the hips, then from the ribcage. Try each starting point
slowly several times, and use a videocamera to assess your attempts
before deciding that the motion isn’t working. Remember that you are
both trying to learn what the movement is, and learn how to perform that
movement. Be patient, and don’t jump to the conclusion that your method
isn’t right too quickly.

If none of the above starting points work, you can start experimenting
with parts of the body further from the center, like the shoulders, knees,
feet, and arms.

Remember to be patient with yourself!

This process can be frustrating at times, but the advantage of going

through this work (as opposed to just having someone tell you what to do)
is that you will learn immeasurably more about how your body works.

Every time you work through this process, you are developing your
kinesthetic sense so that you can pick up additional movements more
rapidly in the future.

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Your Styling Checklist

Don’t get stuck in a run with repetitive and boring styling! Add some
variety to your styling by working through a checklist of styling options.

In this exercise, you’re going to learn how to take inventory of your styling
and create your own checklist.

This exercise may feel mechanical and forced, and that’s okay. The idea
isn’t to dance socially like this. Instead, this exercise forces you to work
through a variety of styling options in order to get yourself thinking about
how you can create different looks.

First, take a few minutes to inventory your own styling repertoire. You
may only have a move or two in each category: that’s ok! If there are
categories that have fewer options, you know where you should
experiment in order to discover more ideas.

Here is your checklist:

• Head styling: accelerated or delayed looks, tilting your head to

create an angle, hair combs, etc.

• Upper body: ribcage isolations, shoulders, upper body angles, and so

forth. Read our isolations article here

• Arms: hitting lines, opening or gathering the free arm, using the arm
to trace other parts of the body for followers, and more.

• Hips: booty rolls, contra-body rotation, leading your movement with

a side, and the like.

• Feet: all manner of footwork variations.

Now that you’ve gone through your styling list, dance a song with basic
moves (either by yourself or with a partner), and concentrate on working
through that list. First find an opportunity for head styling. Then use your
upper body. Then arms, followed by hips, and lastly feet. Once you’ve

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styled with every part of your body, start back at the head and work your
way down again.

Need some help?

Download> 5 ways to style your anchor step

The Anchor Step Video covers simple anchor step styling options but by
forcing yourself to look for opportunities for specific types of styling, you
can learn to style with more variety instead of being stuck in a rut of
styling with just one body part.

Become a Member of WCS Online!

Is this a shameless plug?

Maybe.

Have we worked hard to create really helpful resources for WCS dancers?

You bet!

West Coast Swing Online had LOTS of resources:

• 400 Instructional videos

• 400 + Blog Posts

• The Ultimate Guide for Beginners

• The Ultimate Guide to Ladies Styling

• The Ultimate Guide to Leaders Styling

• The Ultimate Guide to Spins & Turns

• The Ultimate Guide to Musicality

We really appreciate those of you that support us as customers!

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You help us to continue to do what we do!

So, if you’re interested in becoming a member of the site or buying a

course we won’t complain ;-)

If not no worries.

Keep enjoying the free move of the week videos we send out every other
Tuesday.

Keep enjoying the free videos on YouTube.

And keep dancing some West Coast Swing!

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Spins & Turns

Spins & Turns Basics

• Introduction to Spins & Turns ....................................................................... 154

• Posture ................................................................................................................... 154
• Three Toe Base for Spins ................................................................................ 157
• Improve Balance ................................................................................................. 158
• Spotting .................................................................................................................. 160

3 turns you need to know for WCS

• 3 basic kinds of spins used in West Coast Swing: ................................. 162

• 1. Pivot turns ...................................................................................................... 163
• 2. Chaine turns.................................................................................................... 166
• 3. Pirouettes (one foot spins)........................................................................ 171

One foot spins (advanced)

• Introduction to one foot spins ...................................................................... 172

• Pirouette Fundamentals ................................................................................. 172
• Balance for One Foot Spins............................................................................ 174
• 2 Phases of the one foot spins....................................................................... 175
• Troubleshooting One Foot Spins ................................................................. 176

Trouble shooting turns

• 2 Keys to Mastering Balance ......................................................................... 179

• Staying on time in spins ................................................................................... 183
• Keep from getting dizzy (spotting).............................................................. 183
• Mastering Multiple Spins ................................................................................ 186

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• Mastering All Spins ............................................................................................ 187

Other Resources

• What’s the best way to improve your Spins & Turns for WCS ........ 189

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Introduction to Spins & Turns

Spins & turns are used in almost every form of dance, and west coast swing
is no exception. The ability to turn smoothly and efficiently is one of the
major differences between raw beginners and experienced dancers.
Whether you are a follower or a leader, mastering the techniques that go
into spins will make a huge difference in your dancing.

Posture

To spin well we need to have good posture. If this is a struggle for you
you’ll want to take time to understand your body. From there you can
understand the specific things you need to improve your posture to
improve your spins.

In this section we will focus on 2 main elements of posture as it relates to

spins. Your spine and your core.

TAKE ACTION> Watch my take on posture in this video

1. Spine
How many of you have heard the advice to “stand up straight” and lifted
your chest? Although you are thinking about having good posture, you are
actually having the opposite effect. To understand why, we need to look at
where the spine is.

Our bodies are designed to come forward from the spine. Our hips and
ribcage attach to the spine at the back, with almost the entirety of the hip
and ribs in front of the spine itself.

When we say that you should stand up straight, the effect we want to
create is having the spinal column lengthened from top to bottom. Instead
of compressing the spinal vertebrae together, or bending them in various

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directions, we want the whole column to be vertically aligned and

uncompressed.

But, what happens if you think about lifting your chest?

You lift your ribcage from the front, but your ribcage still attaches to your
spine in the back, and that connection didn’t move up. In fact, your
vertebrae have to compress to lift the front of your ribcage! So how are
you supposed to stand up straight?

Think about stretching the spine itself. If the spine lengthens, your rib cage
will lift naturally because the vertebrae that the ribs attach to have
stretched up, and the ribs are carried along.

The Drill: This drill is straightforward, but it requires a lot of repetition to

build the muscle memory. Practice standing up straight from the spine.
You should feel like your back is lengthening, and that should naturally
cause your ribcage to lift. Don’t think about lifting the ribcage—the chest
should be an effect, and not a cause.

2. Core
In all forms of dance, controlling the center is essential for creating body
flight, establishing balance, and looking poised. We need focus on an
often-neglected muscle for supporting and controlling your core—the
transverse abdominis to improve our core.

The core is made up of four primary muscle groups:

• The rectus abdominis is the muscle that makes up the six pack of
your abs, and it is closest to the surface.

• Underneath the rectus abdominis are the external and internal

obliques, which are involved in rotation and side-bending of the
trunk. These are the 2nd and 3rd muscle groups of your core.

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• The deepest muscle is the transverse abdominis, which is a girdle

that runs around the abdomen and connects the lower back to the
pelvis.

Our goal is to isolate and engage the transverse abdominis (the deepest of
the core muscles) while leaving the other muscles relaxed. Engaging the
transverse abdominis supports the spine, compresses the viscera,
stabilizes the pelvis, and improves the efficiency of movement by more
effectively recruiting muscles in the extremities.

Functionally, this means that engaging the transverse abdominis will

protect your back, improve your balance and stability, and make your
movement appear more natural and graceful.

The Drill: To engage the transverse abdominis, think about pulling your
belly button back towards your spine.

Most people make the mistake of engaging their rectus abdominis (the
outermost ab muscle) rather than the transverse abdominis (the deepest
muscle)

Instead, think about engaging your core by zipping up your jeans.

Start from the bottom of the zipper (your crotch) and tighten the muscles
up through your pelvis.

By the time you are pulling in the belly button, you should feel like your
abdominal region is wearing a snug girdle. That’s a sign that you finally
found the right muscle.

Practice engaging that muscle while dancing. You should feel more stable
through your trunk and your legs should feel like they are more
coordinated with what your center is doing.

TAKE ACTION> Watch my take on posture in this video

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Three Toe Base for Spins

All spins should occur on the ball of the foot. More specifically, we say that
the spin happens on a three toe base: the area of the foot that stretches
from the ball of the foot to the big toe and the two toes next to it.

The primary reason dancers emphasize the three toe base is that it keeps
your weight over the inside of the foot.

Especially when spinning, it is easy to let your weight shift to the outside
edge of the foot. The outside of the foot is less stable than the inside,
making spins more precarious. Focusing on the three toe base keeps the
ankle stable and in turn improves the stability of the spin.

How to find the 3-toe base?

Hold onto the back of a chair so you don’t have to worry about balance.

Now spread your toes apart as if you were trying to make a shoe tree out
of your foot. Better yet go ahead and take your shoes off so you can see
the difference.

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Now press the 3 toes (Big one & next two) down into the floor.

Check on your little toe. You should not be aware that the little toe exists.

Now move up and down through control of the ankle with a focus on the
connection of your big toe and the two toes next to it, into the floor. This is
your 3-toe base!

Improve Balance

Good spins are balanced. If you are leaning over or unstable, it will be
extraordinarily difficult to spin without falling over. Thus, balance and
centering are essential skills for successful spins.

If you try to combine both rotation and traveling, you will be off balance
and fall—either onto your new foot, or onto the floor.

One of the keys for spinning effectively is being able to keep your center
balanced over a single leg.

Balance becomes easier when you can control your center by stabilizing
your core.

A tight core (described in the posture section earlier) helps keep your
body moving as a unit; this in turn makes balancing easier because you can
focus on balancing a single point rather than flailing all of your extremities.

To improve your centering, stand with good posture—head up, shoulders

back and down rather than slouched forward and raised towards your
ears.

Engage your core by thinking about zipping up your muscles from the hips
to the ribcage; this should create a lifted feeling in your center.

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The combination of good posture and zipping up the core will dramatically
increase your stability.

TAKE ACTION> Download our #1 drill for balance in turns

The Drill:

With good posture and nice turnout, balance yourself over the ball of your
foot.

When you feel steady, lift the other leg slightly off the group (the toe
should be just skimming the ground) and touch the free foot to the ankle of
the supporting foot. Hold this position for at least 30 seconds, then switch
feet and repeat.

As you are balancing, pay attention to how your body shifts in order to
remain balanced. If you are rocking between the ball and heel of the
supporting foot, concentrate on keeping the heel ever so slightly off the
ground. If you are rolling towards the outside of your foot, focus on
keeping your weight inside.

You may find it easier to balance by softening (not bending) the supporting
knee.

Throughout the drill, monitor your posture.

If your chest is collapsing or if you are rounding your shoulders, you will be
less stable and will have a harder time establishing an axis of rotation
during the dance. Keep the shoulders down. Your chest and head should
be up, as if someone had attached a string to your head and the front clasp
of your bra (guys, use your imagination) and was lifting you up. Your core
should be tight.

This drill is much more effective when done for a minute here and there,
several times a day, than trying to do a single 10-minute balancing session
on the weekend.

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Spotting

One Spotting is a technique used to improve spins. What is spotting?

Spotting is a technique used in spins to improve your balance, keep spins

in a line, and create a pulse to the spin.

The basic idea is to focus on a single point with your head as your body
rotates. When you can no longer focus on that point without contorting
your neck, you quickly flip your head around back to that point, while your
body catches up with the head.

There are many advantages to spotting.

In addition to keeping the dancer oriented during spins, spotting makes

the spin look crisper and can even reduce the feeling of dizziness from
spinning.

Learning to spot requires becoming comfortable with having the head and
body rotate at different speeds. That’s where this drill comes in.

• Basic Spotting Drill

Stand in front of a mirror. Look at yourself in the mirror, and slowly rotate
your body while keeping your focus on your mirror image. As you start
practicing, shuffle your feet to rotate your body at a slow but consistent
rate.

At some point, you won’t be able to keep focusing on your mirror image
without tilting your head.

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When this happens, turn your head quickly so that you are now looking
over your other shoulder to find your mirror reflection.

You may not be able to get your head all the way around to see your
reflection yet, and that’s okay. The point is to be looking for your reflection
so your gaze can stabilize on that point while your body finishes rotating.

Your body is rotating at a constant, slower speed; your head is stationary

for as long as possible and then rotates around much faster than the body
until it finds the forward position and then becomes stationary again.
Becoming fluent at these two motions together takes time, so keep
practicing until they are instinctive.

You can easily get dizzy by practicing a lot of spotting at once, especially if
this is a new technique for you. Fortunately, spotting drills work really well
when done in small bursts several times a day.

If you do a couple of spots in the bathroom mirror every time you visit the
restroom, you can get lots of repetitions without overwhelming yourself.

• Advanced spotting drill:

Without a partner, do a series of spins. Pick a point on one of the walls to
focus on, and spot that wall as you spin. Pick one spot for each full
rotation; even if you are doing pivot turns that only rotate halfway around,
you should spot one wall rather than a wall for each half rotation.

A common question is whether you should spot down the line or to your
partner when you spin. Either option is acceptable, and you will probably
find one option feels more natural to you. It’s never a bad idea to learn to
spot both ways, because each method is useful in specific situations.

Here are a few options you have for spotting in spins:

● Spotting your partner makes the dance look more connected.

● Keeping your spot down line makes it easier to stay in the slot as
your spins travel.

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● Spotting your partner helps complete the spin because the flip of
your head helps bring you back to your partner.

● Looking down the line makes the first part of the spin faster because
the flip of your head accelerates the first half of the spin.

3 basic kinds of spins used in West Coast Swing:

Before you can start improving your spins, you need to know what to
focus on. This article will introduce 3 types of spins and turns that you’ll
need to understand to master your spins in west coast swing. Without
knowing these it will be difficult to master spins in WCS.

Here are the 3 types you’ll need to know:

• Pivot Turns

• Chaine Turns

• Pirouettes

There are some techniques in west coast swing that can be learned off of
the dance floor during practice time. Spins and Turns are one of them!

There are no shortcuts to improving balance and becoming a good

spinner but you can really accelerate your progress by having a plan and
knowing what to focus on.

TAKE ACTION> Download our Pivot Drill Video

You’ll learn the basics of balance in pivot turns. It’s the first step to better
spins!

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1. Pivot turns

Pivot turns keep your feet in a straight line as you pivot around the
weighted foot and then transfer your weight to the free foot before
continuing. These are usually used for half rotations.

Learning this skill is an important step in improving your west coast swing
spins and turns.

There are 2 types of pivot turns to learn. The forward & backward pivot.

• Forward Pivot Turns

This is a fundamental turn in west coast swing. Learning it will help you
develop the core of balance and stability that will be the bedrock of great
spins.

The Drill: Start with your feet in an open third foot position with your left
foot forward; your heel of the left foot is still in line with the instep of the
right foot, but now there the feet are about hip width apart.

Put your weight on the three toe base of the left foot, and rotate your right
shoulder back to match the angle of your hips and feet. This rotation is the
source of the energy for your pivot.

Keeping your legs together—think about squeezing your upper thighs to

each other—let your shoulders and core unwind, and use that energy to
pivot on your left toe base ¼ turn. At the end of the pivot, pause with your
weight on your left toe base, then let your right foot make contact with the
floor.

Repeat quarter turns until you are comfortable with quarter turns. Then,
work on half turns. Be sure to practice both with left foot in front (turning
to your left) and with the right foot in front (turning to your right).

TAKE ACTION> Download our pivot drill video

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• Backward Pivot Turns

Backward pivot turns feature the same technique as forward pivot turns,
but they are harder because you need to avoid settling onto your heel as
you step backwards.

The Drill: Step backwards with your right foot, in open third position, but
do not allow your weight to move past your toe base of your right foot.
This should feel like the position you were in after you completed a
forward pivot around your left foot (from the previous article in this
series), but now your weight is on your back foot.

As you step onto your right foot, pull your right shoulder back in order to
create rotational energy in your core. Unwind your core and let the
rotation pivot you a quarter turn to your left (i.e., your left shoulder is
going backwards) while you are on your right toe base.

When you land, make sure that you can pause while on your right toe base;
you don’t want to be falling out of the pivot.

After you can comfortably do quarter turns, move up to ½ turns.

• Combining Forward & Backward Pivot Turns

Now that we’re practiced both forward and backward pivot turns, it’s time
to put them together in a sequence.

For this drill, we will use the follower’s inside roll, which contains three
pivot turns on counts 3, the & of 3, and 4.

The technique principle for this exercise is true for all turns: there is no such
thing as a traveling spin.

Every spin that travels is broken into two motions: spin, then travel. If you
try to do both at the same time, then you are rotating around a stationary
object (your supporting leg) while simultaneously trying to shift your
center down the line, away from your supporting leg.

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We have a word to describe when your center is not over your support—
falling!!!

There are A LOT of things to know to improve your turns!

What’s the best way to learn them all?

Pick up our video course

“The Ultimate Guide to Spins & Turns”
Inside we cover all of it.

The Drill: Step forward with your left foot in open third position and let
your right shoulder rotate back to match the line of your feet and hips.
This is count 2 of a follower’s left side inside roll if the follower has been
prepped for the spin.

From this position, take three pivot turns to the left, going halfway around
for each pivot. Your first pivot is a forward pivot around your left foot.
Pause at the end of that pivot while your weight is on your left toe base to
make sure that you are not falling out of the spin. From there, step
backwards onto your right toe base, making sure that you do not settle
onto the right heel.

Do a backwards pivot on your right foot (still rotating to your left), and
again pause at the end of the rotation. Step onto your left toe base and do
one more forward pivot. Once more, pause after the pivot before settling
back on your right foot.

The goal of this drill is consistency, not necessarily speed. You want to be
controlled at each point through the pivot so that you can step and hold
the position prior to the turn, you can turn while staying balanced, and you
can hold the position at the end of the pivot before settling onto your free
foot.

Troubleshooting: If you feel like you are falling off balance, make sure
that:

● Your center is tight;

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● Your weight in on your toe base of the right foot (and not the heel or
the outside edge of the foot);

● Your left thigh is pressed to your right thigh so your free leg is not
flailing;

● You are not throwing yourself into the turn with your upper body.
Think about unwinding the core rather than pushing with the core.

Be sure to practice with both feet. When your right foot is behind, you are
turning to your left. When your left foot is behind, you are turning to your
right.

2. Chaine turns

Chaine turns involve closing the feet together to rotate before taking
another step.

Unlike pivots, chaines can be performed quite rapidly because of the

closing action.

They are the spin of choice for most situations involving multiple spins,
such as spinning down line in a barrel roll or doing a whip with a double
outside spin.

Followers use chaines all the time; for leaders, advanced patterns that
combine scrolling or traveling with spinning usually involve chaines.

TAKE ACTION> Learn CHAINE TURNS with this video

Basic Chaine Turns

Chaines turns are a method to do a quick series of turns (hence the name
chaines, French for “chains”). In WCS, chaines turns are preferred for any
extended series of turns, such as a barrel roll down the line, because they
can be linked together much easier than pivots.

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In addition, chaines turns are faster than pivots since the feet are closed
during the turn; as a result, many dancers prefer to use chaines for all
traveling turns.

The following drill is designed to develop the basic mechanic of chaines

turns for west coast dancers.

TAKE ACTION> Learn CHAINE TURNS with this video

The Drill:
Stand in an open third or fourth foot position, with your left foot in front.
Your forward foot should be pointing down line with a slight turnout; your
back foot should be at about a 45 degree angle.

Your upper body should be prepped for a turn, with the back (right) side
held back slightly.

As you transfer weight to the three-toe base of the left foot, gather your
free foot to your supporting leg.

You can think of moving your feet into first position (with the right foot
only skimming the ground, with no weight), or you can think of dragging
the right foot to your left ankle (again with no weight on the right). At the
same time, let your core unwind to rotate your body to the left.

You are aiming to rotate approximately three quarters of the way around;
if down the line is 12 o’clock, your rotation should take you to 3 o’clock.
With your feet together, you transfer weight to your right toe base
anywhere between 9 o’clock (a quarter rotation) and 3 o’clock (the full 3/4
mark). By the time you hit 3 o’clock, you should have your weight on your
right toe base with your left foot unweighted, next to your right.

The last quarter of rotation comes from stepping down line (12 o’clock)
with your left foot. As you do so, again pull back your right upper body to
prep yourself for the next spin. You should now be in position to do
another chaines turn.

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Be sure to practice spinning in the other direction! When you are turning
to your right, your right foot is forward while your left side is prepped
back. As you close your left foot to your right, you begin to rotate to the 9
o’clock mark, changing weight somewhere between 3 o’clock and 9
o’clock. From the three-quarters position, step forward with your right
down the line in order to get the final quarter of rotation and to set
yourself up for the next spin.

Adding Arms in Chaine Turns

Many people finding that adding specific arm movements improves their
balance during chaines turns. If you don’t feel stable, try this exercise.

You will alternate between open and closed arm positions. Closed arm
position is straightforward; put your arms in front of you in an oval, fingers
almost touching, with your hands at approximately navel level. Open
position keeps your hands at the same level but moves the hands away
from each other. If you feel a pull on your pectoral muscle (the upper
chest), that arm is opening too far; generally an angle of 90 degrees is
sufficient.

Start with your feet together and your arms in closed position. As you step
forward for the turn, open your arms. The arms should match the feet,
with the forward arm pointing down line and the rear arm following the
back foot.

As you bring the feet together, close the arms by bringing the rear arm to
the front arm in closed position. Do not swing the arm; this will throw you
off balance. The closing action is a relaxed movement that happens
naturally as your torso unwinds in the spin. Keep the arms in closed
position through the remainder of the spin. When you step forward for the
next spin, you will open the arms again.

Want to know what to do with your Arms in West Coast Swing?

Read this article (free video included)

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Prepping Continuous Chaines Turns

All spins require a prep, in which the rotating side is held back in order to
create the torque for the spin. This is easy to do for single turns, but when
doing a continuous series of turns it becomes more difficult. This drill will
extend the chaines turns exercise to focus on the prep.

The Drill: The prep for the chaines turn occurs by keeping the rotating
side of the body behind when exiting the chaines turn. If you are turning
left, your right side is prepped back. If you are turning right, your left side
is prepped back.

Let’s start by turning right. Step forward on your right foot with your left
side prepped back. Close the left foot to the right as you rotate right, and
transfer weight somewhere between 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock.

For this drill, focus on what happens after your close the feet for the spin.
As you finish rotating back to noon, your left side should remain behind in
the prepared position. If you square off your shoulders to your line of
travel, you have eliminated your prep for the next turn. Step forward on
your right and compare your position now to when you stepped forward
for your first turn—it should be the same.

Continue turning down line, checking your body position after each
closing of the feet/rotation cycle. As you become comfortable with
stopping your body rotation before your shoulders square up, gradually
increase the speed of the spins.

Be sure to practice in both directions! When turning to your left, your

right foot will close to your leading, left foot. Your right side should remain
back when you come out of the rotation, which allows your forward step
on the left to put you into a prepared position.

TAKE ACTION> Learn CHAINE TURNS with this video

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Spotting in Chaines Turns

Spotting is useful in all turns, and chaines are no exception.

This drill is designed to integrate spotting into the timing of your chaines
turns.

The Drill:

Prep for your chaines turn by stepping forward onto the supporting leg.
Begin the rotation by gathering the free foot and unwinding from your
core, but keep your eyes focused on the wall straight ahead.

Around the 8 o’clock mark (when spinning left) or 4 o’clock mark (when
spinning right), quickly flip your head around and take your eyes back to
the forward wall.

You will notice that flipping your head creates a burst of power for the
second half of the turn. If you try to flip your head too fast, you will be
unable to control the back half of the turn. Flip the head in a relaxed
manner instead of forcing the rotation to happen instantly.

As you rotate the head, make sure that you maintain a solid, upright
posture. The human head makes up a substantial portion of the human
body weight (generally 5-10%), so even a slight tilt to the head can quickly
pull you off balance.

Exiting Chaine Turns

This drill is designed to help you measure your movement as you step out
of a chaines turn. Before practicing this drill, make sure that your chaines
mechanics are solid. If you want to get some extra practice on your basic
chaines first, look at the basic chaines drill.

The Drill: Without a partner, you are going to do chaines turns down the
floor at an angle.

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Start with your weight on your right foot. Step down the floor at
approximately a 45° angle with your left, then close your right as you spin
to your left. Step out with your left again, continuing the angle, but slowly
settle into the left as you draw in your right foot. The timing for this
movement is 1&2 hold 3, hold 4. Now your right foot is free, so you can
repeat the sequence stepping at a 45° angle to the right starting with your
right foot and turning to the right.

The focus of this drill should be on filling the space during the 3 and 4 in a
controlled and measured way. You can slowly gather your feet, stop the
turn slightly under-rotated and let your center finish the rotation slowly
during 3, 4, and use your arms and head to continue the movement as you
settle through the held counts.

3. Pirouettes (one foot spins)

Pirouettes are one-footed spins. They appear in the iconic WCS move, the
pot-stir, as well as stationary spins such as spins on the anchor (for both
followers and leaders). Sometimes it is even possible to turn extremely
tight chaines turns into a pirouette!

TAKE ACTION> Download our #1 key to spins on one foot!

There are some elements of WCS that can be learned away from the
dance floor. Try practicing musicality and pattern structure. Not spins.

Spins require a lot of floor time to master. Although there are no shortcuts
to becoming a great spinner, you can speed up your progress by applying
the principles of deliberate practice. An hour a week of focused drills will
improve your spins much faster than hours of unfocused social dancing.

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Introduction to one foot spins

The one foot spins (AKA Piroettes or PotStirs) is one of the flashiest
moves in west coast swing.

It is also an extremely difficult move because it requires excellent

fundamentals in both partners, as well as teamwork to execute the spin
together.

This series will break down specific elements of the one foot spins.

However, before trying to do a one foot spins, both partners need to

master their own fundamentals.

For the follower, being able to execute pirouettes while solidly balanced is
essential.

For the leader, it is necessary to learn how to pulse turns.

Both partners need to have excellent frame. If any of these skills is missing,
one foot spins will fall apart.

TAKE ACTION> Download our #1 key to spins on one foot!

Pirouette Fundamentals

Pirouettes are spins that occur entirely on one leg.

In WCS, the famous pot-stir spin is a pirouette in which the turn is started
by the follower and then powered by the leader.

Both leaders and followers use pirouettes for stationary turns, such as
spinning during an anchor.

This drill is intended to focus on the mechanics of pirouettes by beginning

with quarter turns.

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Your goal is to execute a clean, controlled turn.

Most beginners try to spin too much, too fast.

By focusing on a small rotation, you will develop the technique needed to

stabilize a faster turn or a turn with greater rotation.

TAKE ACTION> Watch this drill on video

The Drill: Start with your feet in open third position and your arms in open
position, matching the angle of your feet.

Tighten your core and lift your chest so that you have a solid, upright
posture.

As you transfer your weight to the three-toe base of your forward foot,
rotate your core slightly in the opposite direction in order to prep your
spin.

To begin the spin, do three things simultaneously.

First, collect your free foot underneath the supporting leg, either in closed
third or with the free foot touching the ankle of the supporting leg.

Second, unwind from your core.

Third, bring your arms into closed position by bringing the back arm to the
front arm.

You should be able to easily execute a quarter turn—in fact, most people
will struggle with having too much power.

Your goal is to run out of juice so that your body naturally stops after a
quarter rotation.

Remain balanced on the three-toe base of your supporting leg in order to

ensure that you aren’t falling out of the turn.

Be sure to practice turning both ways!

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After you can control a quarter turn, you can extend the drill to doing half
turns, three quarter turns, etc.

TAKE ACTION> Watch this drill on video

Balance for One Foot Spins

For the follower, a pot-stir is fundamentally a pirouette.

The mistake most followers make is trying to power their own pot-stir.

Instead, you should aim for just enough juice to make it between a half and
a full turn around from your starting point; from there, the leader becomes
responsible for powering the turn.

After getting the turn started, the follower’s primary responsibility is

balance.

TAKE ACTION> Download our #1 key to spins on one foot!

The Drill: Without a partner, take a small forward step onto your right
foot.

Pirouette to your right a quarter turn, and hold the finished position for 3
seconds before letting your heel reconnect with the ground.

Repeat this exercise until you can comfortably balance when you finish
spinning.

Once you can do a quarter turn to the right, go up to a half, three-quarters,

and eventually a full turn.

The degree of rotation is less important than balance; your goal is to be

entirely stable after your spin stops, rather than to spin further around.

If you need to rock back onto your heel to keep your balance or if you are
wobbling during the turn, try that amount of rotation again.

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2 Phases of the one foot spins

There are 2 initial phases of the one foot spins that you need to focus on
first. The set up & the take off!

1. The set up
Leaders, you have several responsibilities during a pot-stir. The first
responsibility is to let the follower start the spin on balance. This drill will
help with that part of the spin.

With a partner, lead the follower to begin a pot stir. Leaders, step back
twice on 1, 2, opening up your right shoulder. On 3, you pass the follower’s
right hand into your right hand and provide an open hand (like a tuck) for
the follower to compress into. Pause as the follower compresses into the
hand.

At this point, do a position check. The point of connection should be

aligned with the leader’s right shoulder (or slightly inside) and the
follower’s forearm should be close to vertical. If the follower’s forearm is
straight, it indicates that the leader is going too far forward on 3.

Repeat the setup drill until you can consistently position both of you in the
proper place. This positioning will adjust slightly based on the arm lengths
of you and your partner, so it’s ideal to try this exercise with different
partners if possible.

2. The take off

The next step in learning the pot-stir is for the follower to learn how to
take off from the setup position. This drill will focus on the moment
between compressing into the leader’s right hand and when the leader
takes over in powering the turn.

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Get into the setup position for the pot-stir, in which the follower is
compressing into the leader’s right hand.

The actual take-off is a shared responsibility between the leader and the
follower. Although the leader is the one who begins the turn, he needs to
ensure that the follower has completed settling into her right leg.

While the leader is setting the timing for the turn, the follower is
generating the initial burst of power (from the leader’s compression).

The drill is to take off with enough power to go between a half and a full
rotation, and then remain balanced as the initial power runs out. The
leader should not try to power the turn at all once the follower has taken
off.

Keep practicing the launch until the follower can consistently begin the
turn and remain balanced. Once this phase is mastered, the next drill will
be to work on the leader powering the next spins.

TAKE ACTION> Download our #1 key to spins on one foot!

Troubleshooting One Foot Spins

This post will look at a number of common ways that a pirouette turn can
go wrong, along with suggestions for troubleshooting the issue.

Here is a list of potential problems:

• You are throwing yourself onto your supporting leg

• You are rolling to the outside edge of your foot

• You are throwing your arms around

• You are slumping forward

• Your knees are locked

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• Your core is too loose

• Your free leg is flailing

• Your heel is dragging

• You’re rocking from toe to heel

• Your head is pulling you off balance

• You’re rotating too far

Below we will try to address these issues.

The core concepts of spins will be your key to victory in one foot spins.

Our video course…

The Ultimate Guide to Spins & Turns
will cover everything you’ll need!

Solutions to common problems in pirouettes:

You are throwing yourself onto your supporting leg. If your body is
moving horizontally when you start your spin, that horizontal momentum
has to go somewhere, and that’s when your center moves away from your
supporting leg. To fix this issue, start with your weight on the three toe
base of your supporting leg and gather the free leg to your ankle, rather
than pushing from the non-supporting leg to the supporting leg.

You are rolling to the outside edge of your foot. Rolling to the outside of
the foot can cause everything from falling off balance to slowing your turn.
The outside edge of the foot is not stable, and putting weight on the
outside edge of the foot functions like a brake, slowing your turn. To fix
this problem, make sure you are balanced on your three toe base before
starting the turn, and work on your ankle strength to support yourself
over the three toe base.

You are throwing your arms around. It’s tempting to throw your arms
around the body in order to create power, but that only pulls you off

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balance. When closing your arms, they should both meet almost directly in
front of your belly button. If your arm is crossing your torso, you are
pulling your center away from your supporting leg.

You are slumping forward. A solid, upright posture is necessary to keep

your weight over your axis of rotation. If you pitch forward, your head
(which is about 10% of your body weight) is suddenly pulling you off
balance. You can fix this issue by focusing on maintaining good posture
throughout the turn.

Your knees are locked. Locking your knees makes you wobbly and
unstable. As you spin, think about softening the knee without dropping
into a bend. You want to be able to use the knee as a shock absorber and
adjuster.

Your core is too loose. A loose core makes it difficult to keep the body as a
whole centered over the supporting leg. Fix this issue by engaging your
core muscles as you prep for the spin, and staying engaged until you step
out of the spin at the end of your rotation.

Your free leg is flailing. A free leg that moves all over can easily shift your
center of balance enough to make you totter. This issue can be fixed by
deliberately drawing the free foot to the ankle of the supporting leg and
keeping the foot in contact with the ankle throughout the turn.

Your heel is dragging. If you let the heel of the supporting foot touch the
ground, it acts as a brake. Make sure that you keep your weight over the
three toe base and your heel slightly above the ground. This issue might be
a sign that you need to work on your ankle strength, or you may be shifting
your center and moving to the heel to compensate. If the problem is your
centering, see if you can fix the underlying reason that your center is not
remaining in place.

You are rocking from toe to heel and back. This might be a balance or
ankle strength issue, but it could also be a way to cheat the last part of the
turn if you don’t have enough power. Check that your upper body is
prepped correctly and that you are pushing the three toe base into the

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ground throughout the spin. If you can keep your weight pinned to a very
small part of your shoe, you’ll find that you don’t need much power to
make it around.

Your head is pulling you off balance. If the timing on your spotting is off,
you can be tilting the head when you turn instead of keeping the head
level as you rotate your neck. Practice doing baby steps around as you
spot and notice what your range of motion is for your neck. You should be
able to flip your head without adding any tilt.

You are rotating too far. The first thing to do is dial down the amount of
power in your prep—use less contrabody, a softer close of the arms, and
less abrupt unwinding from the core. Ideally, you should be able to gauge
your energy so that you run out of juice just as you face the direction you
want to stop. On occasion, it is okay to put down the heel of the supporting
leg or part of the free foot in order to act as a brake. However, if you need
to do so on every spin, you are giving yourself too much juice.

2 Keys to Mastering Balance

There are lots of things that will cause you to lost balance while spinning.
We’re going to cover 2 fundamental things you can to to master balance.
First we will slowly find and learn our balance point, second we will master
the end of the turn so we don’t fall out of our spins.

1. Go slow to go fast
When you spin, which way do you fall out? If you’re like most dancers, you
fall in the direction of the turn. Falling in the direction of your turn is a sign
that you’re spinning with too much power.

In this tip, we’re going to throttle all the way back to the absolute bare
minimum you need in order to get around. Excess energy is one of the

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easiest ways to blow up your spins. So, learning just how little power you
actually need will help you stay in control on the dance floor.

TAKE ACTION> Download this video to improve your balance

The Drill: By yourself, find a space where you can spin easily (don’t pick a
carpeted floor for this drill!). Your goal is to do a half spin on one foot with
as little power as possible. Your spin should naturally die after 180° of
rotation. If any part of your body keeps rotating, or if you had to open your
arms or legs in order to slow your rotation, you used too much juice.

Keep practicing this half turn, and adjust your power so that you use just
enough torque to get around. Chances are that this will be a lot less power
than you are used to.

In the dance, having too much power in your spins will force you to
compensate in other ways. You may fall out of the turn, you may have to
open (read: flail) your arms in order to dissipate the energy, or you may
have to bend your body during the turn in order to counteract the excess
force. None of these are good options. By training yourself to use the least
amount of power necessary to propel the turn, you increase the odds of
staying in control while spinning.

For advanced spinners: It is possible to generate and control more power

during a spin. However, it is incredibly easy to use the wrong techniques to
compensate. In order to maintain a solid foundation, you should practice
the bare bones version on a regular basis.

Bonus Variations: As you improve your spinning mechanics, you will

discover that you can power more turns with less energy. That’s how it
becomes possible to execute multiple spins when, as a beginner, you could
barely make it through one. As a result, you should plan to revisit this drill
at least every couple of months. The amount of power you need today in
order to execute your half spin will probably be too much after a few
months of spinning practice—simply because you’ve improved your
mechanics and hence don’t need to overcome as much poor body
movement when executing your spin. By revisiting this drill periodically,

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you can recalibrate your minimum energy so you can stay in control of
your spins.

2. Exit on Balance
You’ve probably had the experience of falling out of a spin down the line.
Even when the spin starts great, it can fall apart as you exit the spin. In this
exercise, we’re going to fix a common reason why your balance can
collapse at the end of a spin.

When you spin down the line, you almost always need to change the
direction that you face during the spin. Regardless of whether you are
following or leading, you start the spin on one side of your partner and you
end the spin on the other side of your partner. Hence, you are facing
towards the opposite end of the slot.

That simple 180° change wreaks havoc with spins, because you are
entering the spin moving forward (towards your partner) but you are
ending the spin moving backwards, away from your partner. As you
learned in the point and poke exercises, and then practiced switching
between forward and backward movement, you need to change where
you move from when you switch directions. However, many dancers don’t
make that shift: they continue to move from a high place even when
exiting the spin backwards, and as a result they lose their balance.

In this exercise, we’re going to apply the concepts from the point and poke
drills to spins. If you haven’t worked on those exercises yet, you should do
so first. In fact, it’s probably worth your time to spend a few minutes
warming up with those drills before continuing on.

The Drill: We’re going to practice this drill with the follower’s inside roll
footwork, but you can apply this exercise to any traveling spin. You’ll start
this drill without a partner; you can add a partner once you understand the
mechanics.

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As a quick review, the follower’s inside roll occurs on counts 3&4 of the
six-count footwork. The follower steps forward with her right on one and
preps while stepping forward with her left on 2. From there, she turns one
and a half rotations to her left, with every step of the triple traveling
straight down the line.

When you enter this spin, you are traveling forward on counts 1 and 2 and
continuing the forward motion on count 3. So, go through the spin slowly,
and point your finger forward from your chest as you step up through
count 3.

On count 3&, whether you are moving forwards or backwards will depend
on how much your rotated on count 3. Notice where you are as you step
your 3&, and either continue pointing or switch to a poke (i.e., poking your
finger towards yourself, just below your navel) as necessary. If you aren’t
sure which you should do, try both and see what feels most balanced.

By count 4, you should be facing towards where you started your turn and
traveling backwards to finish moving down the slot. If you haven’t
switched to a poke yet, do so now.

After you try switching from point to poke in the middle of the turn a few
times, deliberately try a spin wrong: start the spin with a point and
continue moving from that high place even when you are finishing the turn
on count 4. You should be able to feel the difference: when you lead with
your upper body regardless of whether you are moving forwards or
backwards, you will be unsteady as your upper body leans back at the end
of the spin. Now do it again, switching to a poke at the appropriate time.

Becoming fluent in switching between point and poke movement in the

middle of spins is a huge factor in how balanced your spins will be. Even if
you start the spin with perfect balance, you will struggle to complete the
spin if you don’t switch to a poking movement at the right time.

Continue practicing until you can make the switch consistently, then try
doing it without actually moving your hand between the pointing and
poking positions. If you can still execute the switch without the cues from

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your fingers, slowly build the speed of the spin until you can execute it
comfortably at dancing speed.

Staying on time in spins

The most common complaint we get is dancers having trouble staying on

time in spins. (even more common than balance issues) While there are
lots of reasons you might be off time in your spins, we’ve found 2 common
areas that you should focus on.

1. Find your balance point

Make sure you master your balance point by re-reading the section on
pivots above or watching our video on balance. The drill included there
will be the key to finding your balance and setting up your turn.

2. Mastering the chaine trun

To stay on time in spins you need to both be balanced and have enough
power to make the turn happen quickly. The chaine turn is the main spin
you will use. In the chaine you will learn to be in a prepped position, ready
to turn wile entering and exiting the turn. That will allow you to have
enough speed in all of your turns.

What’s the best way master turns for west coast swing?
Pick up our video course “The Ultimate Guide to Spins & Turns”
It’s best way I know of to improve your turns for WCS

Keep from getting dizzy (spotting)

There are lots of reasons dancers get dizzy. There are people who have
inner ear issues that will always cause balance and dizziness issues. For

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everyone else the solution to preventing dizziness simply lies in learning to

spot their turns

What is spotting?

Spotting is a technique used in spins to improve your balance, keep spins

in a line, and create a pulse to the spin.

The basic idea is to focus on a single point with your head as your body
rotates. When you can no longer focus on that point without contorting
your neck, you quickly flip your head around back to that point, while your
body catches up with the head.

There are many advantages to spotting.

In addition to keeping the dancer oriented during spins, spotting makes

the spin look crisper and can even reduce the feeling of dizziness from
spinning.

Learning to spot requires becoming comfortable with having the head and
body rotate at different speeds. That’s where this drill comes in.

• Basic Spotting Drill

Stand in front of a mirror. Look at yourself in the mirror, and slowly rotate
your body while keeping your focus on your mirror image. As you start
practicing, shuffle your feet to rotate your body at a slow but consistent
rate.

At some point, you won’t be able to keep focusing on your mirror image
without tilting your head.

When this happens, turn your head quickly so that you are now looking
over your other shoulder to find your mirror reflection.

You may not be able to get your head all the way around to see your
reflection yet, and that’s okay. The point is to be looking for your reflection
so your gaze can stabilize on that point while your body finishes rotating.

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Your body is rotating at a constant, slower speed; your head is stationary

for as long as possible and then rotates around much faster than the body
until it finds the forward position and then becomes stationary again.
Becoming fluent at these two motions together takes time, so keep
practicing until they are instinctive.

You can easily get dizzy by practicing a lot of spotting at once, especially if
this is a new technique for you. Fortunately, spotting drills work really well
when done in small bursts several times a day.

If you do a couple of spots in the bathroom mirror every time you visit the
restroom, you can get lots of repetitions without overwhelming yourself.

• Advanced spotting drill:

Without a partner, do a series of spins. Pick a point on one of the walls to
focus on, and spot that wall as you spin. Pick one spot for each full
rotation; even if you are doing pivot turns that only rotate halfway around,
you should spot one wall rather than a wall for each half rotation.

A common question is whether you should spot down the line or to your
partner when you spin. Either option is acceptable, and you will probably
find one option feels more natural to you. It’s never a bad idea to learn to
spot both ways, because each method is useful in specific situations.

Here are a few options you have for spotting in spins:

● Spotting your partner makes the dance look more connected.

● Keeping your spot down line makes it easier to stay in the slot as
your spins travel.

● Spotting your partner helps complete the spin because the flip of
your head helps bring you back to your partner.

Looking down the line makes the first part of the spin faster because the
flip of your head accelerates the first half of the spin

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Mastering Multiple Spins

Successful spins require great balance. Unfortunately, you will sometimes

be surprised by a spin in the wild, and so you need to be able to establish
your balance quickly in order to execute the spin. In this drill, you’ll
practice combining spins in a sequence so that you are forced to set spin in
a shorter period of time.

This is a more advanced spinning drill, intended for dancers who already
know the mechanics of chaines turns.

What’s the best way master multiple spins?

Pick up our video course
“The Ultimate Guide to Spins & Turns”
It will walk you through step by step!

The Drill: In this drill, you will combine chaines turns while alternating
directions between each triple step. This drill will force you to maintain
your balance throughout the turn; if you come out of the turn off-balance,
you won’t be able to set successfully for the next turn.

Start with your weight on your left foot, and take two walking steps
forward (right, left). On your left step, prep yourself for a turn to your left.
Followers, this is your position on count 2 of an inside roll.

Triple down the slot while spinning to the left. Every step should travel
down the line, and you should come out facing the same direction that you
started. You are only doing a single rotation.

Your weight should now be on your right foot. Take another two walking
steps, this time with your left and then your right. On the right step, prep
yourself to turn to your right.

Finish with a triple turning to your right, again traveling straight down the
line. When you are finished, your weight should be on your left and you
can repeat the drill as long as you have space to travel.

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When you have the direction of the turns in your body, take out the
walking steps. Start with your weight on your left, prepping your body to
turn left, and do so with a triple. As you finish the triple on your right foot,
immediately prep your body to turn to the right, and do so with a triple.
Finish that triple on your left, prep your body, and triple while turning to
the left, and so on for as much space as you have.

Slowly increase the speed of this exercise as you become more stable
through the change of direction. The goal is to build your ability to sustain
your balance. Because you need to quickly change direction of your spin,
you will get immediate feedback on whether you are stable or falling out
of your spins.

Mastering All Spins

When it comes to spinning, most dancers have a stronger side and a

weaker side. To improve, good dancers will practice spinning in both
directions. But did you know that there are actually four directions that
you should practice?

When you spin, you have two sets of variables. The first is which leg is
supporting you during the spin: your left leg, or your right. But there’s a
second variable: which way are you spinning?

In west coast swing, most spins start by moving in the direction of the
standing leg. When the follower turns to the right on a tuck or double
outside turn, she is on her right foot. When rotating for an inside roll, she
rotates towards her left and starts rotating after count 2 (i.e., on her left
foot). In other words, we are used to turning in the direction of the
supporting leg.

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What’s the best way master all the Spins & Turns for
WCS?
Pick up our video course
“The Ultimate Guide to Spins & Turns”
Inside we walk you through step by step!

But, not all spins occur like that. A dancer who only practices turning to
the left on their left foot, or turning to the right on their right foot, is only
practicing what are called inside turns (or en dedans in ballet) because in
both cases the dancer rotates in the direction of the supporting leg. The
other direction (en dehors) occurs when the dancer rotates away from the
supporting leg: rotating to the right when on the left leg, or rotating to the
left when on the right leg.

The language of inside and outside rotation can be confusing because west
coast has inside and outside turns. In this article, whenever you see a
reference to an inside or outside turn, I’m referring to whether the dancer
is rotating towards (inside) or away from (outside) the supporting leg.

Because most spins in west coast start as inside rotations, dancers neglect
practicing their outside rotations. This creates challenges down the line:
advanced spins like fouettes tend to be outside rotations, as do spiral
turns and telemark turns. More importantly, chaines turns have an outside
rotation in the middle of the turn, and dancers that don’t practice their
outside rotations will lose speed and balance during the turn.

In future posts, we’ll go into details for how to improve your outside
rotations. But, the basic principles of spinning are the same no matter
which direction you rotate.

Remember to practice all four directions:

● On your left foot, rotating to the left,

● On your left foot, rotating to the right,

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● On your right foot, rotating to the right, and

● On your right foot, rotating to the left.

What’s the best way to improve your Spins &

Turns for WCS

Want my best suggestion for improving your spins & turns for west coast
swing???

Our “Ultimate Guide to Spins & Turns” would be my #1 suggestion.

Is this a shameless plug? Maybe.

Have we worked hard to create really helpful resource that walks you
through our best techniques and advice?

You bet!

You can get it here… “Ultimate Guide to Spins & Turns”

Since I know you’re committed to improving your dancing…

I wanted to show you what else we have to offer.

West Coast Swing Online had LOTS of resources:

• 400 Instructional videos

• 400 + Blog Posts (all of which are contained in this free eBook!)

• The Ultimate Guide for Beginners

• The Ultimate Guide to Ladies Styling

• The Ultimate Guide to Leaders Styling

• The Ultimate Guide to Musicality

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We really appreciate those of you that support us as customers!

So, if you’re interested in becoming a member of the site or buying a

course we won’t complain

If not no worries.

Keep enjoying the free move of the week videos we send out every other
Tuesday.

Keep enjoying the free videos via email.

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel.

Follow us on Facebook. (Megan shares some great stuff there)

And keep dancing some West Coast Swing!

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Connection – Lead & Follow

Connection Basics

• Introduction to Connection ........................................................................... 193

• Finding Your Center.......................................................................................... 194
• Learn to connect away ..................................................................................... 195
• Learn to connect towards ............................................................................... 197
• Better connection through better footwork .......................................... 199
• 3 Keys to better connection .......................................................................... 201
• Dancing Within Your Frame – Followers ................................................. 204
• Dancing within Your Frame – Leaders ...................................................... 206

Anchor Step

• Stretching the &a1 ............................................................................................. 207

• Stretch your Anchor Step ............................................................................... 208

Changing Directions

• Master your push break (sugar push) ........................................................ 210

• Stretching: Learning the Arc of Momentum ........................................... 211
• Learn stretch & release in connection (solo)........................................... 213
• Learn stretch & release in connection (partnered) .............................. 214

Lead & Follow Concepts

• Connection is not a Lead ................................................................................. 216

• Lead-Follow from the Body ........................................................................... 217
• One-Beat Leads .................................................................................................. 218

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• One-Beat Leads Within Patterns ................................................................ 220

• How to Maintain Constant Connection.................................................... 221
• 3 advanced tips to becoming a better leader.......................................... 222
• 3-Keys to better social dancing? .................................................................. 223
• 3 Keys to Better Lead & Follow .................................................................... 224
• Lead/Follow from the Wrong Hand ........................................................... 228
• Learn to really follow ........................................................................................ 230
• How to be a great follower ............................................................................. 231
• Learn to Match Your Partner's Connection ............................................ 237
• Center Separation (to improve styling) .................................................... 238
• Creating energy with compression ............................................................. 239
• Creating Energy with Compression (Advanced) ................................... 241

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Introduction to Connection

Connection rocks. Good connection is what makes dance feel amazing.

Like all social, lead-follow dances, west coast swing depends on
connection to make the dance work, and the highest levels of the dance
are made possible through the magic of connection. And it is magic—the
experience of a great connection can leave you weak in the knees, with a
sense of euphoria.

Dancers who connect well are in high demand on any dance floor.

Not only does a good connection feel amazing, but well-connected

dancers can do things during the dance that simply are not possible for
pattern-based dancers.

Play relies on connection in order to set up the moment and to get back
into the dance.

Connected dancers can create moves on the fly based on what they are
feeling from their partner. And connection is what makes it possible for
one dancer to share what they are hearing in the music with their partner.

The goal of this series is to de-mystify the connection so that you can make
your own magic on the dance floor.

There are dozens of theories of how connection should work in our dance.

The approach I would recommend to you is to try to learn them all.

At the end of the day, every method of connection gives you a tool to use,
and each tool can be useful in specific situations.

So, explore with an open mind, and see just how amazing the dance can
become!

TAKE ACTION> Watch 25 Videos on Connection

with a Get a FULL ACCESS Membership to our website

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Finding Your Center

The goal of a good connection is to be able to manipulate your center and

have your partner’s center respond.

This center-to-center connection makes it possible to move in tandem,

rather than watching your partner do something and trying to copy it
afterwards. No matter how quick you are, there will always be a delay if
you attempt to mimic your partner.

If you are connected with your partner, however, you can move in
perfect harmony.

In order to connect your centers, you first need to find your center. This
drill will help you feel where your center is. In short, your center is the
zone of your body about the size of a fist that cannot move more than 3 to
6 inches before you have to take a step.

TAKE ACTION> Watch “Everything you need to know about connection”

The Drill: Your center is in the middle of your body, so we’re going to
locate it along a front-to-back axis as well as a left-to-right axis.

Stand with your feet together, with no space at all between them.

Bend forward leading with your shoulders. You should be able to lean
forward fairly far without having to move your feet. Go back to neutral
and move your hips forward. Again, you should be able to go fairly far
without moving the feet. Your center is somewhere between these two
points. Work your way down from the shoulders and up from the hips to
find an area that you can’t move nearly as far without losing your balance.
It will probably be around your solar plexus or waistline.

You’ve located the front-to-back component of your center. If you imagine

a plane splitting your body into front and back, that plane will run through
this point that you can barely move before you need to move your feet.

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Now do the same drill from side to side. Working from top down or bottom
up, find the area of your body that can barely move to the left or right
before you need to take a step to regain your balance. Imagine a plane
cutting your body into left and right halves; this plane goes through this
center.

You’ve now found two planes: a front-to-back plane and a left-to-right

plane.

You’ve also worked from top to bottom and found approximately where
your center is vertically. Where all of these pieces meet is your center.

Moving your center practically demands that you move your body, which
is why it is so important for dancing. If you move your center, your body
will respond. Likewise, if you move your partner’s center, he or she has no
choice but to move the body.

You’ve now found the place that is going to initiate your movement when
dancing.

Learn to connect away

WCS uses an away connection (often called leverage or tension) when the
follower is being asked to move towards the leader.

Imagine a trailer connected to a car with a rope with slack in it.

The car needs to drive very slowly away to take up the slack in the rope.

Once tension is achieved in the rope, that is an away connection and the
cars forward movement will be communicated to the trailer.

Maintaining that slight tension in the rope is the goal of the away
connection.

To do this we must first position the car and trailer far enough apart to
take out the slack in the rope.

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As the car moves the trailer must not be going so fast as to overtake the
speed of the car and destroy the tension in the rope.

TAKE ACTION> Watch - Everything you need to know about

connection

TAKE ACTION> Watch - Connection tips for beginners

There are two other elements of the picture that are important in west
coast swing but aren’t as immediately obvious from the car & trailer
picture.

1. Both the leader and follower are responsible for taking up the slack
in the rope and creating the away connection (it’s not just the
car/leader driving away that creates this connection)

2. The follower/trailer and she does have the ability to ride the breaks
a bit to maintain the tension even after she’s been set in motion.

An easy place to drill this connection is the walk walk of a pattern.

The Drill:

Take a normal WCS hand hold with an away connection.

Then very slowly have the leaders begin walking back.

Followers monitory your connection and try to keep your center slightly
behind the foot in order to feel the distance the leader is leading.

Leaders make sure your center stays behind your foot so that you’re not
putting slack in the connection.

You should be able to maintain an away connection for as many walks as

the leader cares to lead.

This away connection in a simple walk walk will later allow the leader to
have the connection to effectively lead perps for turns, whips ect.

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Learn to connect towards

A towards connection (also called a compression connection), is used

whenever the follower’s center is supposed to move away from the
leader’s center.

Imagine a truck pushing another truck.

In order for the pushed truck to have a reasonably smooth ride, several
things must happen.

The pushing truck needs to be in contact with the pushed truck.

No contact = no power pushing the front truck (apart from gravity, if the
trucks are going down a hill).

The pushed truck needs to be riding the brakes.

Riding the brakes ensures that the pushed truck stays in contact with the
pushing truck. If the pushed truck gets ahead of the pushing truck for any
reason (like a slight change in speed), both drivers will feel it when the gap
between the vehicles disappears.

TAKE ACTION> Watch - Everything you need to know about

connection

TAKE ACTION> Watch - Connection tips for beginners

There are three other elements of the picture that are important in west
coast swing but aren’t as immediately obvious from the truck picture:

1. The center of mass for the leader must be closer to the follower than
the leader’s contact with the ground.

If the leader’s center is directly above or behind the supporting

leg/foot, any compression from the follower will result in the leader
being pushed over. (This is hard to see in the truck picture because
the truck has such a broad base between its four wheels.)

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2. The center of mass for the follower must be closer to the leader than
the follower’s contact with the ground. Being directly over the feet
is a sure-fire recipe for falling over when the leader applies
compression.

3. The connection point needs to be between the centers of both

partners.

If the point of connection is not between the centers, the energy created
through the compression will not be transmitted from the leader to the
follower.

This will usually be relevant in WCS if the connection point is outside of

the frame of one of the partners, rather than between the centers.

If the connection point is outside of one partner’s frame, compression will

result in a rotational lead rather than a linear lead.

The Drill: In order to practice this picture, the leader and follower should
get into the position of the 3& of a push-break.

This is the point of maximum compression.

The follower has the option of closing her eyes in order to focus on the
connection. At a slow speed, the leader should step towards the follower.

The follower should aim to maintain the same level of compression at the
beginning and end of the step, which means staying into the compression
and not going back further than the leader leads. Leaders: Be careful that
you are not settling back after your step forward! In a normal push-break
you would switch to leverage after stepping your 4 in order to establish
the post, but that is not the goal of this drill

Bonus Variations:
When both partners are comfortable remaining in compression, the leader
can attempt to lead triple steps or walk-walk rhythms; the follower should
be able to pick up on the difference from the center movement of the

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leader. Both partners can also practice maintaining compression in

different positions, such as sweetheart wraps or hammerlock folds or the
exit of a whip.

Remember to switch roles for this drill! Just as the leader needs to be able
to match the follower’s leverage when settling into a post, anchor, ending
a spin, or playing, the leader also needs to match the follower’s
compression in a lot of situations. Guys: if you have ever seen a follower
do a death-defying lean towards her partner, you were watching a
follower that received a great response to her compression from her
leader. Being able to give—and stay in—compression when your follower
asks for it opens up a whole new world of styling and play.

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Inside you can Watch 25 videos on connection alone!

Better connection through better footwork

Improving our connection in west coast swing is one of the things that
students will often struggle with for a long time.

Often times the teacher will begin a series of correction telling the student
that they are either ‘too heavy’ or ‘too light’

This can be a very frustrating process for both the teacher and student.

One of the things that years of teaching has taught me is that improving
your footwork, specifically, incremental weight transfer, (don’t I sound
fancy) can go a long way to smoothing out your connection.

Incremental weight transfer, simply put is rolling your weight through

your feet as your body progresses through your foot forward or backward.

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Although there are many different ways to accomplish this and unlimited
style variations, I like simple things so I’ll describe it in the easiest way
possible.

Watch this video> Using footwork to Improve Connection

Moving forward
When walking forward take a slight heel lead. Allow your foot to slowly
roll into the floor until your entire foot is in contact with it but keep your
weight back until your body is clearly over the middle of your foot. Then
slowly release the heel of your standing foot as the weight moves into the
ball of your foot and finally into your toes. This should happen about the
same time as the heel of your next step is coming in contact with the
ground.

Moving Backward
When walking backwards contact your toes then quickly the ball of your
foot to the floor. Let your weight slowly move into the floor through your
foot until your heel touches the ground. Keep the weight in the middle of
your foot with the ball of your foot pressing into the floor as your weight
travel across your foot. As your weight hits your heel it should be about
time for the toes of your next step to come in contact with the ground. At
this time you have a choice to either release your toes and push off your
heel or to push back into the floor with the ball or your foot and toes. Both
create fun styling options but in either case you will have learned to
control your weight transfer.

Move without a step

You can move your body forward or back almost an entire foot in space,
without having to take your next step. If you were to clunk your steps and
not pay attention to your weight transfer across that space you would be
hard pressed to either dance smooth or stay well connected.

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Once you can master controlling your weight transfer through and across
your feet, your body will be in a much better position to stay connected to
your partner. If you have a partner you can practice staying in a
connection as the leader walks back or in a toward connection as the
leader walks forward. At first this might be difficult but in time it should be
come much easier.

I think you’ll find it a very easy and handy tip to improve your connection
by thinking about your feet and not your hands and arms.

3 Keys to better connection

1. Isolate your connection point

When styling, many dancers drag their connection point with them, pulling
their partners off balance or undermining their frame.

Excellent dancers, by contrast, know how to dance so their partners can

feel their styling, without moving their point of connection.

In this video we explain how to isolate your connection point to allow your
body to stay free for own styling.

Do this drill alone:

By yourself, stand next to a wall. Make a fist and put your fist against the
wall, roughly between your waistline and your belly button. Your goal is to
leave that connection point unaffected. As you start, focus on simply not
moving the hand. When you master that skill, increase the difficulty level
by keeping the amount of connection with your partner, or in this case the
wall, constant.

Struggling with practicing alone? Read this Article (w/Video)

Progress into doing any body isolations, footwork, arm styling, or any
other motion that you might use in your WCS.

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If you need ideas to start, 5 Anchor Step Variations

Make sure that you aren’t moving your hand!

Use your wrist, elbow, and shoulder in order to isolate the body’s motion
from your hand’s connection point.

2. Keep your connection low

The WCS connection is relaxed. Even during the crazy patterns, the pros’
bodies may be flying but their connection won’t show the tension.

We need to work on bringing that relaxed look to our dance.

In the default hand connection, the partners are connected with their
arms like telephone wires.

The shoulder of each partner is the highest point on the arc, and the arms
should rest at the bottom of the arc. If the partners move further away, the
hands will rise, but if they move closer together the hands will lower
further.

Just like a telephone wire does not lift itself up in between the posts, the
WCS hand connection should not lift itself between the partners.

Your arms should never end up in a “W” position, where the hands are
above the elbows!

Good example of hand position The dreaded ‘W’ look we are trying to avoid

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Most dancers carry some degree of tension in their arms, and the result is
to destroy this telephone pole analogy. By engaging the arm muscles, not
only do the hands rise (which makes the connection look stiff)—the
connection itself suffers because the arm muscles get in the way of the
center-to-center connection.

The Drill: With a partner, practice simple side passes (with no turns). Focus
on relaxing the arms so that they drop naturally as the partners pass and
rise naturally as the move away.

The rising action should happen without any effort; simply because of the
increased distance, the hands will move up just like a telephone wire will
stay higher if the poles are separated.

Your arms should never end up in a “W” position, where the hands are
above the elbows. If that occurs, reset and try again.

3. Keep your hands still

Many beginning dancers accidentally add noise to their connection by
moving their hands around. They may be keeping time by moving their
hands on the beat or they may simply be unaware of how their hand is
moving because they are focused on other parts of their body. In either
case, the end result is the same—lots of unnecessary movement that is
transmitted through the hand connection to their partner.

Practice calming your hands while you dance so your connection isn’t
filled with noise and distractions.

A fun drill: Put a coin on your hand as you stand in a normal dance position.
By yourself, dance through your basics and focus on keeping your hand
from moving. If the coin falls off your hand, that’s a sign that your hand is
too noisy!

Pay particular attention to what your hand does on the anchor.

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Many dancers conduct their hands on the anchor as if they were keeping
time. They bounce, make figure 8 motions, etc.

These habits can become deeply ingrained, so use this drill to keep your
hands quiet on the anchor.

You should still be able to create a good stretch by moving your center
away without shifting your hand.

Struggling with social dancing?

Take Acton> Download 3 Keys to better social dancing

Bonus key
It’s very common for the hands to stay up after an outside turn (like a
sugar tuck or a whip with an outside turn). Practice letting the hands relax
as the follower finishes the turn so that both hands are low at the end.

Leaders: do not push the hand lower, and make sure that the hand isn’t
lowering before the follower is looking at you. Lowering the hand early can
cause serious injury to the rotator cuff.

Followers: make sure that you stay close enough during the turn that you
have the slack to lower the arm. If you feel like you can’t let the arm relax,
you have probably overextended yourself on the turn.

Dancing Within Your Frame – Followers

Followers, how often have you heard to “maintain your frame”?

Frame is one of the most important concepts for following because your
frame establishes how your body relates to your partner.

In this post, we’ll help establish the boundaries of your frame so you can
comfortably dance within your own space.

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Struggling with practicing alone? Read this Article (w/Video)

Stand in front of a wall or mirror. Hold your right arm out as if you were
connected to your partner, with your fingers bent at the second knuckle
and your wrist straight. Stand in third foot position with your fingers just
touching the wall and enough bend in the elbow to allow you to settle back
in an anchor without taking your hand off the wall.

With as little pressure into the wall as possible, dance a push break
without becoming overextended or taking your hand away from the wall.
During the 3&4, your feet will be at the baseboards. You will need to take
small steps, and you will probably feel very cramped the first few times
you try this exercise. Whenever you need to, simply reset at your anchor
position and resume dancing.

When you are actually dancing, the point of connection will move from the
body lead of your partner. However, you are still responsible for executing
your part of the dance within the frame established by your body. This drill
is useful for helping you discover the range of space that your body makes
available.

Once you’ve mastered dancing within a push break, try a sugar tuck. As
you come in on 3&4, lift your connected hand and then rotate around. As
you finish your rotation, you should still be able to touch the wall and
anchor like you did with the plain push break.

You can extend this drill by adding footwork variations or styling angles.
No matter how you move yourself, you should be able to keep your point
of connection stable. You can also practice adding technical elements,
such as rolling through the foot or contra-body rotation, while maintaining
your frame. Experiment to see how comfortable you can be within your
body’s frame.

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Dancing within Your Frame – Leaders

Although WCS dancers talk about frame more frequently with followers,
leaders need to become comfortable with their own frame as well. For
leaders, understanding the size of your frame is the key to body leading
(and eliminating arm leads), creating shape during your patterns, and
letting your follower develop her anchor.

Struggling with practicing alone? Read this Article (w/Video)

The Drill: Find a thin, tall object like a halogen lamp stand. The object
should be stable enough to stand upright on its own, but not so large of a
base that it can’t be pulled over. If you don’t have anything, a friend can
help by holding the end of a broomstick or a long dowel.

Gently put your left hand around the object and stand in third foot
position. You should have enough room in the arm to roll through your
anchor without overextending or pulling on the object.

From that position, run a push break without pulling the object over. This
includes stepping back on 1 and back or together on 2. If you need more
arm room, move your anchor closer to the object and try again. It will feel
incredibly cramped the first few times you do it, and that’s ok. The goal of
this exercise is to train you to move small and to stay within the space
created by your arms. Whenever you need to, reset in your anchor
position and try again.

In real dancing, your partner is going to come towards you because of the
energy built during the anchor, and so your arms will absorb that energy
during the 3&4 of the push break. For now, though, focus on managing
your own energy within your own frame.

Bonus Variations: This drill can be extended in a virtually limitless variety

of exercises. You can practice dancing within your frame from your right
hand. You can practice doing footwork variations or adding angles to your
dancing. You can work on rolling through your feet within your frame.

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Whatever skill you are practicing—make sure that you can execute it
without depending on additional slack from your partner’s arms.

Stretching the &a1

The stretch, of elasticity, of west coast swing is one of the defining

characteristics of the dance.

Learning how to stretch the &a1 before each pattern is an essential skill to
master in order to understand the connection of the dance.

TAKE ACTION> Watch our video Stretching the Anchor Step

The Drill: With a partner, connect in anchor position and put your weight
on the your non-anchor foot (leader’s left, follower’s right).

You are about to do an anchor, slowly.

Take the first step of the anchor triple with your weight on the ball of your
anchor foot. (Let’s say this is a six-count pattern, so you are stepping count
5).

As you replace your weight onto the forward foot for count 5&, again
place your weight on the ball of the foot.

Finally, step on the ball of your back foot on count 6.

Stop at this point.

You should both have your weight over the front part of your back foot.

Although there will be some energy in your arm connection because of the
distance, your centers are not yet pulling away from each other.

Now it’s time to stretch.

Elasticity is generated by the partners’ centers moving away from each

other without moving the point of connection.

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We’re going to generate that elasticity all the way from the anchor to the
beginning of the new pattern.

That means we need to fill the entirety of the time from 6& through the &a
and up to the 1.

Slowly transfer your weight from the front of the foot to the front part of
the heel.

Imagine every inch of your foot slowly taking your weight as you settle
backwards. When you are done, your weight should be on your heel, but
you should still be perfectly balanced over your foot.

If you feel tipsy, you went too far back on your heel, so try again and don’t
roll as far back.

Concentrate on controlling your movement so that you can take a long

time to complete that final roll.

You and your partner should be able to start and finish the stretch at the
same time.

Specifically, you should be able to feel your partner’s center moving

backwards through the foot, which results in the body moving away from
the point of connection, and you should try to match that rate of motion
on your side.

When done correctly, you will both be able to move continuously and
reach the end of your motion (when your heel is weighted but you are not
tipping backwards) at the same time.

Stretch your Anchor Step

Many dancers struggle to roll through their feet.

Especially when the music gets fast, it’s easy to dance flat-footed or fall
through the foot so quickly that the roll gets lost.

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Most footwork exercises emphasize rolling through the last step of the
triple because that step gets more time, and so there’s more opportunity
to roll through the foot.

This is an important foundational skill.

But, if you only practice taking time through the “step” of “tri-ple step,” the
first two weight changes of the triple get neglected.

In this exercise, we’re going to give our focus to the first two steps of the
triple so they aren’t neglected.

TAKE ACTION> Watch our video Stretching the Anchor Step

TAKE ACTION> Watch My favorite Anchor Step Drill

TAKE ACTION> Download 5 Ways to Style your Anchor Step

This drill is a corrective: we’re going to over-emphasize the first two steps
even if it means the last step gets short shrift.

In the wild, you’ll want to strike a balance so all the steps get their
appropriate length, but for this drill we’re going to err on the side of
putting too much focus on the first two steps because it’s so easy to
neglect them during practice.

The Drill: Put on a slow song and dance triples while rolling through your
feet. As you do so, think about the tri- and -ple parts of the “tri-ple step”
cadence being really long.

Normally, dancers think about triples with the focus on the last beat. The
cadence tri-ple step encourages you to draw out the last foot action by
lengthening the step into something that sounds like “steeeeep.”

By contrast, tri- and -ple become quick sounds.

The effect is to dance “short short long” (or even “short short looong,”
really drawing out the long sound).

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In this exercise, make the tri- and -ple weight changes long sounds as well.
Think “long long longer” rather than “short short long.” As you dance to
long sounds on the first two steps of the triple, concentrate on feeling your
foot articulate all the way through the sound.

At first, you will probably be late on your weight changes. That’s ok. Keep
practicing.

Eventually, you will be able to sustain the long sound on the first two steps
of the triple while staying on time.

Doing so requires a lot of control, so keep working at it!

The end result will be much better footwork through your entire triple,
not just the last part.

Master your push break (sugar push)

Have you ever danced a push break that truly felt connected?

In a great push break, the movement of the follower into and away from
the leader feels like an actual cause-and-effect action instead of two
people holding hands and stepping.

This drill will help develop that feeling by playing with the connection
during the 3&4 of a push break.

This is not for pure beginners but a more advanced concept

TAKE ACTION> Learn the push break/sugar push footwork here

The Drill: With a partner, dance a push break.

On counts 3&, let the compression build up just a hair less than normal.

On count 4, the leader should release the compression by taking a step

back instead of sending the follower, and then finish with an anchor on

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5&6 in open position. As the leader moves back, the follower should match
the leader’s connection by switching into leverage as the leader settles
back.

The point of this exercise is to feel what it is like to send the follower from
closed to open position by playing with a variation in which the follower is
not sent away from the leader.

Both partners should pay attention to how the connection works during
the compression and release phase of the move.

Leaders: focus on keeping the connection smooth during this process. You
should still build up compression during 3&, but it won’t be enough to send
the follower on 4. As you step back, make sure that you don’t let the
connection disappear—it should smoothly switch into leverage.

Followers: focus on matching the connection your leader is giving you. As

he steps back, he should still be in compression, so you should stay in
compression as well. Fight to not anticipate the send on 4 and to stay into
the connection.

Once you can lead and follow this move, mix it into a series of push breaks.

Leaders should try to clearly communicate when they want the follower to
step back on 4 and when they are moving themselves away. Followers
should try to stay into the connection as long as possible in order to feel
whether the leader is asking them to move.

Stretching: Learning the Arc of Momentum

From a physics perspective, what happens when someone goes bungee

jumping is remarkably similar to the stretching that should happen on an
anchor in WCS.

Let’s say that you have a bungee cord that is 20 feet long, and you jump off
a bridge.

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For the first 20 feet down, you are in a free-fall.

At 20 feet, your speed begins to slow as the bungee cord comes under
tension, but you are still moving towards the ground.

You fall slower and slower as the bungee cord reaches its maximum
stretch, at which point the bungee cord begins to recoil and you are pulled
upwards.

In physics terms, there is an arc of momentum for the bungee jumper: the
momentum slows as the bungee cord reaches maximum extension, pauses
for a split second, and then builds in the other direction as the cord pulls
back.

The experience of stretching the cord and slowing your speed until the
moment right before recoil is the experience that we want to replicate in
the anchor of west coast swing.

When done correctly, the leader and follower will both feel that natural
maximum stretch that makes the follower want to recoil (i.e., come
forward), and the leader will know exactly when the follower is in that
moment of maximum stretch.

TAKE ACTION> Watch our video “And-ah-1 and the Anchor Step”
to master the Arc of Momentum

The Drill: To practice stretching and becoming aware of this arc of

momentum, find a partner and stand a little more than an arm’s length
apart. You want to be able to connect in an anchor position and have some
tension without causing either partner to be fully extended or to lose
frame. Place your feet in an anchor position, with the leader’s weight on
the left and follower’s weight on the right (like the & count of the anchor).

The follower should slowly roll onto her left foot, making sure to move her
center back as she rolls towards the heel. The leader should roll into his
right foot as he feels the follower doing so, with the goal of matching her
speed.

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As both partners settle into their heels, the leader should feel the stretch
building until it feels natural to redirect the follower forward. This is the
point at which the leader should step back (with a body lead).

Both partners can stop moving after stepping the 1 of the next move and
reset.

The transition between the anchor and the next move should feel fluid.

If the leader led too early, the follower will feel jerked out of her anchor. If
the leader led too late, the follower will feel like her momentum has died
and it requires effort to come forward on the 1; the follower may also feel
overextended or break frame if she is allowed to settle back too long.

You can extend this drill by practicing having the follower roll back onto
the heel at different speeds. You can also have the follower turn the
stretch into a hitch by not reaching the moment of maximum extension
until 1; in that case, the leader should lead a blank-&2 rhythm (e.g., hold
ball-change) instead of the normal walk-walk for the next pattern.

Learn stretch & release in connection (solo)

WCS has an elastic connection. Just like a rubber band that is stretched,
the WCS connection will recoil as it releases the stored energy from the
stretch. This will allow you to work off the energy generated by the dance
instead of having to create every movement from scratch.

This drill will focus on learning the mechanics solo, in an anchor situation.

TAKE ACTION> Create stretch in your anchor with My favorite

Anchor Step Drill

Struggling with practicing alone? Read this Article (w/Video)

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The Drill:

Find a sturdy surface that you can hold onto as a connection point: door
frames and sinks are great choices. Keep good frame and engage your lats
as you hold on your connection point. Put yourself in an anchor third and
roll through the foot, settling into the hip.

There is a natural elasticity to the muscles in the arm and back.

Your goal in this drill is to find that moment when your muscles are loaded,
like a stretched rubber band, so that they recoil without having to
manually contract any muscles.

If you settle too slowly, you won’t feel that point. Settle too fast and you’ll
go past the point where the recoil can move you forward. When you get it
right, you’ll feel a stretch & release as your body bounces out of the settled
position and moves forward slightly.

Keep experimenting with different speeds and degrees of settling. Your

goal is to be able to create a stretch & release out of any position. If you
move forward by pulling your arm, you’re cheating! You should be able to
create a stretch & release without using your arm to reel yourself in.

Learn stretch & release in connection (partnered)

If you can consistently create the stretch & release yourself, it’s time to
extend that skill to a partnered connection.

The Drill: With a partner, practice stretch & release with each other by
going into an anchor position.

Settle into the anchor, away from the connection, and work on feeling the
stretch & release when your centers naturally want to recoil

In the partnered version of this drill, there are a couple of things to keep in
mind:

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Match your partner’s rate of settling.

In the solo drill, you experienced how the boing is lost if you stay settled
too long.

The same thing happens in the partnered version.

You both need to reach the point of maximum stretch at the same time so
that you both experience the recoil.

Practice varying the rate of settling and having your partner match you.

Ride the recoil with your body, not your arm. In the partnered version, it is
very easy to feel when one person is using their arm to pull back rather
than letting the stretch in the body create the boing. Work with your
partner to make sure neither of you is adding an arm pull at any point in
the stretch & release process.

Bonus Variations: The basic concept of this drill can be extended in lots of
ways.

One variation is to have one partner blindfolded and test if they are
matching the rate of settling of the sighted partner.

Followers: this replicate what you need to do on your anchor, since you
don’t know if the leader is going to lead you forward on 1 or if he is going
to lead a delayed rhythm where you finish settling on 1 before stretch &
release out for &2.

Leaders: matching your partner’s rate of settle is necessary to reestablish

a smooth connection when your follower is leaving play.

A second variation is to change up the hand connections and body angles.

You should still be able to create a boing from any position: left-to-left
connection, left-to-right with shoulders rotated open, right-to-right with
the leader shaping down the slot for a throwout, etc.

The more you play with connections and angles, the easier it will be to
integrate this skill into your social dancing

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Connection is not a Lead

Many beginning WCS dancers make the mistake of confusing connection

with a lead.

At the end of every pattern, the partners should connect during the
anchor by stretching away from each other. However, this connection is
not yet a lead, even though the partners are pulling away from each other.

For followers, confusing connection with a lead results in rushing the

anchor and getting ahead of the lead.

Leaders can also rush their anchor if they immediately try to lead the next
move when they feel the follower connect into the post/anchor.

Thus, this drill is designed to build your comfort with connection, and
especially with the idea of waiting until the stretch before the 1 to actually
lead/follow the next pattern.

TAKE ACTION> Get a FULL ACCESS Membership

Inside you can Watch 25 videos on connection alone!

The Drill: Without a partner, stand in anchor position in front of a

refrigerator.

Grasp the refrigerator door and perform an anchor triple. During the
anchor, you should feel a pull from the door’s magnets as you move your
center away from the door, but you should not yet be able to pull the door
open.

The door should remain closed until you roll onto your heel for the last &
count of the anchor.

At this point, you have hit your maximum stretch and your leverage should
open the refrigerator door.

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Do not pull the door open with your arm; the force to open the door
should come solely from you settling your weight back.

For followers, this drill replicates the connection you feel during the
anchor, as well as the need to stretch away from the connection even
further during the & count prior to the 1.

For leaders, this drill simulates the feeling of your follower connecting
through the anchor and then your body lead moving the follower as you
roll into your 1.

Lead-Follow from the Body

Leading and following become easier, more comfortable, and more

responsive once you learn to lead or follow from your body’s movement,
rather than your arm.

This drill is designed to help you learn how to move your body in order to
generate or feel a lead.

Struggling with practicing alone? Read this Article (w/Video)

The Drill:

For this drill, you will need both a partner and a stretchy cord, like a
Theraband or a long bungee cord. You can easily purchase a band online.
Ideally, the band should be long enough to wrap around the waist of both
partners while in open position, although you can get by with only going
around one partner.

Begin the drill by standing in open position and encircling the partners
around their centers—the band should be approximately at belly-button
height for both people. If the band is too short to wrap around both
partners simultaneously, trade off with one person being wrapped and the
other person simply holding onto their part of the band. (N.B. It is

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important for the partner who is holding to keep his or her arms at a
constant length for this entire drill.)

The band should be the only point of connection between the partners: do
not connect through the arms! The drill is for the leader to begin leading
side passes, and for the follower to wait until the band pulls her before
moving herself.

This drill makes it impossible for the leader to arm lead; if he tries to lead
without moving his body in the direction that the follower should go, the
band will simply go slack. Likewise, the follower cannot reel herself in by
tightening the arm; her movement must come from her body since there is
no arm connection to work off of.

Bonus Variations: This drill can be modified to focus on additional

technique elements, such as stretching through the anchor. For that
exercise, the follower should pay attention to the tension in the band in
order to feel the difference between a greater tension (i.e., an anchored
stretch) and a lead (when the band requires her to move forward).

The drill can also be modified by using a whip pattern; there should be a
body lead at both the start of the pattern as well as the 3&4 in order to
create the follower’s coaster step

One-Beat Leads

Although all lead-follow dancing in WCS is based around the ideas of

leverage and compression, there are many ways to implement those
concepts.

The two most popular connection methods are one-beat leads and
constant connection.

This post will focus on the fundamentals of one-beat leads.

TAKE ACTION> Watch our video “One Beat Leads”

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The idea of a one-beat lead is that the leader should initiate the follower’s
direction and momentum on 1, but let the connection shut off entirely (i.e.,
go to neutral) by beat 2. The partners re-establish connection on the
post/anchor, or whenever a redirection is required.

This method of leading can create a light, airy feeling and can give the
follower a lot of freedom. It’s definitely worth having this tool in your
toolkit, because it is great for relaxed movement, for independent styling,
and for accentuating the elastic look of the dance. However, it is difficult
to lead complicated moves with this method, and you lose the ability to
work off of your partner’s connection.

There’s always a tradeoff.

This method of leading is also sometimes taught as a corrective for

overleading.

To that extent, it’s good for making sure that the leader is not dragging his
partner through the pattern. However, it is important not to overcorrect
and eliminate connection entirely.

There are many situations in which you want to be able to lead your
partner in the middle of a pattern, so it’s important to distinguish being
connected from dragging your partner to the next beat.

The Drill:

With a partner, do side passes with one-beat leads. You should be

connected through the anchor and beat 1, but physically break the
connection on beat 2 by letting go of your partner. The follower should
maintain the momentum and direction of the movement, but must power
herself through the side pass. Reconnect at the other end of the slot for
the post/anchor, and repeat.

Once you and your partner are comfortable with what it feels like to
physically break connection, do the same thing but continue holding
hands. From beats 2 through 4, your connection should be in neutral; it
should feel as if you had let go, although you are still physically connected.

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Practice both the shift to neutral at beat 2 as well as the reestablishment

of connection on the post—both should feel smooth rather than abrupt.

One-Beat Leads Within Patterns

The previous post introduced the concept of one-beat leads in side passes.
Side passes are relatively easy moves for one-beat leads because they
require no direction changes. So how do we apply the one-beat lead
concept to moves that do have redirections?

Within patterns, the concept of one-beat leads remains the same. Before
the redirection, the partners will re-establish connection just like on the
post. Then, the follower will be redirected for a beat, at which point the
connection will again go to neutral until another change of momentum is
required.

If you didn’t catch our video “One Beat Leads” take a peek at it first.

Also check out this video “5 Ways to Lead WCS”

The Drill: With a partner, dance a push break using one-beat leads. The
pattern begins with the same connection technique as the side pass.

By count 3, the leader should begin to reconnect with the follower by

absorbing her energy into compression. This absorption continues
through 3&, so that the follower’s momentum can be redirected as she
steps into count 4. As soon as the follower is redirected, the connection
goes back to neutral until the post begins at the tail end of the 4, with the
same slowdown and settle through the anchor as in the side pass.

Bonus Variations: The same principle applies to all redirections within a

pattern. With a partner, practice your tuck turns and whips using the same
reconnect-absorb-release-neutral process.

When those patterns become comfortable, you can experiment with even
more complicated patterns, such as roll in-roll out moves. PB, tucks, whip.

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Reconnect on 3&, slowing partner until redirection on 4. After 4, again

shut off the connection.

How to Maintain Constant Connection

Constant connection is great for complicated moves with fast

redirections, because there is no possibility that the other partner won’t
match your connection in time.

Constant connection also makes it possible to do lead, paired

syncopations, or to work off your partner’s energy (especially during fast
or funky songs). The tradeoff is that solo styling becomes harder, as do
extended, airy movements. Nonetheless, dancers who master constant
connection have a very useful tool for working in tandem with their
partner.

The Drill: With a partner, dance a left side pass. Note how much energy in
in your (leverage) connection on beat 1. On a scale of 1 to 10, call that a 5.
Throughout the pattern, do not allow the connection to drop below a 3. As
you approach the post and anchor, the connection should work its way
back up to the 5 that you started from.

To keep the connection from dropping below 3, both partners should

shorten their connected arms by engaging their back muscles. Think about
making your arm into a retractable dog leash: the arm retracts to take out
any slack in the leash, but it does not become stiff.

When shortening your arm, you should not use your biceps at all!
Engaging the bicep makes the arm stiff and locks out the connection. The
skill of taking out slack without stiffening the arm will take a lot of
practice—that’s ok.

Bonus Variations: Once you can dance a left side pass, try the other basics
with a constant connection. Even when the hands go up for a turn, there
should still be some connection (although it will be very light). Again, focus

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on taking out the slack from the connection rather than on tightening the
arm. The arm should be loose throughout the entire pattern!

3 advanced tips to becoming a better leader

This article is for those of you that have been dancing for some time and
want to take your leading to the next level. You’ve probably heard that
you need to “be decisive” and “not hesitate” whenever you lead your
partner into any move – and that’s very true. But as your dancing skills get
better, you can now take it a step further. With the 3 tips below you will be
able to almost guarantee a pleasant dancing experience with any partner,
at any level, every single time.

TAKE ACTION> Watch “5 Ways to Lead WCS”

1. Always “Test drive” first

Whenever you start dancing with someone new your first priority should
be to “test drive” her skills. I don’t mean this in a sarcastic way, but in a
genuine way, you need to find out her dancing level and what moves she
knows and doesn’t know. This will help you gage what kind of moves you
can lead her into so that the dancing is fun for the both of you! There is no
use to “throw “ a beginner around just to force a complicated turn on her
that she is not ready for… This will not end up being pleasant for the both
of you. Instead lead her through the basics first and then gradually try
harder and harder moves and see how she follows them. Within 30
seconds you should have an idea of her level is and now you can
comfortably lead her into the moves appropriate for her level and make it
a fun social dancing experience.

2. Lead with your entire “being”

This may first sound a bit “woo hoo” but trust me it will make a lot of sense.
Too often I see guys trying to lead their partners with just their arms

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alone. For example, they raise their arms up to indicate a turn and are
surprised when their partners don’t follow. I’m here to tell you that it’s not
just about arms… You have to use deliberate body language and intention
to make sure your lead is followed. In other words, you have to commit
100% to the lead… So if we come back to trying to lead an underarm turn
example; you have to use your eyes, stretch of spine, your center and legs
in addition to raising the arms up to make it a successful lead. This kind of
lead is a lot stronger and more committed. Try it out next time.

3. Go with it
What if I told you a good leader follows just as much as he leads? That’s
right, you must listen to your partner as much as she listens to you. You
need to sense her balance, her strengths/weaknesses and energy to know
how to lead her well. If you notice she got out of balance on the last turn,
maybe you can go with it and make it into a new move. Sometimes the girls
will just start leading themselves, and the more you resist the more
difficult the dancing will be. Instead go with it and then at some point you
can take the reins over again. Don’t be a control freak. Instead enjoy
following just as much as leading.

3-Keys to better social dancing?

Sounds overly simple right. Not really. There are so many things to think
about when you are dancing that you sometimes need a game plan to sort
through them all. So here you go. Check these 3 things off your list and I
promise your struggles with different partners will fade away.

TAKE ACTION> Download “3 Keys to Better Social Dancing” on

video

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Key #1 It never surprises me how many dancers struggle to do their

Know your footwork on their own. I could go on and on about the
footwork! benefits but if you want to feel like a better dancer make
sure you know your footwork. Practice doing all of your
basic patterns by yourself. Try doing them with without
music. Better WCS dancing is sure to follow. (no pun
intended)
Key#2 Sometimes it becomes necessary to be a bit stronger or
Manage lighter in your connection. Cultivate the ability to lighten up
your or to hunker down on your connection. The ability to change
connection your connection in response to what is going on in a
particular dance is an important skill to have. Practice
dancing a bit lighter than usual, then a bit heavier. See if you
can find instances during the dance to use both when
appropriate.
Key#3 One of the keys of teachers and pros is the ability to dance
Assess with a wide range of partners. You need to be able to quickly
your assess the strengths and weaknesses of your partner and
partner adjust accordingly. Use your skills from Key #1 & 2, your
footwork and connection, to make adjustments based on
your assessment. Are they on time? Do they have
connections issues? Perhaps if their footwork is too big,
maybe it’s time to adjust and step bigger as well. Maybe you
could lighten the connection, so your partners larger steps
don’t pull you off balance.

3 Keys to Better Lead & Follow

While there are an unlimited number of things that could improve your
ability to lead and follow west coast swing, we’re going to cover 3 common
concepts that have been taught in west coast swing for a long time.

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TAKE ACTON> Watch Everything you need to know about

connection

1. Elasticity
One of the distinguishing features of west coast swing is the elastic look
and feel of the dance.

This effect of stretching away from each other before moving in the same
direction is distinct from the rock step motion that characterizes other
forms of swing.

Most dancers first learn about elasticity on the anchor.

At the end of the anchor, both partners settle away from each other in a
stretched position. The follower continues this stretch for a brief moment
as the leader begins to lead the next pattern; this subtle away action
creates the elasticity of the dance.

At higher levels of the dance, elasticity occurs with almost every change of
direction or speed.

For example:

• At the start of a new pattern, the follower will stretch away from the
leader before moving forward.

• During the coaster step of the whip, the follower will stretch away
from the leader before coming over the right foot on count 4.

• When coming up from a hip catch, the follower will sink into the
caught hip before coming out of the catch.

• When exiting a throwout, the follower will stretch into the

connected arm before coming towards the leader.

• When traveling past the follower, the leader will stretch into the
connection before initiating the next pattern.

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• When finished playing, the partner initiating the play will settle
away in order to indicate that he or she is ready for the next
movement; the other partner will match that settle in order to
prepare the momentum for the next movement.

Whenever either partner is in a neutral connection, both partners will

stretch into the connection before initiating the next movement in order
to avoid a rough or jerky motion.

Although the mechanic is reversed in compression, the same idea—that

the connection builds slightly before the follower is moved—occurs in
compression-based movements like push breaks, tucks, and exits from
wraps and folds.

Developing elasticity requires practice in connection, maintaining frame,

center movement, rolling through the feet, and anchoring.

2. Flash lighting
Flash lighting is a connection technique that visually emphasizes the
center-to-center connection between the partners.

The name comes from imagining that both partners have a flashlight beam
coming from their centers.

The follower shapes her body to aim her flashlight beam on the center of
the leader. The leader can either aim his flashlight at the follower’s center
or aim the flashlight in the direction the follower will go.

The Drill: With a partner, dance basic patterns without physically

touching. The leader indicates where the follower should go by shaping his
center in the direction of the lead. The follower keeps her flashlight aimed
at the leader’s center throughout the patterns.

This drill works best with left side passes, push breaks, and whips—moves
in which the follower’s center is constantly shaping the leader. For moves
with turns (like a side tuck or an underarm turn), you will notice that the

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follower needs a lead beyond the center shaping in order to create the
turn.

3. Tethering
Intermediate dancers are taught to flashlight their partner in order to
enhance their connection.

The next level of connection adds in an awareness of how the partner’s

frame is asking to be shaped.

The following drill is designed to practice this concept.

The Drill: With a partner, stand in open position with a normal, left-to-
right handhold. The leader should raise the arm so that the follower has
room to walk underneath, and both partners should walk past each other.
(The follower is passing on the leader’s left side, but the leader is also
traveling towards where the follower started. This is not a WCS pattern,
and the leader is not giving a body lead because he is moving against the
follower’s motion.

As the follower and leader pass, both should rotate their bodies in order to
keep their hands in front of them. The rotation action is much like a tether
ball—as the rope (the arm) runs out of slack, the object at the end of the
rope rotates around the point of connection. The rotation will be in the
same direction as a side tuck, with the follower turning to her right and the
leader to his left, but there is no tucking action. To feel the rotation, both
the follower and leader need to keep a good frame; the pectoral muscle
should be engaged throughout this exercise.

Both partners should continue to walk past each other in order to feel this
tethering action. Be sure to practice with other hand connections and with
moving down the other side of the leader!

Bonus Variations: Once both partners are comfortable with using the
tethering action to rotate, the leader can practice adjusting the timing and
degree of the follower’s rotation by moving the point of connection. The

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leader can rotate the follower early in the pattern by making the tether
run out of rope earlier; if he delays the point at which the rope runs out of
slack, the follower will rotate later.

Lead/Follow from the Wrong Hand

From the day as started favoring one hand when reaching for a toy as
infants, we have been developing our physical abilities unevenly. Unless
you are one of the few ambidextrous people, some things are easier to do
with one hand than with another. This is a natural part of the
developmental process, and it recurs whenever a new skill is learned—
whether that is dribbling a basketball or using a chef’s knife.

In WCS, we naturally develop a comfortable side for leading and following.

Followers are much more used to being led from their right arm than their
left because all of the basics are taught from that position and hence they
get a lot more practice developing those movement-response patterns.
Leaders generally get more experience using both of their hands, since
right-to-left connections are relatively common, but leading the follower
from her left arm is much less common and leading from a left-to-left
connection is downright strange.

This drill aims to correct this imbalance. Followers, it is particular

important for you to learn to follow from your left because you don’t have
much choice of what hand connection the leader asks for. Leaders: it is
important for you to learn how your follower’s frame changes when you
pick up a different connection because that changes the way you need to
lead her movements.

The Drill: With a partner, pick one of your basic moves and lead it from a
normal hand connection. Let’s take a side tuck as an example. Notice how
the follower’s body is asked to move and what in the connection causes
that to happen. For instance, the follower is asked to shape the leader
during the triple because the point of connection is brought in towards the

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leader’s shoulder, and the follower is asked to compress into the

connection because of both the hand position (open, pointing slightly
down the slot for an outside turn) and the leader moving his center
towards the connection point to build compression.

Now pick up a different connection—let’s say right-to-left. What changes?

Well, from the leader’s perspective the hand needs to come towards the
leader’s right shoulder rather than his left. This means that the point of
connection can’t go as far down the slot during 1, 2 or the follower will be
led past the leader. The point of connection is rotating the follower’s left
shoulder, which means that less rotation is needed in order to make the
follower shape to the same degree. The point of connection needs to move
in a wider halo during the turn because the leader is now leading the
outside shoulder of the follower, rather than the inside shoulder.

From the follower’s perspective, she needs to also practice keeping frame
from her left rather than her right, providing compression through her left
side, and following an inside turn (yes, this has become an inside turn!)
with her left hand. These are just a couple of the adjustments that need to
be made: you will no doubt discover more.

The drill is to practice leading and following basic moves from non-
standard hand positions until you both can figure out what needs to
change and then to practice those movements, along with your standard
mechanics like frame and connection, from the new hand positions.

Bonus Variations: Push break, left side pass, right side pass, whip, side
tuck, inside roll. Left-to-right, right-to-right, right-to-left, left-to-left.
That’s 24 combinations right there. If you really need more to practice, see
what moves work from the really weird hand positions. Right-to-right,
connect left-to-left above. Left-to-left, connect right-to-right above. Two
hands and lead a tuck. Two hands and lead an inside roll

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Learn to really follow

Learning to follow—to actually follow—is one of the most difficult partner

dance skills imaginable.

When everything in your experience tells you that you step forward on
beat 1, when you can hear the beat telling you that you’re done with the
anchor, when you’ve danced a thousand tucks and you know that you’re
going to step out on count 4 like every other tuck in history…in all of these
situations, you have to wait for the leader to actually ask you to move.

Waiting is hard!

It’s uncomfortable to sit there waiting for a lead.

It’s difficult to keep from guessing what comes next. It’s challenging to
stop yourself from just finishing the movement like you always do. And it
becomes even more difficult when your leader isn’t giving you signals that
are as clear as you would like.

It’s also the key to having the most amazing dance experience possible.

There are lots of ways to think about actually following.

It’s like being a cat rather than a dog.

A dog will race up to you when called, eager to play. A cat will come, but
the cat is in no rush. You want to respond to the leader’s call, but you don’t
hurry to be there.

Or, you could think about following like playing dumb.

Even though you know what should come next, you’re going to wait until
you feel the lead to do so.

You might think about being Zen: nothing is going through your mind, and
you simply respond to whatever you feel.

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However, you think about following, know that the skill of actually
following will take a lot of practice.

But, learning this skill will do wonders for your dancing.

There are lots of partner exercises you can do to work on

actually following:
• Dance blindfolded so you can’t anticipate as easily

• Practice staying back in leverage so you don’t get ahead of the lead

• Staying into compression so that you don’t leave the connection

before the leader sends you

This eBook is a great resource. Look up some articles, practices some of

the drills and don’t forget that actually following is a skill that requires lots
of practice.

If you spend a single song during your practice sessions or every night of
social dancing consciously focused on following, you will improve
dramatically.

How to be a great follower

It’s been said that “just following” is bad advice for dancers.

In this post, we’re going to highlight some key ideas in the article and talk
about how you can apply those principles to your west coast swing.

Leaders: don’t skip this post!

The lessons here are just as valuable for you as for the followers!

The basic idea is that, rather than being reactive, great followers are
proactive.

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There’s quite a list of elements that great followers take ownership of

throughout the dance:

• Rhythm
• Posture
• Flow
• Learning
• Choices
• Presence
• Conversation
• Dancing
• Invention

We’re going to discuss this list in terms of three meta-categories:

1. Mechanics

2. Voice

3. Teamwork

1. Mechanics
When I first started dancing, I attended a workshop by a pair of top name
competitors, and one of the comments they made was that WCS was an
educated dance. They explained that, in west coast, the follower can’t be
just manhandled around to be in the right position: she needs to
understand her role in the dance and be active in keeping the rhythm,
defining the slot, etc.

Being a proactive follower means that you, as a follower, take

responsibility for maintaining the mechanical structure of the dance along
with the leader.

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You are sustaining the rhythm of the dance within your body, so it doesn’t
matter if the leader is unclear about your footwork.

You are co-creating the anchor, so it doesn’t matter if the leader is poor at
stretching.

You are using your legs to power your center, so your body flight won’t die
if the leader gives a hesitant lead.

Leaders, that doesn’t mean that you get to slack off!

A great follower will be proactive in maintaining the mechanical integrity

of the dance if you aren’t, but you are still responsible for being definitive
about what you want from her.

What you will find is that, when the follower is proactive, you will have
clearer opportunities to manipulate the dance.

As a simple example, it’s much easier to initiate alternating triples to

extend a pattern if the follower’s footwork is clean, so you can feel when
she is over the correct foot. On the flip side, the clearer your lead can be
about where the follower’s body should go, the more success you will have
with followers who are not yet skilled enough to proactively maintain the
dance.

The best dances come when both partners are solid in their own
mechanics and have practiced sustaining their technical integrity
regardless of what their partner does. When both partners can maintain
their own technique, the sky is the limit for the kinds of movements you
can create. Which leads us to…

2. Voice
West coast swing, perhaps more than any other partner dance,
encourages the dancers to develop their own voice. Whether that comes
from your styling choices, your pattern selection, your attitude on the

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dance floor, or the sense of humor you display during the dance: no two
great west coast dancers look alike.

For followers, it is easy to start learning this dance reactively: I’m going to
end up looking like whatever my leader is creating. That works out when
you are dancing with great leaders—and in fact is a phenomenal way to
build your style vocabulary—but at some point followers will encounter a
plateau, and they can only get over it by deciding what their dance will be.

There’s no shortcut to developing your own voice.

You should definitely ask your pros or trusted friends what other dancers
you should look at for inspiration because they match your demeanor or
body type. But at the end of the day, it’s up to you to take that inspiration
and figure out what your contribution will be. It’s hard, it will require you
to look awkward for a while, and there’s no cookie cutter formula to help
you through the process.

There is no end to the ways that you can explore your own voice. Put on a
song, close the blinds, drink a glass of wine, and see what comes out. Or,
take a class in a totally different style of dance. You can work in front of a
mirror, discovering what looks good on your body. Or you can go to a club
and figure out what your body wants to do, then come home to polish the
maneuver. Just keep practicing, keep exploring how your body moves, and
keep the blinds closed at home until you find something that you’re ready
to share with the world.

Leaders: developing your voice matters just as much.

Followers have a great opportunity to be exposed to a bunch of styles

when they start dancing because every leader has a different set of
patterns, movements, etc. As a leader, you are exposed to the same variety
in followers, but you may not be paying attention to it if you’re caught in
your pattern selection. That’s a shame, because what your followers do
can suggest a ton of ideas to you about how you could develop your
dancing voice.

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When you start listening to what your partner is contributing, and you’ve
learned your voice well enough to understand how you can enrich the
dance, you are in a position to have awesome…

3. Teamwork
Teamwork doesn’t get nearly enough credit in our dance. Think about the
last few workshops you attended. How many were focused on teamwork?
If workshops in your area are anything like mine, teamwork would be a
pretty rare concept.

Teamwork is vitally important to successful dances, but learning

teamwork is hard.

As a follower, you can be proactive in promoting teamwork. Some of what

you are doing to be proactive in your mechanics is already helping: you are
working with the leader to keep the rhythm of the dance, to create the
anchor and stretch, and to define the slot. But your choices and your
conversational skills can also contribute to teamwork well beyond the
level of mechanics.

No matter what level of dancer you are, you can be proactive in

encouraging the conversation.

If you are skilled in articulating your dance voice, you can use that voice to
suggest ideas for your leader. It’s the dance equivalent of asking open-
ended questions—your goal is to say something in a way that makes it easy
for your partner to take your contribution and add to it in whatever way
they feel moved.

You don’t want to force your partner into a specific response, as if you
were asking a bunch of yes or no questions, because that stifles the
conversation.

On the other hand, if you are still developing your voice, you can be
listening for ideas from your partner.

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These ideas are often subtler than we imagine. Is your partner creating a
shape with their body that you can work off?

Are they communicating more or less energy at the moment?

Have they expressed a willingness to let me explore the limits of my

dancing? And is there a way for me to acknowledge that I appreciate those
ideas, even if I may not yet have the skill to act on them?

Leaders, building on what your partner does is an incredibly valuable skill.

Teamwork is not a one-way street of “leader initiates” → “follower makes
it look good.”

Teamwork means being invested in what your partner is doing. If your

follower creates something, what can you do to help? Notice that I didn’t
say “copy”: many times, the best thing you can do is going to be completely
different.

If the follower is making a beautiful ronde, be stable so you aren’t pulling

her off balance. If she is creating a stretch, counterbalance her. And then,
think about how you can use that energy in the next part of the dance: can
you work off the rotation of the ronde to create a shape? Can you use the
extra stretch to accelerate a movement?

Being Proactive as a follower

There are many more aspects of this dance that we could talk about, but
the basic principle should be clear. Being proactive in your dancing—in
whatever dimension—will greatly enhance the quality of your dances. This
is true for both leaders and followers, but because of the structure of the
dance it’s especially important for followers to remember that they have
the power to be proactive.

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Learn to Match Your Partner's Connection

We’ve all had that one dance: the one that felt so connected that it was
just magical. But, it’s not magic—it’s the skill of connection. How can you
develop that skill so you feel the magic more often?

Bored with your dancing?

TAKE ACTION> Watch 3 ways to match your partners STYLING

Aside from situations in which you are deliberately changing the

connection (like when a leader accelerates a pattern or the follower asks
for time to play), your goal should be to match what your partner is giving
you throughout the dance.

In order to develop the ability to connect well, you first need to be able to
feel when the connection changes.

Becoming aware of the connection is the purpose of this drill.

With your practice partner or at a social dance, make it your goal to pay
attention to exactly what your partner’s connection is. Does it get lighter
in the middle of the side pass? How much lighter? How much compression
is built on a push break? Are there times that the connection fluctuates?
Disappears entirely?

The key to this drill is to assume that there is more that you are not yet
hearing, and to listen for that. Beginning dancers don’t yet have the skill to
listen to their partner’s connection, and by the time they learn their basics
they have spent so much time dancing with poor connections that they
have learned to filter out the hand-waving, inconsistency, and subtle
changes in leverage/compression as noise. We’re now trying to unlearn
that beginner filter, so push yourself to hear more subtle details that you
used to ignore.

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Center Separation (to improve styling)

At a basic level, improving your connection in west coast swing is about

the relationship between you and your partners’ centers.

Advanced dancers, are able to move around their hands while still
maintaining the energy of the center-to-center connection.

The skill of moving without affecting the connection is sometimes referred

to as “center separation” or “center isolation.” Your body or center is being
moved in isolation from the connection.

Developing the skill of moving your body without affecting the connection
point will dramatically improve your WCS connection and allow for
personal styling!

TAKE ACTION> Watch “the key to connection during styling”

The Drill: This drill requires one partner to be the dancer and the other
partner to be the post. The post’s job is to hold his or her hand steady as a
connection point. The dancer will try to maintain a clear away connection
while practicing different footwork and isolations. (Basically, try to move
around freely while keeping the connection point still.)

The post should simply maintain the connection point and give feedback
to the dancer on how clearly, they are maintaining the away connection.
Try this with your eyes closed. Make sure that the feedback is based on
what he or she feels rather than what he or she sees.

Meanwhile, the dancing partner’s job, is to connect to the posting

partner’s hand. Throughout the exercise, the dancer should use the
feedback from the post to make sure that the connection does not pull in
different directions. The dancer should move his or her body around and
learn how to move the body without affecting the connection while aiming
to maintain a constant direction and strength of connection.

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The easiest way to start is by having the two partners in a standard anchor
position. From there, the dancing partner should attempt to move in a
semicircle around the connection point without changing the away
connection. Again, the post will need to give feedback. As the dancing
partner develops skill with this exercise, he or she can extend the drill.
This can be done by adding body rotation into or away from the
connecting arm, height changes, and combinations of movements.

Creating energy with compression

Have you watched how great dancers can change direction with incredible
speed?

Most beginners try to replicate that effect by throwing themselves

through the move, but they end up off balance.

The key to direction changes is to finish the previous movement.

This drill will help you finish movement by settling into the connection so
that you can create that same energy.

Take Action> Watch everything you need to know about

connection

The Drill: With a partner, dance a left side tuck turn.

As you dance the tuck, try two different ways of dancing.

First, the follower should try to cut her rotation short as she turns into the
leader’s hand on 3&. In other words, the follower should remain more
linear rather than turning to face the leader. This will result in less
compression into the leader during the tuck.

Second, the follower should turn to face the leader on 3& more than
normal. This will require the follower to rotate more as she exits the tuck,
and will create more compression during the tuck. Leaders, you need to

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make sure that you maintain your frame so that she has something to
compress into.

Which version feels easier?

If you are both giving compression during the tuck, the second version
should actually be easier even though the follower has further to rotate.

The reason it should feel easier is because the follower can work off of the
energy of the compression rather than having to power herself through
the rotation.

Beginning followers tend to make things harder on themselves because

they cut their tuck short rather than finishing the compression movement.

Beginning leaders tend to exacerbate the situation by not providing a solid

platform for the follower to compress into.

The key for followers is to learn how to finish the compression without
over-committing and losing the momentum of the movement.

For leaders, the key is learning how to provide a point for the follower to
compress into without being too abrupt: your frame needs to absorb the
energy and enable her to redirect, rather than making her feel like she is
slamming into a wall.

The drill is to practice the tuck motion slowly in order to figure out when
the compression has reached its natural release point.

As both of you compress into the tuck, you will feel a point at which your
bodies want to spring back.

You should feel like your body is a compression spring—it moves as it is

pushed, but as it is pushed further the resistance increases. Your frame
needs to relax enough that you can compress without feeling like you’re
hitting a wall, but you need enough tone through your frame that you build
resistance.

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Keep practicing until you can consistently find that point of natural
release.

Creating Energy with Compression (Advanced)

In an earlier drill, we worked on finishing movement into compression.

You learned to find the natural release point for compression, rather than
bouncing out of compression because “that’s what the pattern does.”

Take Action> Watch everything you need to know about

connection

Now it’s time to put that technique into more complicated movements.

The Drill: With a partner, practice doing a left side tuck turn. You know
what it feels like when you reach the natural release point for the
compression. The drill is to try to make that point occur right as the tuck is
ready to release on 4.

This drill is all about timing your absorption and release, so practice with a
variety of musical tempos. You’ll want to include some really slow music in
order to become aware of how the compression builds and releases. If you
can’t make the compression smoothly build and release during slow music,
chances are good you’ll feel like you are hitting a brick wall on faster
music.

As you practice, become aware of how your body is set when you reach
that natural release point. Leaders, this will become something you can
manipulate in the dance. By delaying that moment, you can extend a
movement in compression, which opens up the door for cool moves like
leans, walkarounds, and other variations. Followers, you should train
yourself to be sensitive to that moment as well, because if a leader wants
to extend the compression, you want to be able to match that.

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Tucks are taught in a lot of different ways; sometimes they release on 3&
while other times they release on 4. If you dance a syncopated triple (&3 4
instead of 3&4), the tuck will release on 3.

The syncopated triple is very common in today’s dance because it

naturally hits a downbeat, which is where a lot of breaks occur.

The technique here will be the same regardless of when the tuck releases,
but for the purposes of this drill we’ll practice with the compression
building through 3& and hitting its maximum point just in time for the
follower to be asked to step out on 4.

Both leaders and followers need to make sure that they are using their
frames to absorb the compression, while keeping their frame with their
body. (In other words, don’t push your arms forward of your body. When
you extend your frame like that, it’s really hard to keep the energy moving
from your frame to your center.)

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Anchor Steps

Anchor Step Basics

• What is an anchor step (taken from wiki)................................................. 244

• Anchors and WCS .............................................................................................. 245
• Mastering the Anchor Step as a beginner ................................................ 246
• Staying back in your anchor .......................................................................... 247

Improving your anchor

• Stretch your Anchor Step ............................................................................... 250

• Relaxing During the Anchor .......................................................................... 251
• Improve your anchor through counting ................................................... 252
• Start with the Anchor to Feel the Stretch ................................................ 254
• Anchor step & body weight drill ................................................................... 255

Anchor Variations (styling)

• Anchor Variations Introduction ................................................................... 256

• Anchor Variations .............................................................................................. 257
• 3 Anchor Step Positions .................................................................................. 260
• Don’t make this mistake .................................................................................. 262
• Anchor Step Styling (6 Different Options) .............................................. 264

Anchor Variation Selection

• Selecting Anchors for Linear Patterns ...................................................... 269

• Selecting Anchors for Open Rotating Patterns ..................................... 271

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What is an anchor step (taken from wiki)

The term anchor step is used to denote a dance step at the end of a
pattern that is used while maintaining a connection

An anchor is not a specific rhythm or foot position.

In West Coast Swing both partners place their center of gravity behind the
heel of the forward foot on the last two beats (last of each basic, step
pattern.

Partners feel an away force between them, and are responsible for
establishing their own anchor.

Different types of anchors will leave the partners in one of three positions:
1) the dancers are not individually centered (with an away resistance),
resulting in a heavy active connection (sometime referred to as leverage;
2) partners will be individually centered, resulting in a passive connection;
3) the follower's center point of balance will be slightly forward of being
individually centered - resulting in a passive connection.

The term anchor was coined by the Golden State Dance Teachers
Association in the early 1960s to clarify the difference between the
"resistance" desired at the end of a West Coast Swing Pattern, and the
lack of resistance caused by one version of the second set of triples taught
circa 1961.

The anchor step is the terminating step pattern of nearly all main west
coast swing patterns.

Together with the slot, it is the most distinguishing element of West Coast
Swing when compared to other swing dances.

In its standard form, the anchor step consists of three steps with the
syncopated rhythm pattern (counted, e.g., as "5-and-6" in 6-beat patterns
or “7-and-8 in 8-bead patterns) and the general directions of steps "back,

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replace, back (and slightly sideways)" danced almost in place. The leader
dances R-L-R feet, the follower dances L-R-L.

At the end of the anchor step the partners settle their weights on the
"back" foot, the handhold is typically L-to-R, with away or leverage
connection maintained throughout the step, and there is no urge to go in
any direction in the end:

The partners are "anchored" in this terminal position at their respective

ends of the slot (hence the name of the step), ready to commence the next
move according to the leader's lead.

Anchors and WCS

The anchor is the heart of west coast swing and creates the unique look of
the dance.

The basic anchor step that is taught to beginners occurs on the last two
beats of the pattern (5&6 for 6-count patterns; 7&8 for 8-count patterns).

Going into a basic anchor, the leader’s weight is on the left foot, while the
follower is on the right.

The basic anchor itself is a triple step performed in third foot position—the
instep of the rear foot is aligned with the heel of the forward foot.

For the leader, the right foot is slightly behind the left.

The follower’s left foot is slightly behind the right.

At the end of the basic anchor, the leader’s weight is on the right heel and
the follower’s weight is on the left heel.

Because the weight is on the back heel, the partners are stretched away
from each other, with their centers settled back.

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Many anchor variations are permissible; it is ok to anchor with different

rhythms, different foot positions, and even different lengths of time. It is
even possible to move, or “float,” the anchor across the floor.

What cannot change, however, is that the partners eventually settle their
weight away from each other.

The settling back of an anchor creates the momentum for the next
pattern.

At higher levels, the degree of stretch in the anchor can indicate a delay or
speed change in the dance.

The anchor is also an indication to the partner that the play within a
pattern is over and that the partners are ready to resume the dance.

Mastering the Anchor Step as a beginner

The anchor is one of the most important parts of west coast swing.

Not only does every pattern end in an anchor—so you dance anchors a
lot—but the anchor is also responsible for much of the distinctive look to
WCS.

Elasticity, smoothness, the relaxed groove of the dance: all of these things
are deeply connected to the anchor. Start now and find out how mastering
the anchor step in west coast swing can help you significantly.

For a beginner, there are two key elements to the WCS anchor.

1. the anchor does not move. Hence the name, “anchor.”

2. the anchor stretches away from your partner.

In both cases the term “Anchors away!” is a good phrase to keep in mind.

The following drill will help you practice both of these elements.

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The Drill: Without a partner, put yourself in the position immediately

before an anchor.

For leaders, your weight is on your left foot; followers, your weight is on
your right.

This foot will not move during the entire drill.

We’re going to call this foot the “non-anchor” foot for now.

Take your free foot (leader’s right, follower’s left) and put it in third foot
position, but do not yet put your weight on the foot. If it helps to let your
foot hover slightly, go ahead.

At this point, you are trying to feel where the foot belongs without falling
onto the foot. We’re going to call this foot your anchor foot because your
anchor will start and end with your weight on this foot.

Without moving your non-anchor foot, do a triple step (anchor foot, non-
anchor foot, anchor foot). Even though you are transferring your weight,
focus on keeping the anchor foot in third foot position

Repeat this process until you can comfortably perform an anchor triple in
the correct foot position. Anchors Away!

Want 5 ways to Style Your Anchor Step on Video? Download it

here

Staying back in your anchor

Now that you know how to perform an anchor, the next skill to master is
staying in the anchor position.

Watch my favorite drill for staying in your anchor in this video

For leaders, stopping the forward momentum into the anchor is a

challenging skill. Because the leader is traveling towards the follower right

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before the anchor, it is easy to continue towards the follower, which

eliminates the follower’s ability to settle into the anchor.

For followers, the momentum flows into the away connection of the
anchor. The challenge for followers is thus to avoid bouncing out of the
anchor early. This usually happens when the follower doesn’t control the
away momentum and runs out of room in the connection.

The following drills are designed to help both partners control their
momentum through the anchor.

The Drill—Leader Version: Do the leader’s footwork for a push break

right in front of a wall or door.

Start the pattern so that your step on count 4 takes you directly in front of
the wall, with your left foot about to go into the wall. (On a push break, you
are stepping directly towards the follower on count 4. For side passes, you
are stepping back into the slot, but there is still a slight movement towards
the follower.

In either case, count 4 is the furthest you will step down the slot.)

Stop on beat 4 and gather your right foot to your left, without passing the
right foot in front of the left.

You should be able to settle your right foot into a third foot position
without ever bringing the right foot level with the left.

Repeat this exercise, making sure that no feet move closer to the follower
than your left foot on beat 4.

There are three checkpoints for this drill:

• On beat 5, your right foot should be behind your left.

• On the & of beat 5, your left foot should not move forward from
where it was. No inching towards the follower!

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• On beat 6, again your right foot should remain in third position

behind the left.

By stepping beat 4 directly in front of the wall, you have an immediate

warning if you try to move towards the follower at any point during the
anchor.

The Drill—Follower Version: The follower’s version of this drill is slightly

more complicated because the follower has to pay attention to both foot
positions and distance.

If trying to think about both elements at once is too challenging, first do

the drill without the sink and just paying attention to the foot positions.
Then, add in the sink part to replicate having your arm connected to your
leader

Stop on count 4. At this point, your weight is on your right foot. Your right
foot is not allowed to travel any further back during this drill. Gather your
left foot behind your right, in third foot position, and perform your anchor
triple.

The key is that you must perform the anchor triple without moving the
feet out of third foot position, without losing the bend in the elbows, and
without bending forward.

There are three checkpoints for this drill:

• On beat 5, your left foot should be behind your right and you should
still have a little bit of slack in your arm. If you are overextended, it
will be extraordinarily difficult to keep your 6 back.

• On the & of beat 5, your right foot should not move at all. If you
moved towards your leader, it is a sign that your step on 5 was too
far back or that your 4 needed to be closer in order to leave a bend
in your elbows. If you moved backwards, chances are good that you
pitched forward!

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• On beat 6, again your left foot should remain in third position behind
the right. If you ran out of elbow room earlier in the anchor or if you
shuffled your right foot backwards on beat 5&, your left foot will no
longer be in third foot position.

Stretch your Anchor Step

Many dancers struggle to roll through their feet.

Especially when the music gets fast, it’s easy to dance flat-footed or fall
through the foot so quickly that the roll gets lost.

Most footwork exercises emphasize rolling through the last step of the
triple because that step gets more time, and so there’s more opportunity
to roll through the foot.

This is an important foundational skill.

But, if you only practice taking time through the “step” of “tri-ple step,” the
first two weight changes of the triple get neglected.

In this exercise, we’re going to give our focus to the first two steps of the
triple so they aren’t neglected.

Watch a variation of this drill on video!

This drill is a corrective: we’re going to over-emphasize the first two steps
even if it means the last step gets short shrift.

In the wild, you’ll want to strike a balance so all the steps get their
appropriate length, but for this drill we’re going to err on the side of
putting too much focus on the first two steps because it’s so easy to
neglect them during practice.

The Drill: Put on a slow song and dance triples while rolling through your
feet. As you do so, think about the tri- and -ple parts of the “tri-ple step”
cadence being really long.

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Normally, dancers think about triples with the focus on the last beat. The
cadence tri-ple step encourages you to draw out the last foot action by
lengthening the step into something that sounds like “steeeeep.”

By contrast, tri- and -ple become quick sounds.

The effect is to dance “short short long” (or even “short short looong,”
really drawing out the long sound).

In this exercise, make the tri- and -ple weight changes long sounds as well.
Think “long long longer” rather than “short short long.” As you dance to
long sounds on the first two steps of the triple, concentrate on feeling your
foot articulate all the way through the sound.

At first, you will probably be late on your weight changes. That’s ok. Keep
practicing.

Eventually, you will be able to sustain the long sound on the first two steps
of the triple while staying on time.

Doing so requires a lot of control, so keep working at it!

The end result will be much better footwork through your entire triple,
not just the last part.

Want to add some style to your anchor step? Watch - 5 ways to

style your anchor

Relaxing During the Anchor

For new dancers, one of the key moments in learning WCS is when they
are able to relax during the anchor instead of racing through it.

Relaxing seems odd during the anchor—after all, you are doing a triple
step and you need to have a very specific foot and body position.

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But, advanced dancers realize that the anchor is actually a calming

moment in the dance.

Both partners have made it through the move, and this is their chance to
reconnect, check in, and prepare for the next pattern.

Dancers who see the anchor as an island of calm and predictability in the
ocean of the dance enjoy the dance much more and are able to focus on
the trickier elements of the dance more effectively.

The Drill: There’s no magic bullet for learning to relax during the anchor.
It’s all about repetition. Just like first graders have to think a lot about how
to form their letters, new dancers have to think about the elements of the
anchor. The more each does it, the more effortless the process becomes.

So, start practicing your anchors everywhere.

Standing in line at the grocery store? Riding an elevator at work? Sneak in

an anchor. Washing dishes? Anchor.

You already have the essential technique for anchors in the other parts of
this series, so now you just need to do it a lot. When you can anchor during
a phone call effortlessly, you will know that your anchor is muscle
memory, and you’ll be able to relax during the dance.

Improve your anchor through counting

Have you ever watched the pros danced and been amazed at how much
stretch builds during their anchor?

Working the anchor adds so much depth to the dance: it adds definition to
each move, builds momentum that makes moves look connected, and
creates the amazing elastic feel of the dance.

We’re goanna get there by counting a little differently.

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Saying &a as you count helps you take the time to develop your anchor
stretch.

Instead of counting: 1,2,3&,4,5&,6 - 1,2,3&,4,5&,6

We will count: 1,2,3&,4,5&,6&a, 1,2,3&,4,5&,6&a

We call this rolling count. You can read about it here

Struggling with staying on time while you dance?

TAKE ACTION> Download 4 keys to staying on time in WCS

As you fill the time from 6 to the 1, continue practicing smoothing out the
movement of your center.

Your ultimate goal is to have your center moving at a consistent rate

through the entire beat.

With a little practice, you too can make your anchors stretch like the pros.
The secret is how you count the anchor. By using the rolling count—
6&a1—you can stretch all the way through the anchor.

Watch a version of this drill on video>> Watch it here

The Drill: Without a partner, place your weight on your non-anchor foot
(leader’s left/follower’s right).

Dance the first two weight transfers of your anchor and step on the ball of
your anchor foot for the third weight transfer.

If you are dancing a six-count pattern, this is now 6. Count &a1 as you step
your next weight transfer, which is the 1 of the next pattern.

Your goal is to roll through your anchor foot for the entirety of the 6&a,
transferring weight to the 1 at the last possible instant.

This takes a great deal of center control and ankle strength, so don’t be
disappointed if you struggle at first.

Keep practicing!

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Saying &a as you count helps you take the time to develop your anchor
stretch.

As you fill the time from 6 to the 1, continue practicing smoothing out the
movement of your center.

Your ultimate goal is to have your center moving at a consistent rate

through the entire beat.

Start with the Anchor to Feel the Stretch

How many times have you heard, “Every pattern in West Coast Swing
ends in an anchor”?

Today, we’re going to flip things around and make every pattern start with
an anchor instead.

This exercise assumes that you are comfortable with your basic anchor:
you can roll through the &a before the new 1, and you keep your center
away from your partner.

If your fundamental anchor mechanics aren’t there yet, no worries. Spend

some time practicing your anchor first, and then come to this drill when
you’re ready.

When beginners start this dance, there is a huge leap forward that occurs
when they finally “get” the fundamental anchor mechanics.

There’s another huge leap that occurs when dancers learn to take that
fundamentally solid anchor and blend it into the next pattern. That’s what
this drill will target.

When we think about the anchor as the end of the pattern, it’s easy to
disconnect the anchor from the next pattern.

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The dancers are actually dancing through a movement, they anchor

beautifully—and then they stop for just an instant, and restart the dance
with the new pattern instead of blending the two.

By thinking about starting every pattern with an anchor, instead of ending

it, we are emphasizing the continuity between the anchor and the new 1.

Watch my favorite Anchor Step Drill> Watch it here

The Drill: With or without a partner, dance basic moves to music.

As you dance, don’t think about the anchor as the end of the pattern.
Instead, think about ending the move on the post.

Then, you begin the next move by anchoring, building the stretch for the
movement down the slot in what used to be your 1, 2. That stretch should
naturally flow into the movement down the slot.

Don’t take this drill too literally.

After you finish the dance, the anchor goes back to ending your patterns.

The point is simply to shake that presumption for a little while so it’s easier
to focus on the way that the anchor builds momentum and sets up the new
pattern.

It’s no different than dancing while wearing a blindfold: you will still use
your eyes after the drill, but during the drill you are artificially changing
the way you dance to highlight something that’s easy to overlook.

Anchor step & body weight drill

Anchors stretch away from your partner. This drill will teach you how to
do this throughout the whole anchor.

In this drill, we will focus on where your body weight is during the anchor.

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Take Action>> Watch this video “How to fix your anchor step”

The Drill: Without a partner, stand with your feet together. Slowly shift
your weight forward and backward on your feet, finding how far forward
and backwards you can go before you become unsteady. You should be
able to feel the whole range of positions:

 Having your weight towards your toes, almost falling forward

 Having your weight over the ball of your foot, able to keep your
balance but also lift your heels

 Having your weight over the arch of your foot, so that you can’t lift
either your toes or heels without shifting your body

 Having your weight over the front part of your heels, such that you
can lift your toes but still remain stable

 Having your weight over the back part of your heels, where you
are almost falling backwards

Once you have found those positions on your feet, it’s time to apply them
to your anchor.

Practice this slowly until you can consistently put your weight over the
appropriate part of the foot during the whole anchor sequence

Anchor Variations Introduction

The anchor is arguably the essential element of west coast swing.

In your beginning classes, your instructor almost certainly spent a fair

amount of time talking about the standard anchor: a triple in third foot
position.

This series aims to expand your anchor beyond the basic version.

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TAKE ACTION> Download this video “5 Anchor Variations for

WCS”

A true anchor is not a specific foot position; it is a connection that occurs

at the end of a pattern.

So, any combination of footwork or body movement that produces the

correct connection can be an anchor.

This flexibility—along with the fact that every pattern ends in an anchor—
makes the anchor a logical place to begin introducing variations into your
dance.

In the following section, we will create some new shapes for your anchor.

We’ll also talk about when you might want to use some of these variations
so you can start thinking about how to use your anchor to transition
between patterns.

Before we jump in, a quick reminder: an anchor is a two-beat unit of the

dance that occurs at the end of the pattern and has both partners
stretching away from each other.

All three of these elements should occur in every anchor variation.

As you’ll see, we’ll work on two-beat variations that end with the partners
stretched away from each other and ready to come in for the next
pattern’s 1, 2.

Anchor Variations

There are really only three ways to get into an anchor in west coast swing:

1. you can step down the slot (i.e., away from your partner)

2. you can turn to your right

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3. you can turn to your left.

Each of these directions sets up your momentum for different anchor

variations.

TAKE ACTION>> Download 5 Anchor Step Variations for WCS

The purpose of this drill is to become aware of these differences and to

identify anchor variations that fit each situation.

Because each partner is on the opposite foot and facing the opposite way,
it will be easiest to discuss these variations in terms of moves that create
the same kind of momentum, even though the follower will be rotating the
opposite direction as the leader.

Part 1—Push Break: This version of the anchor occurs for both partners
on a push break; for followers, it also occurs on whips, and for leaders it
occurs on sugar tucks.

In these situations, you are stepping linearly down the slot immediately
before the anchor.

As a result, it feels natural to keep a linear momentum for your anchor.

A great anchor variation that uses linear momentum is a point behind on

the first beat of the anchor, with the foot returning to 3rd foot position for
the last beat of the anchor.

To practice this variation, dance a push break either by yourself or with a

partner.

After beat 4, take your free leg behind you and press into the floor without
moving your weight onto that foot.

Then, collect the foot in 3rd foot position for a traditional end to the
anchor.

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Part 2—Underarm Turn: In the underarm turn scenario, the leader is

rotating right in order to get back into the slot on the post, while the
follower is rotating left.

This situation occurs for a leader on any right side move (e.g., a whip or a
barrel roll); for followers, any side pass or inside turn will set up this
momentum.

In these patterns, the free foot after the post (i.e., right for leaders and left
for followers) is in a position to cross in front for the first part of the
anchor before returning to a normal 3rd foot position on the last beat of
the anchor.

By crossing the first part of the anchor, each partner can make use of the
rotational energy generated by turning back into the slot.

For followers, this variation is especially useful for settling yourself as you
come out of an inside turn because you can press into the cross in order to
redirect yourself back to your anchor instead of having to freeze your
rotation immediately in 3rd foot position.

To practice this variation, dance an underarm turn either by yourself or

with a partner.

After beat 4, cross your free leg in front of your weighted leg and step or
press into the ground for beat 5.

Recover back onto leader’s left/follower’s right if necessary on the & of 5,

and then settle into your 3rd foot position anchor on beat 6

Part 3—Side Tuck: In the side tuck scenario, the follower is turning right at
the end of the pattern while the leader is turning left.

As a result, both partners are pivoting around their posting foot (left for
leaders, right for followers).

This situation occurs for leaders on any left side move, and for followers
after any outside turn.

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Because the rotation happens around the posting foot, this scenario
makes it incredibly easy to do a ronde with the free leg as you come into
the slot.

For this variation, practice doing left side tucks either by yourself or with a
partner.

As you step your 4, settle into that leg so that you can sweep your free leg
around.

Extend the free leg (leader’s right/follower’s left) and sweep around until
you are facing your partner and your free leg is now directly to your side.

Drag the free leg as you gather back into 3rd foot position and settle into
the anchor on beat 6.

3 Anchor Step Positions

There are 3 basic anchor step positions that are commonly used in West
Coast Swing.

You can choose to:

1. end straight toward your partner

2. rotate open to your partner

3. rotate closed to your partner.

TAKE ACTION>> Download 5 Anchor Step Variations for WCS

In this section, you’ll get to practice anchors that rotate into the
connection.

Consequently, you can choose an anchor that fits any pattern for you and
your dancing.

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When going into an anchor, you can step straight, rotate open, or rotate
closed.

Both leaders and followers rotate closed on a left side tuck turn. On 4, the
leader is rotating towards his connected arm as he steps back into the slot
for the anchor.

At the same time, the follower is turning towards the connected arm as
she finishes their outside turn on 4 and anchor.

All left side moves are closed rotating patterns for the leader;

For example: a basic left side pass, left side inside roll, left side tuck turn,
etc. For followers, closed rotating patterns come from outside turns: side
tuck, sugar tuck, whip with a double outside turn, and barrel rolls.

Because closed rotating patterns create a momentum into the connected

side, anchor variations that take advantage of that momentum work really
well.

A simple example is a ronde.

On a left side tuck turn, both the leader’s and follower’s bodies are
prepped for a ronde through the anchor.

For the leader, the step on 4 establishes the supporting leg, and the right
leg can sweep counterclockwise, finishing with the right leg crossing in
front of the supporting leg and then taking weight on count 6. The follower
steps on count 4 on the right leg, then sweeps the left leg clockwise to
finish the anchor.

The finish position for the follower has the left leg crossed in front of the
right leg, and the left foot takes weight in the crossed position on count 6.

Although we’ve discussed 3 anchor step positions, the focus of this drill is
to execute a closed-rotating anchor variation on closed rotating patterns.

We still would recommend using normal anchors on the other types of

patterns.

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Practice dancing to a song and use a closed rotating anchor variation on

the appropriate patterns.

At first, simply use the ronde variation described above.

As you develop your skills, you can practice mixing all 3 anchor step
positions that rotate into your arm!

Try the side and cross anchors, body rolls into your arm, or many other
options.

Be creative! The key is to find a motion that makes sense with the
momentum of the pattern.

Don’t make this mistake

The next time you watch pros, notice how their bodies keep moving after
they have connected on count 4.

Even when they are anchoring, there is still movement through the body
as they establish the stretch of the dance.

Beginner dancers struggle to move without taking the post with them.

Note: The post is the connection point of the hands on count 4 of a 6 count
pattern or count 6 of an 8 count pattern

In this exercise, you’re going to practice moving around a point of

connection so that you can free your body to move after establishing the
post.

TAKE ACTION>> Watch this drill on video

The Drill: Find an edge of a surface that you can hold onto—the lip of a
sink, the frame of a door, or the handle of your refrigerator will work
nicely. Make sure that you have some space around the surface to move
around.

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Hold onto the edge as if it was your partner.

Move your center just slightly further away from the edge than your feet
so you can feel a connection.

This should be slight: if you have enough force to open the fridge or move
a door, you’ve gone too far. You want just a little bit of away energy.

Take a moment to feel how your body is connected through the hand.

Are your fingers flush against the surface? Is your hand horizontal,
vertical, or in between?

Notice where you are, because your goal is to maintain this position for
the next part of the drill.

While maintaining that position, try to move around the edge.

You can move closer or further away by adjusting the distance from your
center to your elbow, and you can move side to side by pivoting around
your shoulder or wrist.

No matter where you move, try to maintain the hand position and the
away connection that you initially established.

As you become comfortable moving your body without disrupting the

connection, you can start putting in footwork or styling variations.

Try a side-and-cross anchor, or a body roll that settles into third foot
position.

You are training yourself how to dance while posted.

As you dance, pay attention to how your body needs to adjust in order to
maintain the connection

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Anchor Step Styling (6 Different Options)

The anchor is arguably the essential element of west coast swing.

You’ve almost certainly spent a fair amount of time mastering the

standard anchor: a triple in third foot position. That’s the core anchor step
for WCS!

However, there are 5 core options for your Anchor Step that you need to
know to add some style to your dancing!

TAKE ACTION> Download - 5 Anchor Step Variations

1. Hook-and-Third Anchors
In the cross-and-third anchor, you learned to move the start of the anchor
towards your partner without changing the connection. The hook-and-
third anchor does the opposite: you start by hooking your anchor foot
behind your supporting leg, and the key is to keep your weight back even
as you recover from the hook.

Download this drill on video

The Drill: Place your weight on the leader’s left/follower’s right: this is
your count 4 of a six-count pattern. Start the anchor by hooking your free
foot behind the supporting foot. Concentrate on rolling your weight from
the ball to the heel of the leader’s right/follower’s left; you don’t want to
simply remain on your toe base for this step.

Now, recover to the leader’s left/follower’s right while keeping your

weight back. As you move through that foot, place your anchor foot into
your standard third foot position and complete your settling action. Just
like the & of a normal anchor, your center cannot get over the ball of your
foot on the & count of this variation.

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Once you have the footwork mechanics, practice doing this variation while
maintaining your away connection by performing the variation while
holding onto a sink, door frame, or fridge door handle.

2. Side-and-Third Anchors
To be an anchor, any anchor variation must maintain the away connection
that characterizes the anchor. The standard third foot position anchor is
designed to make that connection automatic. We’re going to start
changing the anchor with a variation that ends in third foot position in
order to make it as easy as possible to sustain that connection. Thus, this
drill will work on the side-and-third anchor.

Download this drill on video

The Drill: Leaders, place your weight on your left foot; followers, put your
weight on your right. This is count 4 of a 6-count pattern, and you are
about to go into your anchor.

Your next step should be to the side, rather than in third position. Leaders,
step with your right foot to your right side; followers step to the left with
your left foot. You can take this step slightly further than your shoulder
width, but you should not be reaching to make the step. This step should
be more than a check but less than a full step—you want to commit to the
new foot but not settle entirely so that you can bounce off of the foot
rather than having to restart your momentum for the & count of the triple.

Using your momentum from the more-than-a-check side step, recover on

your other foot for the & count and bring the leader’s right/follower’s left
into third foot position to finish the anchor.

Once you are comfortable with the footwork, practice keeping your
weight back through the entire triple, just as you would on a normal
anchor. You can drill the away connection by staying connected to a
kitchen sink or fridge door while doing the footwork. Be sure that your

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weight remains back during the side step—you don’t want to lose the
anchor connection on the first beat of your anchor!

3. Back-and-Third Anchors
In addition to taking the first step of your anchor either side, you can
check backwards. The back-and-third creates a great leg line, but can be
tricky to perform while maintaining the anchor connection.

Download this drill on video

The Drill: Without a partner, place your weight on your non-anchor foot
(leader’s left/follower’s right). Shoot your free foot back and check off that
foot; this is your downbeat. You should be putting some weight into the
foot, but your center is not going to move back very far. Keeping the
center from moving back is important, because you need to be able to
recover on the & and bring your anchor foot into third foot position on the
upbeat—all while not having your center spring forward.

This variation is important to practice while connected with a solid surface

like a sink or doorframe, because it is very easy to turn the downbeat-&
into a rock step. If you rock back and forward, however, you will lose the
anchor connection and have an extremely hard time waiting for the next
pattern. Practice checking off the back foot without letting your center go
forward on the &. Remember your anchor fundamentals: you should have
an away connection through the whole anchor.

4. Cross-and-Third Anchors
The next anchor variation is the cross-and-third anchor. This variation is
tricky because the feet come towards your partner on the first beat of the
anchor, but you still need to keep your body back. This drill will work on
maintaining the proper anchor connection during this variation.

Download this drill on video

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The Drill: Leaders, put your weight on your left foot; followers, your left.
This is count 4 of a 6-count pattern, and you are about to start your
anchor.

With your free foot, cross in front of your standing leg. As you cross in
front, make sure that your weight stays behind the ball of the foot in order
to maintain the away connection of the anchor. Also check that your feet
are turned out—your right toes should still point slightly to the right and
your left toes slightly to the left so that your knees don’t buckle in.

On the & count, recover onto your supporting leg and bring the free foot
into third to finish the anchor.

Again, use a kitchen sink, fridge handle, or door knob as your connection
point to make sure that you are staying away throughout the entire
anchor.

Partner Note: When you dance this variation with a partner, you may
want to take your 4 step slightly further away from your partner than
normal in order to create space for the cross in front. As long as you
maintain your post and don’t give up the shoulder or overextend your arm
in order to create that distance, that’s ok. Experiment with your placement
of your 4 in order to find what makes this variation comfortable for you.

5. Anchors Ending to the Side

So far, our anchor variations have played with the first step of our triple.

We’ve worked on keeping the anchor connection regardless of whether

the first step crosses in front, moves to the side, or hooks behind.

As you practiced those variations, you may have felt a bit awkward in
returning to a third foot position to finish the anchor.

There’s a reason for that: the first part of the variation built some energy
with the shaping to the front/side/back, and now you need to go
somewhere with it.

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These variations will give you that somewhere to go.

By changing the last step of the anchor while maintaining the anchor
connection, you will have the freedom to let the energy built up at the
start of the triple settle naturally.

Download this drill on video

The Drill: Without a partner, place your weight on the leader’s

left/follower’s right. For the first step of your anchor, cross in front;
remember to keep your weight back during this cross. Recover back onto
your original foot for the & count.

The shift from the cross to the original supporting leg should make you
want to continue moving to the side. Do so: take the leader’s
right/follower’s left to that side about shoulder width. You should have
your body over that side; if you landed split weight, you reached too far.
Be sure that your body stays back on the side movement, since now you
don’t have third foot position forcing you into anchor stretch. It’s okay to
take the side step on a slight back diagonal in order to aid the stretch.

Once that motion is comfortable, practice continuing into the next

pattern. Both leaders and followers should sink into their hip slightly as
usual for an anchor. Before stepping 1, both sides should bring their free
foot (leader’s left/follower’s right) under the body before moving
backwards or forwards. Leaders, you can get away with not closing the
feet entirely as long as your left comes beneath your hips before going
back. Followers, your line looks much better if you actually bring the right
foot to the left and brush your thighs before stepping forward with your
right.

6. Anchors Ending in a Cross

Our last variation introduced anchors that ended to the side.

Another common ending position is the cross, in which the anchor foot is
crossed in front of the other leg.

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This ending position occurs in a lot of more complicated anchor variations,

such as the side-and-cross; for this drill, we’ll focus on a simpler version
with a third-and-cross.

Download this drill on video

The Drill: Begin your anchor in third foot position and take your & step as
normal. On the upbeat, instead of returning to third, land on your anchor
foot (leader’s right/follower’s left) crossed in front of your supporting leg.

Just like the cross-and-third variation, this variation is tricky for two
reasons. First, it is very easy to get your feet turned in. Make sure that the
left toes are still pointing slightly to the left and the right toes are still
pointing to the right. Second, it requires a lot of body control to keep your
weight back during the cross. Again, practice with a sink or door frame in
order to make sure that you are staying back.

Followers: this variation adds a twist to your next pattern. Since you are
crossed in front of your right leg, you can’t just move your right straight
into your walking step. You will need to practice going into your walks. As
you settle your anchor and roll through your left foot, your right foot
should un-hook itself by going around your left foot and back to neutral so
you can come forward on 1. Keep this motion small unless you are trying
to create a sweep; this should be a subtle, calm motion rather than
something that draws attention. Think of releasing the right foot and
returning to neutral.

Selecting Anchors for Linear Patterns

More advanced dancers know how to select an anchor variation that

compliments their momentum from the pattern. In this exercise, you’ll
start to think about anchor variations that work for linear patterns.

For this drill, linear patterns are patterns that don’t involve rotation
immediately before the anchor. For instance, a push break is a linear

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pattern for both leaders and followers. On count 4, the leader is stepping
straight forward towards the follower and the follower is stepping straight
back away from the leader.

On the leader’s side, all the push break variations are linear patterns:
sugar tuck, push break with an inside roll, etc. For followers, linear
patterns include the basic whip and variations like the basket whip
because those moves have the follower move straight backwards into the
anchor.

Linear patterns are great for linear anchor variations because those
variations continue the shape of the pattern. An easy variation is to use a
delayed single rhythm by pointing the anchor foot on a back diagonal on
the first beat of the anchor and then stepping in a closed third position on
the second beat. Off a basic push break, the leader would point
somewhere between 3 o’clock and 6 o’clock with his right foot on 5, then
step in third foot position on 6. The follower would point with her left foot
on count 5, aiming for somewhere between 9 o’clock and 6 o’clock, and
then would finish the anchor in third foot position on count 6.

The Drill: Practice dancing linear patterns with a linear anchor variation.
When you feel comfortable associating linear anchor variations with linear
patterns, try dancing a mix of patterns. On the non-linear patterns, dance
a standard anchor; on the linear patterns, dance your linear anchor
variation. The goal of this exercise is to train yourself to reach for a linear
anchor variation when you dance a linear pattern. Once you are on the
social or competition floor, you don’t want to have to think about whether
you have picked the right variation.

If you are a more advanced dancer, try coming up with additional linear
anchor variations. You can do a linear smear (step without transferring
weight under yourself on count 5, brush that foot backwards, and then
step with a weight transfer on 6), a lock step triple, or any number of other
variations.

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Selecting Anchors for Open Rotating Patterns

In an open rotating pattern, the last action before the anchor is a rotation
towards a more open body angle.

The basic example of an open rotating pattern is a right side pass. For the
leader, the rotation towards the follower on 4 opens the right side of the
leader’s body.

The follower likewise opens the left side of her body on count 4 as she
moves into her anchor.

For leaders, most whip variations are open rotating patterns.

In a basic whip, for instance, the rotation on count 6 mirrors the leader’s
basic movement on count 4 of a right side pass.

Followers rotate open on most inside movements: both basic side passes,
an inside roll, a push break with an inside roll, a whip with an inside turn,
etc.

Because the body needs to finish opening through the anchor during open
rotating patterns, these patterns work really well with anchor variations
that have an opening action.

A simple example is the cross-and-third anchor: on the first count of the

anchor, the dancer crosses their anchor foot in front of the supported leg,
then recovers on the & of the triple and finishes in third position for the
last beat of the anchor. So, the leader would dance this variation on a right
side pass by posting on 4 while leaving the body slightly under-rotated
(i.e., the body is facing into the left arm instead of being square to the slot).
That shape makes it easy to cross in front with the right foot for 5, replace
weight on the left for &, and finish opening towards the follower to
complete the anchor in third foot position on 6. The follower would finish
the right side pass under-rotated on 4, continue the momentum to cross in

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front with the left foot on 5, then finish the triple &6 while opening the left
side of the body to a neutral position.

The Drill: Practice dancing open rotating patterns with the appropriate
anchor variation. You can use a mix of open rotating patterns to develop
your comfort with linking the patterns and anchor variations on the fly.

Just like the previous exercise, the next stage is to practice pulling out the
open rotating variations on open rotating patterns and using a standard
anchor for other patterns.

As you dance, ensure that you are using the right kind of anchor variation
for that pattern.

More advanced dancers should experiment with additional ways to do this

anchor variation.

Any action that goes into the arm before opening up works well, as well as
actions that continue the momentum into the arm and finish in an under-
rotated position.

As you practice your variations, take care that you keep your action
controlled—you don’t want to flop open at any point during the anchor
variation.

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Footwork

Basic Concepts

• Learn to Roll Through Your Feet ................................................................. 275

• Learn to Turnout Your Feet ........................................................................... 276
• How to Move Forward & Backward (there is a difference) ............. 277
• Single Tracking – Walk Like a Dancer........................................................ 278
• Keep Your Steps Small ..................................................................................... 279
• Tighten Up Your Footwork to the Music.................................................. 281

Footwork Techniques

• Smooth out Your Dancing .............................................................................. 282

• Learn to Create Power, Grace & Control ................................................. 284
• Transitional Weight (advanced concept) ................................................. 286

Adding Style to Your Footwork

• Add Style to Your Walks ................................................................................. 288

• Creating Footwork that Matches the Music .......................................... 290
• 6 Anchor Step Variations ................................................................................ 292

Triple Steps

• Stretch your Anchor Step ............................................................................... 294

• Learn the Syncopated Triple (advanced) .................................................. 296

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Trouble shooting

• Learning to Stay on Balance........................................................................... 297

• Don’t Rush Your Triple Steps ........................................................................ 298
• Don’t Fall into Your Anchor Step ................................................................. 300
• Clean up Messy Footwork .............................................................................. 302

Keep your feet & knees healthy

• Keep Your Feet Healthy .................................................................................. 303

• Keep your Knees Healthy ............................................................................... 306
• Strengthen Your Feet ....................................................................................... 308

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Learn to Roll Through Your Feet

One of the earliest techniques that WCS dancers need to learn is rolling
through the feet.

Good foot articulation not only makes your dancing look smoother and
more controlled, but it also enables you to develop body flight throughout
your movement.

Many dancers struggle with rolling through the feet because their steps
are flat footed, and so there is not enough foot articulation to be able to
roll through.

In this drill, we’re going to address that issue by thinking about peeling the
feet off of the floor.

TAKE ACTION> Watch our #1 Footwork Drill for WCS

By articulating the foot as it comes off the floor, you can ensure that your
foot is in a good position to roll back onto the floor when you take your
next step.

The Drill: Stand with your feet next to each other in a turned out first
position, and put your weight entirely on one foot.

Slowly peel the unweighted foot off the floor.

As the knee of the unweighted leg bends, think of the heel coming off the
ground, then the midsection of the foot, then the ball, and finally the toes.

Notice the position of the foot as it finally comes off the ground. Because
your foot is pointed, the heel is further off the ground than the toes and
ball of the foot. That gives you space to roll through the foot when you
place that step.

Reverse the process to roll down through the foot: toe is in contact with
the ground, then the ball, then the midsection and finally the heel.

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Switch weight and repeat the process with the other foot.

As you are peeling each foot off the floor, pay attention to how the ankle
helps articulate the foot.

You should feel the ankle acting to point the foot as you get closer to the
toe and controlling the foot’s action as you bring the rear part of the foot
back into contact with the floor.

This is a drill, so over exaggerate the motion in order to develop the

peeling action.

When you are actually dancing WCS, you won’t have time to work all the
way to a pointed foot (especially on your triples), but the process of
peeling the foot off the floor in order to roll back onto the foot will help
your footwork look more controlled and deliberate.

Learn to Turnout Your Feet

“Keep your feet turned out” is as close to an absolute rule as WCS has.

Yet remembering to keep your feet turned out during fancy footwork is
hard.

How can you train your feet to stay turned out in any position?

This drill will focus on foot turnout through every position you put your
feet in. By repeating this exercise, you will build the muscle memory to
automatically turn out, no matter how strange the position you find
yourself.

Are you a WCS Beginner? Looking to become an intermediate dancer

quickly? The Ultimate Guide for Beginners has everything you need. It’s a
paid course but we really walk you through getting good at WCS step by
step!

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The Drill: For this drill, you’re going to freestyle dance. Start with your
feet in first position, with between 30° and 45° of turnout. (In other words,
your feet should form a maximum of half a right angle.)

Now start moving your feet.

The only rule for this exercise is that the feet have to keep the same
degree of turnout relative to each other. If your left foot rotates out, your
right foot needs to turn the same amount in the same direction. The feet
can be in any position—left in front, right hooked behind, right to the side,
whatever. But, the angle of the feet should not change.

For this drill, being more turned out is as bad as being turned in, because
your goal is to keep the angle between the feet exactly the same as when
you started.

As you continue to move your feet, you will discover when you need to
rotate your standing leg in order to keep the same degree of turnout. Keep
moving until you rotate your standing leg instinctively.

By continuously pushing your feet to keep the same degree of turnout,

you’ll become aware of the motions that tend to turn in, and you’ll also
train your supporting leg to adjust in order to avoid turning in.

How to Move Forward & Backward

(there is a difference)

When dancing, you need to switch between moving forward and moving
backward regularly, especially in a non-progressive dance like west coast
swing.

So, training yourself to move correctly for your direction of travel is an

important skill to master.

TAKE ACTION> Watch our Connection & Footwork video

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The Drill: Find a space large enough to walk in a circle, and begin walking
forward using the point technique: finger pointed forward from your rib
cage.

Continue walking as you turn around so that you are now going
backwards.

As you do so, flip from a point to a poke: finger poking into your navel.

You should feel your feet moving earlier than your upper body so you can
maintain your forward pitch as you move backwards.

Switch back and forth between the two directions, pointing when you are
moving forward and poking when you move backward.

The goal of this exercise is to train yourself to adjust your body mechanics
automatically when you move in a different direction, so keep practicing
until it becomes second nature.

Single Tracking – Walk Like a Dancer

Single tracking refers to the relative placement of the feet while

progressing down the slot.

In general, the heels of the feet should remain in a straight line, as if you
were walking on a balance beam.

This technique creates clean leg lines and allows for much better control
of the center’s movement.

If both feet remain on separate tracks, the resulting movement will waddle
between the two tracks—which is neither pretty nor efficient.

The Drill: Without a partner, practice walking forwards and backwards

while keeping your heels on a straight line. The feet should brush past
each other on every step

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For Leaders: Single tracking creates clean lines, but doing it constantly
creates a feminine look. On the follower’s side of the dance, femininity
looks elegant. On the leader’s side of the dance, it looks submissive and
unconfident. As a result, leaders are allowed to cheat slightly when single
tracking. It’s ok to have a slightly wider base between the feet on the
leader side of the dance; the feet don’t have to literally brush past each
other.

To be clear: double tracking looks like a sore cowboy rather than a

confident leader, so don’t let your feet extend outside of your hips on
normal steps. You are still single tracking—you just have a slightly wider
track to work with.

Keep Your Steps Small

Most dancers move too much.

When dancers take steps that are too large, they can run out of room at
the end of the slot; either the anchor, posture, or frame will suffer.

They can also struggle dancing to faster music because there simply isn’t
enough time to cover the distance.

Learning to dance small is not easy.

Because your steps are smaller, you have a smaller base to balance on as
you transfer your weight.

You also have a smaller area to cover as you move your center, which
means that you need to control a slower movement of your center in order
to fill the space between beats.

Smaller steps also require more foot and ankle control in order to roll
through the feet. In short, dancing with smaller steps requires a lot of body
control.

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This exercise is designed to practice dancing with smaller steps. It will be

challenging, especially if you aren’t very conscious of your step size or if
you are just learning to control your center.

Once you learn this skill, you’ll find that you have much better control not
just through your small steps, but also when you intentionally decide to
move further for styling.

STRUGGLING with West Coast Swing?

Check out our “Ultimate Guide for Beginners”
It’s our paid course designed to get you comfortable quickly!

The Drill: For this drill, use a short length of rope, a Thera band, or a
bungee cord.

Make a loop about the width of your hips and put the rope around your
ankles.

Be careful so you don’t trip yourself during the next phase of this
exercise—start slowly so you can get used to your limited mobility.

Dance your basics and be aware of the size of your steps. The loop will
limit your step size, forcing you to be keep your movements small.

As you dance, focus on maintaining your body flight throughout the

movement. You will need to control your weight transfer through every
part of your foot.

If you are struggling, pay attention to what part of your foot has your
weight at every moment. Start with broad areas: the front of the foot, the
heel, etc.

As you practice, work on feeling where your weight is more precisely:

instead of the front of the foot, narrow it down to the ball, behind the ball,
between the ball and toes, toes only, and so forth.

When you can feel smaller distinctions in where your weight is, then
continue practicing until you can control your weight at that smaller scale

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Tighten Up Your Footwork to the Music

If you watch a lot of WCS you’ll notice that pros dance through the beat in
a more precise manner than amateurs.

This post will show how you can shrink your footwork in order to improve
your timing, body control, and musicality.

The Drill: For this drill, you will want a medium to slow song that has a
very consistent beat. Alternatively, you may want to practice with a
metronome (such as the free Web Metronome).

Dance triple steps in place to the beat.

As you dance, pay attention to when exactly your foot is articulating

through the floor.

When is your foot first making contact with the floor? When are you
rolling to the ball of the foot? The heel? When does your foot actually start
taking weight?

As you ask these questions, you will discover answers that are not
consistent.

These are the elements that you should practice.

How precise can you be about where you are in the stepping process?

A good checkpoint is to have weight on the ball of your foot when the beat
actually attacks, which means that your foot will actually start to contact
the floor before the beat. See how consistent you can make your footwork
around that checkpoint.

You can take this drill as far as you want.

Once you’ve achieved a level of consistency, you can shrink your personal
tolerance window and try to be even more precise about when your foot is

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doing something. The pros have ridiculously tight tolerance windows, but
you can work up to that level if you are willing to invest the practice time.

Smooth out Your Dancing

Moving Forward
We often describe great dancers as having “body flight,” but what does
that mean?

Body flight is hard to define, but you can see it when the movement of the
center is perfectly controlled during the entire process of moving from
one foot to another.

There are a lot of skills that go into creating great body flight, including
rolling through the feet and using the sending foot.

This drill puts a number of these skills together.

You will practice controlling your center’s movement as you go

incrementally through the foot and to the next foot, using both your
sending and receiving legs to control the flight of your body’s center.

TAKE ACTION> Watch this drill on video

The Drill: Find a space where you can walk forward in a straight line.

Start with your feet together and put all of your weight on one foot.

Throughout this drill, you are going to imagine that there is a laser pointing
straight down from your center to the floor so that you can see where you
weight is.

Right now, the laser dot showing where your weight is should be in the
middle of your foot on the front-to-back axis and centered or slightly
towards the inside on the left-to-right axis.

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Use your supporting leg to slowly move the dot forward, towards your toe
base. As you get to the toes, let your free leg move in front of you and
place it down, but do not commit any weight yet. The dot should still be
over the toe base of your rear (supporting) foot.

Now, continue to push through the rear foot while simultaneously using
the front foot as a brake to your movement. You should be able to move
the dot so that it rests just in front of your rear foot. In this position, you
are literally split weight—your center of gravity is hovering between your
legs.

Now using your rear leg to push you forward and your front leg to control
the energy, continue to slowly move the dot forward until it reaches the
heel of your front leg. At this point, there should be no weight on the rear
leg.

Slowly move your weight forward from the heel up to the toe base of your
supporting leg, and as you get to the toe base let the trailing leg move
forward past the supporting leg.

Repeat this drill as you continue to move forward step by step.

Moving Backwards
Previously we worked on controlling our center movement during
forward steps.

Now it’s time to extend that drill so that we can have just as much control
when going backwards.

In this drill, we’re again going to imagine that there’s a laser pointer aiming
straight down from our center to the floor, and we’re going to watch how
the dot on the floor moves through out feet.

If you haven’t read it, take a look at the previous section for details.

The Drill: Start with your weight fully on one foot, and visualize the dot
that represents where your center is over the foot.

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Adjust your positioning so that the dot is directly over the ball of the foot
(front to back) and either in the center of the foot or slightly inside of
center (left to right).

Slowly move your center backwards, visualizing the dot moving from the
ball of your foot through the middle of the foot and all the way back to the
heel.

When the dot reaches the front edge of the heel, continue to slowly move
the dot backwards as your free leg brushes past your supporting leg and
then reaches back.

As the toe base of your free leg makes contact with the ground, the dot
should be around the center of your front heel.

Using the toe base to control your motion, continue bringing the dot
backwards until it is just behind your front foot.

You should feel like your back leg is bracing you, although the weight is
closer to the front leg.

Control the motion of the dot as you smoothly transition your center
through the space between your feet.

You should feel like you are working the toe base of your back foot.

As the dot reaches the toe base of your back foot, you should be able to
release your front leg. Leave the leg in place, but without any weight, as
you move the dot through the new supporting leg, and finally gather and
move the leg backwards as the dot reaches the heel of the new supporting
leg.

Learn to Create Power, Grace & Control

Watch some videos of great dancers, and you’ll notice that the all seem to
project through space with a lot of power, grace and control.

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If you want to learn that same kind of power, grace or control of these
dancers, you’ll need to start using your sending foot.

Learning to use the sending foot is crucial to controlling your center, and
improving your dancing!

In this drill, we’re going to practice using the sending foot in your core
WCS patterns.

Whenever beginners are taught to dance west coast swing, the instructor
teaches the footwork based on which foot is moving.

For leaders, their first step is back on the left; for followers, forward on the
right.

This method of teaching makes sense for a lot of reasons, but it overlooks
the role of the sending foot in creating the movement.

So, we’re going to fill in the gap.

Instead of thinking about which foot is moving, we’re going to concentrate

on the foot that is stationary.

By concentrating on what that foot is doing—pressing off the floor in order

to propel the center until it can be caught by the moving foot—we can
make the dance much more grace and control.

The Drill: Find some space to dance your basic footwork to pushes, passes
& whips.

As you dance, think about the sending foot rather than the receiving foot.

This is probably the opposite of how you were taught to dance, so let’s
explain what you should be thinking.

Leaders: instead of starting with your left foot, think of starting by pushing
off your right foot.

Then push off your left foot for count 2.

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On the triple, think of pushing off right-and-right (3&4), then for the
anchor pushing off left-and-left (5&6).

Followers: think of pushing off your left foot to start your forward motion,
instead of stepping with your right.

Then on count 2, push off your right. For 3&4, think push left-and-left, and
for the anchor think of pushing off right-and-right.

For both leaders and followers: you are doing the same footwork as
normal.

Leaders, your left foot is going back on 1; followers, your right goes
forward.

What has changed is which foot you are concentrating on.

Instead of focusing on the foot that is moving, you are thinking about the
foot that is not moving and thus can push off the ground.

Do this drill until pushing onto the next foot becomes comfortable.

By thinking about your sending foot, you will be much closer to achieving
the power, grace and control of top dancers!

Transitional Weight (advanced concept)

Transitional weight is a concept that describes a common led syncopation.

It’s certainly not a basic but let’s talk about transitional weight and its
basic concepts.

The basic idea is that a dancer takes the first two steps of a triple, but the
third step remains unweighted—usually in a line or pose.

Then, the dancer takes a weighted step on the & in order to get back on
“normal” footwork.

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Beginners are usually introduced to transitional weight in the hip catch.

TAKE ACTION> Watch the Hip Catch Pattern Here

Take the basic hip catch pattern: from a leader’s right hand and follower’s
left hand connection, the follower is wrapped up on the leader’s left side
(roll in), and then the leader catches the follower’s hip on the roll out.

The roll in finishes on count 4, and up to this point the footwork of both
the leader and follower is normal.

On the roll out to the hip catch, the transition weight syncopation begins.
For the follower, she unrolls as she steps down the slot on her left foot on
5. By the & of 5, she feels the leader’s hand on her hip and steps together
or slightly down the track with her right foot in order to fill the hand.

On 6, instead of finishing the triple with her left foot (which would take her
away from the connection on her hip), she continues to fill the connection
point of the hand on her hip and points the left leg in a second position line.

The leader syncopates in the same way: stepping right, left on 5 & and then
settling into the left leg and creating a line with the right on 6.

To exit, both partners need to take an extra step in order to make up for
the unweighted pose on 6. This is the transition: the dancers transition
their weight to the posed leg in order to fix their footwork. This transition
usually happens on an & count before a downbeat so the footwork is fixed
for the next two beat increment.

Continuing our example, the leader is going to give the follower a free spin
exit from the hip catch.

He shifts his weight to his right leg on the & before 7, which causes the
follower to also shift her weight to her posed (left) leg. Now they are on
their normal footwork: the follower can do a free spin on 7&8 just like the
3&4 of a normal free spin or inside roll while the leader does his triple on
the side of the slot, then both anchor at the end of the slot on 9&10.

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Transition weight is used frequently when a couple is creating extra

stretch or holding a pose. Leaders need to be aware of when they are
asking for transition weight in order to have the follower on the correct
foot to initiate spins, and followers need to be comfortable with transition
weight in order to maintain the connection during delayed movements.

To become more comfortable with transition weight, watch videos of pros

dancing for examples of transition weight.

Start by looking at various catches: hip catches, shoulder catches, etc. You
may also see transition weight on slingshots, whips (especially two-handed
whips), and when coming out of play.

Add Style to Your Walks

Because west coast swing is a two-beat dance, styling & play happen in
two-beat units.

So, if you can fill two-beat units with stylized movement, you can look
good while you or your partner play.

There are a lot of syncopations available when you play. However, the
safest option is walks.

A pair of walking steps is finished every two beats, so you can naturally go
from walking back to the WCS pattern structure. And, unlike triples, walks
will end on the same foot after every two beats.

With triples (or other odd rhythm syncopations like rondes or drags), you
can be caught on the wrong foot if your partner ends the play before you
do.

Advanced dancers can learn to fix their footwork, but when you’re starting
off it’s easier to not worry about being on the wrong foot in the first place.

TAKE ACTION> Watch 5 Ways to Style your Anchor Step

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The Drill: By yourself, put on some music and start taking walking steps:
one step on every beat

Your goal is to add some life to these walks.

This is an experimental drill, so just try things and see what feels good.

You can try transferring your weight faster or slower, being more staccato
or smooth, using more or less hip, changing levels, adding shoulder hits or
chest pops, etc. At this stage, there isn’t a right or wrong way of doing
things.

Your goal is to experiment with as many configurations as possible. Most

of them will feel weird, and that’s okay.

What you are trying to do is find the 10% or so of movements that feel like
they might be worth polishing up.

Remember that you are dancing with the music: use the music to inspire
your choices. If you are hearing drawn out vocal phrases, find some part of
your body that can match that draw. It can be your shoulders, your arm,
your feet, whatever. Use the sounds you hear to suggest ideas for how
your body can move. Again, most of this will be junk.

Keep trying different things until you find an option that isn’t awful.

Once you have found a movement that might have potential, go in front of
a mirror, a video camera, or a trusted friend.

Practice doing the movement in different ways. Refine your

understanding of how your body creates the motion so you can control
how it looks every time. This is not always a short process. You might be
able to figure out the movement quickly if you are very kinesthetically
aware, but for most people it will take a while. The good news is that this
process of practicing will make you more able to control new movements
in the future, so the tenth session will be much easier than the first.

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This is the part of dancing that is challenging to teach because it requires

adaptation to your body.

No pro can just give you a movement—you need to learn how

to put that movement in your body.

You can get ideas and inspiration from what other dancers do, but unless
you put in the practice time discovering how it works for your body, it
won’t translate to the dance floor.

Want more styling ideas?

We have a complete, step by step guide for you!

Leaders: The Ultimate Guide to Styling for Leaders

Followers: The Ultimate Guide to Ladies Styling

Creating Footwork that Matches the Music

One of the most common types of contrast within a song is between

smooth and crisp sounds.

Vocalists will draw out some syllables and punch others; instruments will
let some chords ring while others are attacked and then silenced.

Great dancers show these moments of contrast within their bodies.

TAKE ACTION> Download the #1 Key to Musicality

In this drill, you’ll practice adding contrast to your footwork by changing

how your feet make contact with the floor.

Footwork is a great place to show the contrast between smooth and crisp
sounds because your feet are always moving. By making your footwork
show the difference between these sounds, you can be musical no matter
what pattern you are dancing.

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For followers, changing the way you take your steps is really useful when
your leader isn’t letting you syncopate your footwork but you still want to
show that you hear the music doing something different.

The Drill: For this exercise, practice walking forward at a slow rhythm.

As you walk, pay attention to how your feet connect with the floor.
Specifically, focus on the moment after your free foot is extended in front
of you, but before your weight transfers onto the foot.

If you have practiced rolling through your feet, this is the point when you
would start to articulate through the forward foot.

If you practice a heel lead, you should be releasing the ankle to allow the
heel to connect with the floor. If you use a toe lead, you will be letting the
toe and then the ball of the foot make contact.

Either will work for the next part of the drill.

The first version of the drill is to practice letting your foot continue gliding
forward at this point.

The bottom of the shoe is touching the floor, but because your weight is
not fully over the front foot you can still let the foot glide forward. It can
help to make an S sound in your head—”sssssss”—as the shoe brushes
across the floor. This glide forward will only be an inch or two, but it is
enough to create a little extra smoothness in your footwork.

Once you have practiced the S variation, it’s time to add some crispness to
your footwork. Again, start the drill by stepping forward. However, this
time, your foot’s forward motion should halt when your shoe pushes into
the floor.

Instead of an S sound, think of making a T—a sharp, staccato sound. Your

goal is for the foot to “stick” to the floor as soon as you begin to roll
through the foot: no further movement is allowed.

After practicing both smooth and crisp variations, try mixing them up.

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Start walking and alternate between taking “ssss” steps and “T” steps.

When you feel comfortable switching between the two, dance a song of
basics and listen for opportunities to use each type of footwork during the
song.

Looking to connect your dancing to the music?

Watch the #1 Key to Musicality for WCS

6 Anchor Step Variations

The anchor is arguably the essential element of west coast swing.

A true anchor is not a specific foot position; it is a connection that occurs

at the end of a pattern.

So, any combination of footwork or body movement that produces the

correct connection can be an anchor.

This flexibility—along with the fact that every pattern ends in an anchor—
makes the anchor a logical place to begin introducing variations into your
dance.

Are you visual?

Watch these on video!
Download – 5 Ways to Style Your Anchor Step

1 – Side-and-Third Anchors
To be an anchor, any anchor variation must maintain the away connection
that characterizes the anchor. The standard third foot position anchor is
designed to make that connection automatic. We’re going to start
changing the anchor with a variation that ends in third foot position in
order to make it as easy as possible to sustain that connection. Thus, this
drill will work on the side-and-third anchor. Learn the Side-and-Thrid
Anchor

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2 – Cross-and-Third Anchors
The next anchor variation is the cross-and-third anchor. This variation is
tricky because the feet come towards your partner on the first beat of the
anchor, but you still need to keep your body back. This drill will work on
maintaining the proper anchor connection during this variation. Learn the
Cross-and-Third Anchor

3 – Hook-and-Third Anchors
In the cross-and-third anchor, you learned to move the start of the anchor
towards your partner without changing the connection. The hook-and-
third anchor does the opposite: you start by hooking your anchor foot
behind your supporting leg, and the key is to keep your weight back even
as you recover from the hook. Learn theHook-and-Third Anchor

4 – Back-and-Third Anchors
In addition to taking the first step of your anchor either side, you can
check backwards. The back-and-third creates a great leg line, but can be
tricky to perform while maintaining the anchor connection. Learn the
Back-and-Third Anchor

5 – Anchors Ending to the Side

So far, our anchor variations have played with the first step of our triple.
We’ve worked on keeping the anchor connection regardless of whether
the first step crosses in front, moves to the side, or hooks behind.

As you practiced those variations, you may have felt a bit awkward in
returning to a third foot position to finish the anchor. There’s a reason for
that: the first part of the variation built some energy with the shaping to
the front/side/back, and now you need to go somewhere with it. These
variations will give you that somewhere to go with that energy. Learn the
Anchor Ending-to-the-Side

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6 – Anchors Ending in a Cross

Our last variation introduced anchors that ended to the side. Another
common ending position is the cross, in which the anchor foot is crossed in
front of the other leg. This ending position occurs in a lot of more
complicated anchor variations, such as the side-and-cross; for this drill,
we’ll focus on a simpler version with a third-and-cross. Learn the Anchor-
Ending-in-a-Cross

Are you visual?

Watch these on video!
Download – 5 Ways to Style Your Anchor Step

Stretch your Anchor Step

Many dancers struggle to roll through their feet.

Especially when the music gets fast, it’s easy to dance flat-footed or fall
through the foot so quickly that the roll gets lost.

Most footwork exercises emphasize rolling through the last step of the
triple because that step gets more time, and so there’s more opportunity
to roll through the foot.

This is an important foundational skill.

But, if you only practice taking time through the “step” of “tri-ple step,” the
first two weight changes of the triple get neglected.

In this exercise, we’re going to give our focus to the first two steps of the
triple so they aren’t neglected.

TAKE ACTION> Watch this a version of this drill on video

This drill is a corrective: we’re going to over-emphasize the first two steps
even if it means the last step gets short shrift.

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In the wild, you’ll want to strike a balance so all the steps get their
appropriate length, but for this drill we’re going to err on the side of
putting too much focus on the first two steps because it’s so easy to
neglect them during practice.

The Drill: Put on a slow song and dance triples while rolling through your
feet. As you do so, think about the tri- and -ple parts of the “tri-ple step”
cadence being really long.

Normally, dancers think about triples with the focus on the last beat. The
cadence tri-ple step encourages you to draw out the last foot action by
lengthening the step into something that sounds like “steeeeep.”

By contrast, tri- and -ple become quick sounds.

The effect is to dance “short short long” (or even “short short looong,”
really drawing out the long sound).

In this exercise, make the tri- and -ple weight changes long sounds as well.
Think “long long longer” rather than “short short long.” As you dance to
long sounds on the first two steps of the triple, concentrate on feeling your
foot articulate all the way through the sound.

At first, you will probably be late on your weight changes. That’s ok. Keep
practicing.

Eventually, you will be able to sustain the long sound on the first two steps
of the triple while staying on time.

Doing so requires a lot of control, so keep working at it!

The end result will be much better footwork through your entire triple,
not just the last part.

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Learn the Syncopated Triple (advanced)

West coast swing pulses on the upbeats, so our normal triple step is
designed to give a full beat of music to the upbeat; the & of the triple
comes between the downbeat and the upbeat.

Watch Megan & I use the syncopated triple in this video

The syncopated triple rhythm flips this pulse: the & count occurs before
the downbeat in order to make the downbeat feel accented.

The Drill: Without a partner, put on a song and practice doing triple steps
with the basic rhythm. Then, switch to syncopated triples. Since the & now
comes before the downbeat, you need to start the & count as soon as you
finish the previous upbeat. There’s no time for a coffee break.

Once you can fluidly do the syncopated triples, try dancing basic rhythms
and alternating between syncopated triples and standard triples.

A word of caution: It is very easy for syncopated triples to become your

basic rhythm because so much contemporary WCS music has frequent
accents on the downbeats.

Push break and tuck-based moves are particularly vulnerable, since it is

extraordinarily easy to use the &3 to hit an accent and then dance out on
the 4, rather than letting the compression build through 3&.

When you are practicing syncopated triples, be sure

that you are doing them deliberately and that your
basic still remains the standard triple rhythm.

For the tempting moves like push breaks and tucks, I would strongly
recommend that you finish a session by practicing those moves a couple of
times with normal triples to make sure that you reinforce the standard
rhythm.

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Bonus Variations: Just like you can stylize your normal triples with
different foot positions, you can also change up the foot placement for
syncopated triples. Experiment to find out what positions work for your
body and practice putting those movements into specific patterns or
anchors

Looking to take your dancing to a different level?

Want to master musicality for WCS?
Check out “The Ultimate Guide to Musicality”

Learning to Stay on Balance

Beginning dancers tend to spend a lot of time dancing split weight.

They don’t complete their weight transfers, and as a result feel off-
balanced, slow, or stuck when dancing through a pattern.

When dancers learn how to finish their weight transfers, however, the
opposite problem can occur.

They can transfer all of their weight to the active foot and let the free leg
lose tone.

When the free leg becomes entirely disconnected, it is harder to be

grounded, the lines are not as good, and fast movements become less
controlled.

In this drill, we’ll work on getting pressure into the free foot in order to
stay balanced.

If you tend to dance split weight, this drill is not for you right now—you
should focus on clearly transferring your center between your feet. But, if
you are cleanly weighted over one leg at a time, this drill will help you keep
energy through your free leg.

TAKE ACTION> Download our #1 Drill for Balance in WCS

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The Drill:

On your own, dance through your basics slowly.

Focus on keeping some energy into your non-weighted foot.

If you think mechanically, aim for 10% of your body weight.

You should have enough energy to keep the leg engaged and feel the
pressure of the floor, but not enough to require your center to move if you
release the foot.

If you have a partner, he or she can test you by trying to push your free
foot with their foot. If your partner can easily move your foot, you aren’t
maintaining enough energy into the floor.

You should be able to sustain energy into the floor during all of your
movements, unless you are deliberately picking the foot off the ground
(for instance, in a kick ball-change).

TAKE ACTION> Download our #1 Drill for Balance in WCS

Don’t Rush Your Triple Steps

Many dancers habitually syncopate their triples.

Instead of dancing 3&4, they dance &3, 4.

While there’s nothing wrong with a syncopation when done intentionally,

doing it all the time is a bad habit that should be corrected.

Syncopating the triple is common on tuck-type movements because it

creates the compression on the downbeat, which is very useful when you
need to accent a musical hit. However, many dancers use that syncopation
inadvertently in all of their movements—regardless of whether or not
there is an accent or if the syncopation would show anything in that
pattern.

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The syncopated triple introduces some problems when done habitually.

The biggest issue is that it encourages rushing.

In order to step the & before the downbeat, the dancer had to cut short
the step beforehand (e.g., count 2 before a 3&4 triple that was syncopated
to &3, 4). Now the dancer has to done several short steps and has to fill the
time for both the 3 and the 4 with one step per beat.

Many dancers struggle with that change.

Newer dancers will frequently end up off time—too early—for their

anchor.

Are you a Beginner? I’ve got something that will cover all the bases for
your! Check out “the Ultimate Guide for Beginners”

Looking to Improve Your Musicality? From Staying on time to connecting

your patterns to the music, The Ultimate Guide to Musicality has it all!

More experienced dancers will delay their movement to start the anchor
on time, but lose body flight during that time because they can’t control
their movement that slowly.

Habitually syncopating the triple also affects your partner. It can change
their timing if you are not good at maintaining your body flight unchanged
when altering your footwork.

Syncopating unintentionally can also take away styling options from

your partner.

As a result, it’s important to be deliberate when you want to syncopate—

and to keep the standard rhythm as your default.

The Drill: Put on some music and dance basic patterns while concentrating
on the timing of your first triple.

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Be certain that your first step of the triple happens on 3, not before. It can
be helpful to have a friend watch without dancing and check your timing
(or record yourself to check on video).

Be vigilant about your timing.

Because the syncopated triple is an unintentional habit for many people,

you may not realize that you are stepping before the beat.

Having a partner or video as an objective reference is helpful, but

ultimately you need to become aware of when you are moving your feet.

Pay attention!

Because the syncopated triple is so common in tuck-style patterns, be sure

to dance a lot of passing tuck turns, sugar tucks, etc. to non-syncopated
timing.

You may find it easier to practice this exercise with music that does not
feature many accents on the downbeats.

Blues music or old school R&B are great choices; contemporary music is
more likely to accidentally reinforce your bad habits because the music
naturally includes hits on the downbeats.

Don’t Fall into Your Anchor Step

One of the characteristics of west coast swing is the away connection on

the anchor.

But, many beginner dancers misinterpret what an away connection is, and
so their upper bodies pitch back.

Instead of looking graceful and solid, they instead look off-balance.

Today, we’re going to fix that!

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TAKE ACTION> Watch a variation of this drill on video

The purpose of today’s drill is to get you thinking about human movement.

In general, humans are not symmetrical front to back: our spines are
towards the rear of our bodies, our ribcage and pelvis come forward from
the spine, and our feet stick out in front of us.

Because the human body has more weight forward of the spine than
behind the spine, we naturally pitch forward a couple of degrees whenever
we move.

This pitch has a dramatic impact on how we move forwards and

backwards.

When moving forwards, the movement is initiated from a higher place

because the pitch of our body causes the upper half of our body to move
beyond our current base of support (i.e., the feet) first, and then we take a
step in order to catch our body in a new location.

If you try to go backwards from a high place, though, you’ll immediately

end up off balance.

Trying to move backwards from a high place is one of the key reasons that
beginning dancers look off-balance and unnaturally arched back. It’s also a
major factor in why beginners struggle with straightening their legs: if you
pitch your upper body back, that creates a lot of stress in the lumbar spine,
and the body’s natural way of compensating is to bend the knees.

So how do you fix the issue?

Simple: you move backwards from a lower place.

The Drill: For this exercise, you are going to walk backwards down a set of
stairs.

This drill is great for teaching you to move backwards from a low place
because you’ll immediately feel uncomfortable if you try to initiate your
movement by taking you upper body back.

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Start towards the top of the stairs and face towards the upper level.

Take your time to step down a step while still facing the upward direction.

You should feel like your movement starts from the somewhere near the
hips.

If you’re not sure that you’re moving correctly, just try to move down from
your upper body. For this, start only one step above ground level and hold
onto the railing for safety.

Slowly move your upper body back until you feel like you need to take a
step. It should feel dramatically different, and there should be no question
in your mind about which is more stable.

Go back to walking down backwards with your lower body leading. Go as

slowly as you need to feel stable—this is not a speed drill.

The goal is to train yourself to feel what it is like to initiate your backwards
movement from a lower place.

When you can do that consistently, move away from the stairs and try to
move backwards on a flat floor using the same idea.

Clean up Messy Footwork

One of the keys to a strong, confident appearance is having your feet

turned out.

Feet that are turned in look weak, and parallel feet can look turned in from
the wrong angle.

That’s why WCS pros constantly pay attention to turnout in their own
dancing and with their students.

Today’s drill is an exercise to keep your feet turned out, no matter how
crazy the position you end up in.

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By focusing on swiveling the supporting leg, you will stay turned out and
avoid the ugly lines that come from pigeon-toed feet.

TAKE ACTION> Download my favorite footwork drill

The Drill: Start with your feet in first foot position (heels next to each
other), and point your toes away from each other at about a 30° angle.

Your goal is to maintain this relative orientation of your feet through the
exercise.

In other words, if you rotate your left foot to the left, your right foot
should rotate to the left by the same amount. If one foot rotates to the
right, the other foot must rotate to match it. It doesn’t matter where the
feet are—you can step to the side, go forward or back, cross in front or
hook behind, but the relative orientation can’t change.

Start by moving your feet around slowly to feel how you can keep this
relative orientation.

After a while, you should notice that the supporting leg needs to rotate
when you are taking a step; if you wait until you land the new step, the
original foot will be out of sync for a little bit. (If you are rotating in the
direction of the supporting leg, you would be temporarily pigeon-toed.
Rotating the other direction would over-turn out your feet, which isn’t as
bad visually but still is not ideal.)

Keep Your Feet Healthy

Dancers put a lot of stress on their feet, and foot injuries are common.

Would you like to keep your feet healthy?

With just a little bit of background in your foot physiology, you can not
only improve your dancing but also reduce your risk of serious foot
injuries.

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If you are an engineer, you probably know that two of the most stable
natural structures are the arch and the triangle.

If you look around you, you’ll see these structures everywhere—in bridges
and cars, in tripods and braces.

Your foot is also designed with both of these structures. In fact, the foot is
supported through a triangle of arches.

It should be no surprise that our most stable natural position is when our
weight is carried equally on all three points, so the load of our body is
distributed across all three arches.

As dancers, we know that we shouldn’t carry ourselves on the outside of

our foot.

Rolling out, or supinating, to the lateral longitudinal arch makes your ankle
unstable.

This is one of the reasons that you lose control of a spin when you
supinate. But we often overcorrect, putting most of the weight on the
inside of the foot. When we do this, we risk overstressing the medial
longitudinal arch, which can cause all kinds of problems: ankle sprains,
stress fractures, plantar fasciitis, and more.

Our “neutral” foot position should use both the medial and lateral arch,
balancing our weight between all three points of the tripod.

Some of you may be wondering, “What about the three-toe base?”

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The concept of the three-toe base is that the dancer should use the big toe
and the two toes next to it when moving.

Although using the three-toe base and using the whole foot tripod seem
incompatible, the three-toe base actually fits in perfectly with the
physiology we have looked at so far.

Let’s get more specific about the bone structure of the foot and how the
arches relate to the bones.

What we call the toes are really the phalanges, which connect to the rest
of the foot via the metatarsals.

The medial longitudinal arch runs from the heel bone, or the calcaneus, up
to the first, second, and third metatarsals.

The three-toe base is one of the endpoints of our triangle of arches.

There are two things that the concept of the three-toe base does.

First, as WCS legend Skippy Blair herself writes in her explanation of the
three-toe base, the concept was created because “more than a few
dancers roll their weight to the outside of their feet.”

In other words, the three-toe base was designed as a concept in order to

make sure that the medial arch wasn’t neglected.

Second, Skippy emphasizes that the three-toe base should stretch the toe
base in order to avoid bunions. Bunions are the result of having too much
pressure on the big toe. The big toe isn’t designed to support that much
weight, so the weight should instead be spread to the three-toe base.

This is exactly what the arches of the foot show us: the big toe lies beyond
the medial longitudinal arch (and the anterior transverse arch), so putting
weight on the toe is going to underutilize the lateral longitudinal arch and
overstress the medial arch.

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The three-toe base is a corrective for two common mistakes:

1. supinating the foot

2. using the big toe to bear weight.

The reason both of these corrections are necessary is because of how the
foot is biomechanically designed to bear weight among the three main
arches.

It’s true that if you tried to dance on only the three-toe base, you would
overstress the medial arch.

But it should be clear that dancing only on the three-toe base doesn’t
make physiological sense.

Use the concept of the three-toe base to help correct common foot
posture mistakes, but remember the neutral tripod position that your foot
is designed to sustain.

Keep your Knees Healthy

Are your knees sore after dancing?

If you want to dance for a long time—whether all night long or for the rest
of your life—you need to take care of your body.

Unfortunately, it’s easy to stress your knees while doing WCS.

If you are working on your turnout, and you aren’t using the right
technique, you may be setting yourself up for an injury down the line.

There are two ways you can turn out your feet. When most teachers tell
their students to have turnout, they just visually show what turnout looks
like. Unfortunately, the visual cue is misleading.

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When you see someone turn out their foot, it looks like the foot is what’s
rotating.

But if you rotate the foot, you are actually torqueing the knee in a
direction it’s not meant to go.

Try an experiment: put your feet together, pointing forward.

While keeping the heel down, slowly turn out from the foot as far as you
can before you feel a strain on the inside of your knee.

What you just felt is the bad version of turnout.

The knee is a hinge joint, which means that it is designed to bend forwards
and backwards. It is not designed to handle rotational movement (as
anyone who has torn an ACL can confirm).

But when you turn out from the foot, the rotation has to go somewhere,
and the knee is the next joint in the line.

Now let’s try that experiment again. Put your feet together, and this time
lift one foot off the ground.

Rotate the entire leg, from the hip down, as a unit.

The shin, knee, and toes should all remain in alignment.

Do you feel how much further you can turnout?

The hip joint that connects the pelvis to the leg is a ball-and-socket joint,
which is designed for rotation.

Put simply, your body is built to turn out from the hip. (Note that you don’t
have to lift the foot off the ground in order to turn out from the hip; it’s
just easier to feel that way.)

The Drill: Practice any of your footwork exercises while keeping your feet
turned out. Every time your foot moves, think about turning out from the
hip. It’s that simple!

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Bonus Variations: Turning out from the hip is a great skill to practice
during your normal day. As you stand up from a chair, take 10 seconds to
rotate your leg open from the hip joint. Not only will you improve your
dancing and reduce your risk of knee injuries, but you will also get a nice
stretch!

Strengthen Your Feet

The smooth look of west coast swing is created by rolling through the feet.

Controlling the roll requires a good amount of strength through the arch
of the foot and the calf.

Dancers without the strength to control this motion will fall through the
foot and appear flat-footed even when they step with a ball-heel action.

This exercise is great for developing your calf and arch strength.

As you practice, be aware of your body’s limits: it’s okay for the body to be
sore, but never ignore pain.

You will need to practice this exercise regularly in order to build up the
stamina to control your rolling action for an entire song.

The Drill: Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart, toes turned
out slightly.

Put your weight over the balls of your feet. Slowly push through the balls
in order to lift the heels off the ground. Go as high as your foot strength
will allow, then slowly lower your heels back down.

This drill is intended to develop control, so move slowly—especially when

going downwards. The downward control is emphasized in west coast
because the feet usually roll from the ball down to the heel.

Try doing this drill to a slow song, raising for four beats and then lowering
for four beats.

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Be aware of each part of the arch as you move.

Your ankles are more vulnerable when your weight is on the outside of the
foot, so concentrate on keeping the weight towards the inside edge of
each foot.

You should feel your thighs working with your calves to keep your feet
from rolling to the outside edge.

Bonus Variations: As you develop your strength, you can increase the
intensity of this exercise by pushing up closer to the toe, taking longer to
raise or lower your feet, or working one foot at a time with the other foot
off the ground.

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Practicing

The how’s & why’s of practice

• Why Practice Works ......................................................................................... 313

• Why Practice Your Basics............................................................................... 314
• What Should You Focus on For Max Results? ........................................ 315
• Breaking Things Down for Rapid Improvement .................................... 317
• How to get Good at WCS (hint. It’s not what you think) .................... 319
• What You Practice Matters ........................................................................... 320
• Does Practice Make Perfect .......................................................................... 322
• How and Why You Should Keep a Practice Log .................................... 324

Practice models

• The Chess Model of Practice ......................................................................... 326

• The Sports Model of Practice ........................................................................ 327
• The Music Model of Practice ......................................................................... 330
• Deliberate Practice ........................................................................................... 332

Practice thoughts & ideas

• Practice what you know to get good fast ................................................. 339

• Practice what you don’t know to get good fast. .................................... 340
• Why you should practice slow ...................................................................... 342
• Why you should practice fast ........................................................................ 343
• Why you Should Practice Your Strengths ............................................... 344
• Learning by Overcorrection .......................................................................... 345
• Practicing Blindfolded ...................................................................................... 346
• Learn to Practice with No Music.................................................................. 348

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• Try this to Improve Your Creativity ........................................................... 349

• A Fun Way to Use Social Dancing as Practice ........................................ 351

Popular Articles

• Top 5 Drills to Improve your Dancing in 30 Seconds .......................... 351

• 10 Things Good WCS Dancers Do Differently ...................................... 354

Mental challenges & frustrations

• Overcoming Frustration in Dancing........................................................... 356

• Cracking Under Pressure................................................................................ 359
• There are no Natural Dancers ...................................................................... 360
• How to Sustain Your Motivation to Improve ......................................... 361
• How to Fail Better.............................................................................................. 362
• Learn to Dance Without Thinking ............................................................... 363
• What Tiger Woods can teach us about WCS! ........................................ 364
• How to Figure Out Why You’re Making Mistakes ............................... 366
• Top 10 Struggles of WCS Dancers .............................................................. 369

Practice without a partner

• The Value of Solo Practice .............................................................................. 375

• How to practice alone ...................................................................................... 377

Practice with a partner

• 6 Tips for Practicing with a Partner ............................................................ 379

• Dancing with different partners .................................................................. 381
• Improve Your Social Dancing with This Drill .......................................... 381

How to get the most out of your lessons

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• 3 Tips to Better Private Lessons .................................................................. 383

• How to get the Most out of Your Group Classes .................................. 385
• How to Practice After a Workshop ............................................................ 387

Using technology

• It All Starts with Video ..................................................................................... 389

• Being Inspired by YouTube Videos ............................................................. 389
• Watching Yourself on Video .......................................................................... 391
• 4 Ways to Improve Your Dancing with Technology ............................ 394

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Why Practice Works

Have you ever wondered why practice works?

For complex skills like hitting a baseball, analyzing a chess board, or

dancing, your brain needs to coordinate a lot of activity between the areas
of the brain involved in the skill.

In physical terms, there are a lot of neural pathways that need to be

activated at just the right times in order to process all of the information
that goes into the behavior and be able to perform activities.

TAKE ACTION> Read “5 Drills for WCS in 30 Seconds”

How you brain reacts to practice.

Every time you practice, you repeatedly stimulate the nerves involved in
the activity. As a result, those nerves begin to develop thicker myelin
sheaths and thus can communicate with other nerves more efficiently.

In other words, practice reshapes your brain, at the neural level, so you
can more effectively process all of the information you need.

The effects of practice are dramatic.

If you watch a brand new group of dancers, you will doubtlessly see people
stumbling over their own feet, moving off time, and losing track of their
partners.

Advanced dancers still need to be aware of where their feet are. However,
they are now also thinking of the timing of the song, their partner, and in
fact are usually thinking about more complicated ideas as well, such as
when the next hit is coming and what kind of styling their partner likes to
do.

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The reason advanced dancers can process all of that information is that
their brains have gotten really good at keeping track of all the dance-
related information. Now, they don’t have to spend extra effort thinking
about which foot to move next!

How fast is the process?

The process of myelination is relatively slow. This is why repetition is so
important for effective practice. Current research suggests that it takes at
least 300 repetitions in order to learn a new skill.

The bad news is, there is no shortcut!

If you don’t put in the time, your brain will need to work harder to perform
the skill.

The good news is, that repetition is within your power and your friend.

Every good rep makes a little contribution towards your brain’s

development. So go out there and practice! Change your brain, and you’ll
change your dance. That’s why practice works!

Why Practice Your Basics

It is no accident that expert performers spend hours practicing the

fundamentals of their craft. Every day, NBA players shoot free throws,
instrumentalists play their scales, and MLB players take batting practice.

Science provides an explanation for why experts continue to drill their

basics, and why dancers should as well!

Because the brain continually adapts through practice, the performance of

any skill becomes more automatic. However, that automaticity comes at a
cost:

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Once a skill becomes automatic, the brain tends to pay less attention
to the finer points of the action.

Lots of WCS dancers experience this kind of automaticity! If you have any
habitual movements — you are experiencing this kind of automaticity.

By going back to your basics, you can keep your habitual movements from
taking over your dance and improve more rapidly.

TAKE ACTION> Learn the Basics of WCS here

What Should You Focus on For Max Results?

It’s easy to become overwhelmed by a dance like west coast swing. There
are so many patterns, concepts, and skills to work on—how do you choose
between cleaning up your basics, mastering pot stirs, learning musicality,
picking up new footwork variations, and understanding how to play?

Chose Wisely…
Enter Pareto’s Principle Also known as the 80-20 rule, Pareto’s Principle
states that roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.

Surprisingly, this principle seems to hold in many domains. Nearly 80% of

the spending on healthcare comes from 20% of the patients. Microsoft
found that fixing the top 20% of bug reports eliminated about 80% of
computer crashes.

If you focus on the most important 20% of what you do, you can
achieve an incredible ratio of reward to effort.

Applying Pareto’s Principle to west coast swing helps prioritize your

practice time.

Here are three elements of WCS that will give you the most bang for your
practice time buck:

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• The Anchor. Each pattern in west coast swing ends in an anchor. The
vast majority of WCS patterns last six beats; the anchor takes two of
these beats, or a full 1/3 of the pattern. Even when accounting for 8-
beat and extended patterns, about 30% of the dance is spent
anchoring.

Besides the sheer amount of time spent in an anchor, the anchor is

also significant because it’s one of the distinguishing features of
WCS. A good anchor creates the upright, elastic, and smooth look
that west coast is known for.

Because of the anchor’s central role in WCS and the raw amount of
time spent on it within the dance, the anchor is tailor-made for the
Pareto Principle. If you need to pick just one element of your dance
to work on, this is it!

• Triple Steps. The other element of west coast swing that qualifies
under both the “defining characteristic of the dance” standard and
the “significant amount of time during the dance” standard is the
triple step. Very few social dances outside of the swing family
include triple steps in the fundamental rhythm of the dance. Since
triples make up 50–67% of the beats in a simple dance, they are one
of the most obvious features of the dance.

Being able to do clean triple steps will allow you to move wherever
the pattern requires and to stay on time. It is very easy for a partner
to notice if your triples are off-time or uncontrolled, so improving
your triple steps will have an immediate payoff for your dancing.

• The 1, 2 of Any Pattern. The walk-walk rhythm that has the follower
progressing forward (rather than rock-stepping) is also a defining
characteristic of west coast swing—and in fact separates WCS from
all of the other forms of swing. In addition, every pattern begins with
this element. For many of the same reasons as the anchor, therefore,
the 1, 2 is a target for Pareto-optimized practice.

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Having said that, there are a couple of reasons to prefer working on the
anchor if you only have time to work on one element of the dance.

Do you know all the basics of WCS?

TAKE ACTION> Download & learn them all here

For followers, the biggest problem with the walk-walk (viz., turning it into
a rock step) is eliminated if you fix the anchor.

For both leaders and followers, the walk-walk will change depending on
the rest of the move; leaders will move to different sides of the slot and
have to rotate their bodies accordingly, and for right-rotating patterns like
the whip or barrel roll, the follower’s 2 will be executed differently.

Finally, it is extremely common to turn the walk-walk into a hitch, or to

need to do a triple instead of a walk-walk in order to get back on the
correct foot.

Because of all these variables, the payoff from improving the 1, 2 in a

specific case is lower than dealing with the anchor.

To be clear: that doesn’t mean that the 1, 2 is less important than the
anchor; it simply means that the reward to effort ratio favors prioritizing
the anchor if you can only work on one of the two.

Breaking Things Down for Rapid Improvement

When practicing, it is important to break skills down into their

fundamental parts. When a skill stretches your current abilities, your brain
can’t process all the elements of the skill at once.

As you practice, your brain develops the ability to reliably coordinate the
elements for that particular skill, and it becomes possible to put all the
pieces together. Until that point, though, trying to practice a larger skill is
overwhelming to your brain. Thus, being able to identify the small things

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that make up a specific skill allows you to target your practice time more
effectively.

In West Coast Swing, moves naturally break into two beat increments.
Because of the structure of the dance, we tend to initiate movements on
downbeats and complete them on upbeats: anchors begin on 5 and end on
6; walks happen on the first two beats of each pattern, and patterns can be
extended by inserting beat pairs after each upbeat.

One consequence of this structure is that each two beat increment

can be practiced in isolation and then linked into a larger sequence.

If you are trying to master a new workshop pattern, you should pause
after each two beats to make sure that you are where you are supposed to
be. As you get comfortable with each two-beat increment, the pattern as a
whole will begin to flow.

In social dancing (especially for followers), being in a familiar position after

each two beats can help you stay on track during more complicated
moves; that break between parts of the move serves as a checkpoint for
both partners to make sure that they’re on the same page.

Sometimes it is necessary to break down a skill that has several elements

occurring simultaneously.

Pot stirs (one foot spins) are an obvious example; no follower can pull off a
pot stir without being able to simultaneously keep frame and balance on
one leg. In this case, breaking down the skill requires working on each
element in isolation. One skill is balancing on one leg, which can be
practiced by normal balance drills. A second skill is keeping frame, which
can be practiced with a different set of drills.

Once the follower is ready to combine all of the elements of the pot stir
(and only then) does it become productive to try the full pot stir.

TAKE ACTION> Get access to over 400 Instructional Videos

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The takeaway:
Find ways to break down skills into the atomic elements that make up the
skill. The more you practice the atoms of the movement, the more success
you will have when you try to put the pieces together

How to get Good at WCS (hint. It’s not what you think)

Learning a complicated ability like dancing west coast swing is not a linear
process. Your learning will go through a cycle of mastery, in which you
learn a concept and then repeatedly come back to it in different and more
advanced ways.

To take an example, let’s say that you learn about the concept of rolling
through your feet. After a lot of practice, you finally develop the muscle
memory of rolling through your feet on all your basic movements.

A while later (it might be a few months, or it might be years), you realize
that you can use this technique to adjust your spacing with your partner.

Instead of changing your footwork on a tuck, you can control your roll
through the feet in order to match the degree of compression offered by
your partner.

Suddenly you see dozens of opportunities to apply this technique—in

tucks, whips, hip catches, throw-outs, and more. Back to the practice floor.

The point is that a relatively simple dance concept can be applied in many
ways, and part of learning the dance is discovering new places to apply the
fundamental concepts in more nuanced ways.

Someone who has just learned to roll through the feet in basic patterns
can legitimately be said to have learned to roll through the feet, but that
doesn’t mean there is no more to learn. Usually, the “more” only becomes
apparent when other elements of the dance have become more

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developed, and then it becomes productive to revisit the old ideas in new
ways.

This is the cycle of mastery:

1. learn a concept

2. apply it

3. then come back later and apply it at a higher level

It can be frustrating if your attitude is…

“I already fixed this—why is it broken again?!”

But, if you take the attitude that now you can do even more with the
concept than you used to be able to, then it becomes clear that you are
making progress.

The implication of the cycle of mastery for practice is that you should
make it a point to periodically revisit your core technique elements.

When you do, your goal should not be to merely clean up what you did
before. Instead, seek to find new ways to apply the same concepts. As you
grow as a dancer, you should discover more depth to the seemingly
“simple” technique elements that you learned as a beginner.

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What You Practice Matters

Have you ever danced and seen someone do something that they couldn’t
do just a month or two ago?

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Our community is full of dancers who seem to improve every chance you
seen them out on the floor. How do they improve so quickly?

Usually, the key difference between the people who get better at every
event and the people who seem to be stuck isn’t how much time each
group practices. What matters is what they practice.

To get better quickly, you need to spend your time practicing the
things that are hard for you. It really is that simple.

There’s very little benefit to practicing easy things because you can
already do them easily.

There’s also not a lot of benefit to practicing something that’s way beyond
your abilities.

Are you a beginner struggling with what to practice

next?
Check out our Ultimate Guide to WCS for Beginners

To effectively practice, you need to find things that are just outside your
current abilities. If you can occasionally execute a skill while thinking hard
about every part of it, that skill is a great candidate for practice.

Psychologists and researchers on human excellence have named this kind

of practice the “zone of proximal development.”

When you work in your ZPD, you steadily expand your abilities. It can be
frustrating to work in this zone; on the one hand, you are often struggling
because you are working on skills beyond what you can currently do, and
on the other hand you can feel like you aren’t really growing because you
can almost do these skills.

Time spent on little improvements that are just outside of

your current capacities quickly results in substantial improvements.

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If you want to be one of those dancers who grows every time others see
you, pick a couple of skills that stretch you just beyond what you can
currently do, and master them.

The next time you’re on the floor, there will be a noticeable improvement
in your abilities!

Does Practice Make Perfect

We’ve all heard the phrase, “Practice makes perfect.”

But, there’s also an adage that, “Practice doesn’t make perfect—it just
makes permanent.”

In other words, practice only teaches you to always execute a skill the way
that you practice it.

Which is right?

If practice just makes permanent, then you are actively harming yourself
by practicing something wrong. But if practice makes you better, then you
should expect to make mistakes along the way.

Before we answer which is right, let’s take a moment to talk about what
actually happens when you practice.

For this example, we’ll take a physical skill, first because we’re talking
about dancing and second because mental skills follow the same process
but for different physiological reasons, so mental skills add a complication
that is unnecessary for our level of discussion.

When you deliberately execute a physical motion, your brain is sending a

signal through your nervous system for specific muscles to contract at
specific times. Those muscle contractions are what produce physical
movement.

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For really complicated movements, your nervous system needs to

coordinate a lot of muscles contracting in a very precise sequence, at just
the right times.

That’s extremely difficult because our nervous system is surprisingly slow!

In normal individuals, signals to the lower body travel at about 40 meters

per second, which means that it takes about 100 milliseconds for the brain
to send a signal to your feet and get a response.

Add in time for your brain to process that information, decide on what
adjustment is needed, and then send the correction signal, and a normal
person can’t even make 10 adjustments per second to what’s happening in
the foot muscles.

Just try balancing on one foot, and you’ll quickly realize that 10
adjustments per second doesn’t give you much room for error.

But, when you practice a skill repeatedly, you aren’t just sending lots of
nerve signals.

Your body is also noticing that you are sending nerve signals and starts to
make changes at the biological level in order to adapt. The most well-
researched of these changes is a process known as myelination: the nerve
cells involved are wrapped in a fatty layer called myelin, which improves
the nerve conduction velocity. An unmyelinated nerve axon can send a
signal somewhere between 0.5 m/s and 10 m/s, but a well myelinated axon
can conduct signals at over 150 m/s! So, your body’s adaptation enables
you to control what is happening at your feet much more rapidly, and
more frequently, as you practice and continue to stimulate the
myelination process.

So, does practice make perfect, or just permanent?

Well, practice on its own won’t make you perfect—you will get better at
doing something in the way that you’ve practiced it. But, practice also
enables you to be more perfect because your central nervous system
becomes physiologically more capable of responding in that situation.

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It’s still up to you to figure out how to use that capacity correctly, but the
fact that you can develop that capacity through practice is why practice
does more than just make permanent.

How and Why You Should Keep a Practice Log

There’s a famous business adage that says, “what gets measured, gets
managed.”

If you really want to take your practice to the next level, keeping a log of
what you did will help you make your sessions more effective and will help
you remember more.

Although it may sound boring, there are a lot of benefits to keeping a

practice log!

Your practice log doesn’t have to be very complicated.

A simple list of what you worked on will suffice.

If you feel adventurous, you can be more detailed:

1. What drills did you practice?

2. What questions did you have that you want to bring to your coach?

3. What should you try the next time you are social dancing?

But the most important thing is to get in the habit of logging your practice.
Once you have that habit, it’s easy to modify what you record.

5 reasons to keep a practice log:

1. You remember more

It’s really easy to work on a skill and then forget about it. If you are
practicing hard every day, you have a better chance of remembering what

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you worked on—but most of us don’t have the time to do a 30-minute

session every day. Especially if you can only practice a couple of times a
week, keeping a log helps remind you what you’re working on

2. You can see progress

When you feel like your dance has stalled, you can easily look back to what
you were working on a couple of months ago and genuinely feel like you’re
making progress.

3. The log keeps you honest

Are you really working on your fundamentals, or are you spending most of
your time on trick moves with only a song or two dedicated to technique?
It’s easy to misremember how much (or how little) time you spend on a
skill, but the log can provide a great reality check.

4. You can identify patterns in your development

After a few months, you may notice that you have made the most progress
on skills for which you had a video of the instructor to watch. Or that had a
specific drill to practice. Or that had a checklist of things for you to
remember. The practice log can be a great way to learn how you learn
best, so you can ask for the right things in future private lessons.

5. You can keep expanding your repertoire

We all forget things if we don’t use them frequently. How often have you
learned a cool new move, or a great styling variation, but didn’t put it on
the floor and couldn’t remember it a couple of months later? A practice log
is an easy way to keep new skills fresh in your min

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The Chess Model of Practice

Chess players improve their game by comparing their decision-

making with the greatest chess minds of all time.

A typical practice strategy involves recreating a situation from a past

game. After the player has decided on the best move from that position, he
or she compares that choice with the choice made by the master in the
past game. If the player made a different decision than the past master, he
or she will examine the strengths and weaknesses of each position in more
detail in order to determine why the master made the move he or she did.

This process of carefully examining each move builds the player’s ability to
choose well in similar situations. In addition, this process helps the player
learn how to assess chess moves, which builds the player’s general chess
abilities.

At first glance, this practice model seems to have little in common with
west coast swing; the range of possible chess moves is strictly limited by
the rules of the game, the chess player has a relatively long period of time
potentially available to evaluate each move, and there is an objective goal
for the game of chess.

However, the ability to decide on an appropriate move in a given situation

is extremely important in WCS, and this model of practice can be adopted
in order to develop that ability.

One way to replicate this model for WCS is to watch a video of champion
level dancers and pause the video shortly before a break in the music.

Given where the dancers are in the pattern, you should ask yourself what
you would lead in that situation (leaders) or how you would acknowledge
the accent given what is being led (followers).

You can then go back to the video and compare your choice with the pros.
If you chose differently from the pros, you can examine which choice is

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superior in terms of how well the accent fits the music, how cool it looks,
how well it fits with what the partner is doing, etc.

Repeating this exercise with videos from your favorite dancers will give
you quite a repertoire of movements to use in order to acknowledge the
music.

This practice strategy can be extended to any decision within the dance.

1. How long should you continue playing before resuming the dance?

2. Where should you put your arm during a particular movement?

3. Should you spot your partner or down line in a specific position?

4. Should you use a toe lead or a heel lead out of a wrap position?

With the number of video clips on YouTube the amount of practice

material available for this strategy is virtually unlimited.

Keys to the Chess Model of Practice

1. Specific decision points can be identified

2. The student can compare his or her decision to that of an expert

3. When there is disagreement, the student attempts to understand

why the expert made his or her choice

The Sports Model of Practice

Practice for sports generally falls into two types:

1. conditioning work (exercises)

2. drilling specific critical skills for that sport.

Both of these types have analogues in WCS.

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Conditioning work involves preparing yourself physically and mentally to

be able to perform at a high level. Some of the physical aspects of
conditioning for dance are relatively obvious: stretching to improve your
flexibility and developing your cardiovascular fitness so that you can make
it through a 140-bpm song without passing out are two straightforward
areas for conditioning work.

However, there are less obvious physical conditioning exercises to work

on for WCS.

Do you regularly practice these?

1. your standard foot positions?

2. rolling triples?

3. your footwork for the basic patterns?

These elements are the building blocks for this dance; overlooking them
because you already know your basics is an open invitation for sloppy
technique to creep in.

In addition to physical work, conditioning can involve strengthening

underlying mental skills that are necessary for an activity.

In west coast swing, the mental skills involved include identifying where
you are within a musical phrase and knowing what foot you will be on after
a complex footwork series.

You can condition these skills through practice. To identify where you are
in a musical phrase, drag the iTunes slider to a random time within the
song and see how quickly you can identify where you are in the phrase.

To become better at knowing where a syncopation will leave your weight,

you can map out rhythms (e.g., & kick ball change & point & step) and quiz
yourself on what foot will be weighted at the end of the sequence.

Specific Critical Skills. You identify a specific skill and work on that skill to
the point where you can use that skill in any situation.

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This is the most common practice model in dance.

This practice model is slightly different from the music/routine model

because in a routine, you know exactly when you will be doing a ronde on
an anchor.

In social dancing, however, you may only have a half beat to realize that
you can do a ronde on this anchor, and you need to be able to adjust your
movement in light of where your partner is and what he or she is doing.

The ability to adjust on-the-fly develops from—you guessed it—repeated

practice in a variety of scenarios.

The easiest way to practice the specific critical skills is with a partner so
that you learn to adjust to what your partner gives you.

Solo practice certainly has its place, and may be necessary initially in order
to become sufficiently comfortable with performing the skill at a basic
level. However, the extra challenge of adjusting to your partner is an
important element in being able to perform the skill in a social or
competitive dance setting, and so partner work should be an eventual goal
for this level of practice.

TAKE ACTION> Read our blog w/Video How to Practice WCS

Alone

If you don’t have a regular practice partner, an easy way to get in this level
of practice is by picking a specific skill to work on when you go out social
dancing.

If you focus on a single skill through the entire evening, you will probably
get close to the 500 repetitions that are necessary to form a new habit.

Keys to the Sports Model of Practice

• Works well for physical or mental preparation work

• Benefits from revisiting frequently

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• Repetition in a variety of situations is essential!

The Music Model of Practice

In a traditional musical performance, the musician knows exactly what will

be expected on stage because the score is written down and shown to the
musician in advance. In this scenario, what separates an okay musician
from an exceptional musician is simply the quality of the performance
itself.

To produce the highest quality performance possible, the musician will

practice individual components of the music until they are as good as
possible. By continually refining the parts of the performance that need
the most work, the musician is prepared to perform those elements at a
high level in the actual concert.

Because the exact performance situation is known in advance, the

musician can insist on a 100% rate of successful performance.

Short of a catastrophe like an oboist breaking her reed, the performance

situation presents no unanticipated demands, and hence the musician can
rehearse until there is no possibility of failure.

This model of performance corresponds with the performance of a routine

in west coast swing, and so it is no surprise that a similar practice strategy
is employed by the best routine dancers.

Couples (or teams) that perform routines spend relatively little time
dancing straight through the routine; most of their practice is spent
repeating small sections while focusing on a particular element, such as
spacing or arm styling.

There are (apocryphal?) stories of top dancers spending eight hours in the
studio in order to figure out 16 beats of music. Is it any wonder, with that
level of focus, that there are no wasted beats in their routines?

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In addition to routines, there are some strictly swing scenarios in which

the music model applies. If you and your partner have a pre-determined
sequence of footwork out of a particular variation or have a move that you
have developed as a partnership, that component of the dance can be
practiced in the same way as a musical performance.

If you watch top couples do a strictly demo, you should recognize many of
their moves from past routines. As you watch them execute those moves,
pay particular attention to how they get into and out of those moves.
Almost every time, the entrance and the exit are the same; indeed, the
entrance is how they communicate to each other which move is coming
next, and by having a fixed exit, they are able to get back into the dance
seamlessly.

Finally, at a fundamental level the core patterns of west coast swing are
performances that can be rehearsed under this model.

There is a saying: beginner dancers practice intermediate patterns,

intermediate dancers practice advanced patterns, and advanced
dancers practice their basics.

What advanced dancers have learned is that, if they perfect the technique
in the basic patterns, the technique will work its ways into higher-level
patterns.

West coast swing basics—with all their technical nuance—can therefore

be practiced under this model as well, and in fact pro dancers spend a
great deal of time refining their basics as a defense against developing
sloppy habits.

Keys to the Music Model of Practice

1. The exact performance situation is known in advance

2. Practice focuses on small elements of the performance until they

can consistently be performed flawlessly

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3. Usually used for routines, but can also be used (in part) for strictly
swing scenarios

4. Can be applied to basic patterns (in combination with the sports

model; see the upcoming part 3 for more details!)

Deliberate Practice

Deliberate Practice: An Overview

Everyone knows that you need to practice in order to get better at an
activity. What is less well known is what makes practice effective.
Fortunately, research is beginning to answer that question.

The short answer is that there is a specific kind of practice that results in
tremendous improvement. It’s called Deliberate practice!

It’s designed to specifically improve performance, it can be repeated a lot,

provides constant feedback but often requires a teacher help and is
mentally demanding.

Deliberate Practice is Improvement Focused

Deliberate practice is not mere repetition. Deliberate practice is designed
to improve performance by targeting a shortcoming in current
performance and attempting to rectify that shortcoming.

There is an explicit goal in deliberate practice, and all

the activity is targeted towards attaining that goal.

Unfortunately, most of us spend our practice time on unfocused activities.

If your practice sessions consist of turning on a song and dancing with a
partner, you’re not really practicing: you’re social dancing. If you go into a
practice session with the goal of “working on your dancing,” you’re leaving

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a lot on the table. To truly improve, you have to approach your practice
time with a purpose.

An easy way to incorporate this principle into your practice

is to have an agenda for your practice session.

It doesn’t have to be anything fancy: “solo dance basics to a full song with a
kick ball change on each pattern’s 1, 2” is a perfectly acceptable agenda if
all you have is four minutes to practice.

What you will quickly discover is that this kind of focus pays off much
faster than meandering practice sessions, even if you spend more time in
the meandering sessions.

Deliberate Practice is Mentally Demanding

Deliberate practice—whether for a mental or physical activity—is highly
mentally demanding. Because the focus of the practice is on getting the
details of the execution correct, the mental demands of practice are
almost always more strenuous than the physical demands.

There are many reasons that deliberate practice is mentally demanding.

Deliberate practice requires sustained, laser-like focus in

order to concentrate on specific aspects of the skill performance.

The sheer number of repetitions can be exhausting, and keeping oneself

mentally engaged throughout these repetitions imposes a heavy cognitive
load.

Finally, the activities that are performed during deliberate practice are
just outside of the practitioner’s current skill set, which means that even
more mental effort is required in order to develop the capacity to
consistently execute the skill.

In short, every element of deliberate practice imposes a mental burden.

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On the positive side, the ability to endure the mental demands of

deliberate practice improves as one continues to practice.

Research into the practice habits of music students demonstrates that the
capacity for focused practice grows as the student improves. In other
words, practice results in the ability to practice more.

The research on musicians shows that professionals max out at the ability
to engage in about an hour and a half of deliberate practice. After that, the
brain needs time to recuperate.

Some music professionals built their schedules around two deliberate

practice sessions: a morning session and an afternoon session, with a
substantial break in between.

These professionals could carry out at most three hours of deliberate

practice a day, but often they needed to do two shorter sessions (for a
total of about two hours) rather than two full-length sessions a day.

What this research tells us is that it’s worthwhile to divide our practice
activities.

During deliberate practice sessions, new skills can be worked on with

intense focus (and with the concomitant intense mental effort). If
additional practice is performed that day, it probably won’t be deliberate
practice, and so the focus should be on activities that do not require that
kind of intense effort (such as having warm-up dances or doing “fun”
activities).

Deliberate Practice Uses Constant Feedback

The next characteristic of deliberate practice is that feedback is
continuously available. Because deliberate practice involves a great deal
of repetition, it is necessary to make sure that the skill is being practiced
correctly.

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Continuous feedback can come from many sources. The observation

of a coach or teacher is the most common form of feedback.

The legendary basketball coach John Wooden was known for peppering
his practice sessions with short directives to his players: “Dribble to here,”
“turn your body further,” and so on. By providing immediate feedback with
each repetition, his players never wasted a repetition.

If the feedback of a teacher is not readily available, tools like mirrors and
video cameras can be used to quickly see the result of an action.

However, the power of these tools falls dramatically if they are not used
frequently. The longer the time between the execution of the skill and the
feedback, the less that the mistakes can be corrected because the body or
mind will be distanced from what you did to create the performance
initially.

If you are going to video your practice sessions, you really need to be
doing back to the tape after just a handful of repetitions of a single skill.

Looking at a video of (e.g.) you and your partner dancing through an entire
2.5 minute routine may be useful in identifying ugly lines, but it is not
nearly frequent enough feedback to constitute deliberate practice.

Deliberate Practice Needs a Teachers Help

Because deliberate practice aims beyond our current skill set, most people
need a teacher’s help to recognize what to work on.

It is hard to underestimate the importance of a teacher in deliberate

practice.

Teachers are helpful in every field, but their knowledge is especially

important for complex activities like dancing because there are so many
subtle aspects that are very difficult to see until you have learned what to
look for.

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For example, a beginning dancer can tell that west coast pros dance
smoothly, but the actual body mechanics of how to create that look are
extraordinarily difficult to break down from watching a YouTube video
without extensive training. (although we try our best our website)

In addition, teachers can be invaluable for designing practice activities

because of their experience in how the relevant skills are acquired. Simply
put, working without a teacher is like trying to reinvent the wheel (or, in
this case, to rediscover the entirety of WCS on your own).

The amount of difference that proper training can make is simply

stunning!

To put it in perspective, in the 13th century the scholar Roger Bacon

claimed that it was impossible to master mathematics in less than 30
years.

Today, college students regularly complete calculus, a level of

mathematics that did not even exist at the time of Bacon’s
pronouncement. The difference between then and now? We’ve learned an
amazing amount about how to transmit the knowledge of mathematics.

At a certain point, an individual becomes capable of critically assessing

their skill enough to create their own practice activities. However, even at
the top levels of performance, it is common to see individuals seek
feedback from others.

Professional tennis players have their own coaches because the coach can
help them understand how to approach a problem with their stroke, even
if the player is skilled enough to know that the stroke isn’t working.

Sometimes, what an expert needs, is simply an outside perspective—

someone who can see the action from the outside and pick up on details
that may be missed when executing the action.

Addressing this principle of deliberate practice is easy: take private

lessons.

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Even seeing a local professional once a month, and seriously focusing on

what they suggest, will transform your dancing.

Deliberate Practice can be repeated a lot

The third principle of deliberate practice is that it can be repeated a lot.

The notion that deliberate practice requires a great deal of repetition

should come as no surprise. A large part of skill acquisition comes from the
myelination of the neurons involved in the action, which requires
activating the neurons hundreds of times.

An excellent example of the role of repetition for deliberate practice

comes from Brazilian soccer players. Watching the Brazilian national team
is simply breathtaking; the passing and ball control looks like dancing more
than running.

What is hidden from the World Cup broadcasts is the practice that went
into that level of performance.

For years, Brazilian players have trained with a game called futsal, which is
like soccer but played with smaller teams in an extremely confined space.
The smaller environment means that players interact with the ball far
more frequently than in normal soccer practices—up to six times as many
touches per minute. Many of the major Brazilian players, including Pelé,
Ronaldo, and Ronaldinho, credit the rapid pace of futsal with their deft
ball-handling skills. Put simply: more touches will mean better control.

The good news for west coast swing dancers is that our dance
can be broken into 2-beat increments, (with few exceptions).

Having such small units in the dance means that west coast is practically
built for high-rep drills.

If you have a new footwork variation, you can practice that 2-beat
sequence dozens of times in a row. Chaines turns naturally break into 2-

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beat increments. Perfecting an arm line from a throw-out only requires a

couple of beats of music.

Thus, to incorporate this principle into your practice, simply decide what
element to focus on, and do it again and again.

Deliberate Practice is not very fun

The final characteristic of deliberate practice is that it is not very fun. In
fact, deliberate practice is explicitly designed to be stressful—you are
actively trying to push yourself beyond what you are currently capable of
doing.

No one likes to feel unsuccessful, and yet deliberate practice sessions are
engineered so that successes are few and far between.

Once you’ve found success, deliberate practice doesn’t let you stop;
you keep repeating it with the same laser-like focus until you can’t get
it wrong, or you move on to something even more challenging.

The minute you stop pushing yourself and get caught up in the moment is
the minute that you lose the critical faculties that make deliberate practice
so transformative.

At the end of the day, this is the reason that deliberate practice is so
challenging.

The principles of deliberate practice are straightforward. The problem is

applying them; you are deliberately stepping outside of your comfort zone,
repeatedly, and ratcheting up the difficulty level as soon as your comfort
zone expands.

Properly done, deliberate practice is exhausting, mentally taxing, and

endlessly challenging.

To be fair, there can be an element of enjoyment in knowing that you are

pushing yourself past your limits and in seeing an impossible task
become manageable.

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However, the overriding emotion of deliberate practice is not joy. The kind
of enjoyment that comes with deliberate practice is very different than
the enjoyment of a great social dance or winning a Jack & Jill, and the
successful practitioner needs to be aware of that difference so he or she
can persevere through the challenge imposed by deliberate practice.

Put simply: not many people will persevere long enough to benefit from
it.

As a result, the window of opportunity is wide open for you to transform

your own dancing to a higher plane.

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Practice what you know to get good fast

Most of us think about practice as something we do in order to get good.

We practice skills that we don’t have, with the end goal of being able to
perform the skill. The truth is, this is only half of the value of practice.

In this post, you’re going to learn about the idea of becoming good enough to
practice.

Think about it: if the only purpose of practice was to work on something
that you couldn’t do yet, then you would expect experts to spend most of
their time practicing brand new things. Yet if you talk to any professional
level performer, you’ll find just the opposite.

Pro basketball players do free throw drills; black belt martial artists work
on their basic kicks; pro soccer players drill one-touch passing; ballet
soloists spend hours at the barre; orchestra musicians practice scales
every session. Why?

Practice trains your body and mind to repeat what you have done.

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As you develop your fluency with the skill, you are then able to make
minor adjustments so you can perform the skill reliably when
circumstances change.

The fine-tuning aspect of practice is incredibly important: it’s no good to

learn how to hold a one-footed spin if you can’t adjust to the stickiness of
the floor, the power of your leader’s pulse, or how tired your ankles are at
3am. But this sort of fine tuning simply cannot occur until you can execute
the core principles of the movement without effort.

If you need to consciously think about holding your ankle to your leg when
you balance on one foot, you won’t be able to think or react quickly
enough to adjust the height of your free foot when your supporting leg
wobbles.

The next time you practice, try changing your focus.

Instead of asking what skill you need to practice, ask yourself what skill is
good enough to practice.

Find something that you can do well and try to discover just how much
more you can do with that skill.

It might be learning how to sustain or control a movement over a longer

period of time, it might be how to adjust the movement in order to adapt
to a different circumstance, or it might be polishing a transition that you
never paid attention to before now.

Practice what you don’t know to get good fast.

At some point, you’ve had the experience of trying to practice something

that you can’t do yet.

Whether it’s a one-footed spin or a body roll, you watch someone

demonstrate the move and then feel the gears jam when you try it.

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What are you supposed to do when you can’t do it yet?

This moment—the gears-grinding “what’s wrong with me?” moment—is

actually proof positive that practice works. The reason you feel
uncoordinated and out of control is because you literally can’t do it yet.
Your muscles and nervous system are physically unable to process the
movement that you are asking for, at the speed you need.

The whole point of practice is to develop the physical ability to

control your body in a way that is completely beyond you right now.

The secret is to realize that your body needs to physically change at the
cellular level. As you repeatedly try to do a movement, your nerve cells
will adapt by undergoing a process known as myelination. The nerves
involved in the movement will be coated with a fatty layer, called myelin,
which allows the nerve signals to go through faster and more reliably. In
other words, your body physically changes to make you more coordinated.

Once you realize that your body needs to myelinate in order to master a
new movement, practice starts to make more sense.

Your goal is to stimulate the nerve cells a lot, so they respond by become
more attuned to those demands.

There are lots of ways to do it: practice a small part of the movement,
practice slower, or practice something simpler.

As your body adapts to those movements, you will feel more

coordinated—because you are actively becoming more coordinated.

As you become more coordinated, you can build on what you’ve learned
by going faster, doing a larger component of the movement, or doing a
more complicated variation.

It will take lots of repetition, but the process is as inevitable as it is

frustrating.

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If you keep at it, your body will be able to do something that you literally
could not do earlier. That is the power of practice!

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Why you should practice slow

Slow Builds Control - Pavel Tsatsouline is a famous strength trainer who

has worked with martial artists, Soviet Special Forces and world-class
athletes. In his book Kettlebell Simple & Sinister, he remarks on the
importance of slow movements to build control:

“if you are unable to do a non-ballistic movement slowly, you are hiding
something.”

There are some movements in which you need momentum to carry you
through: jumping, Olympic lifts, other explosive motions. But if you aren’t
doing a ballistic motion—and that includes the vast majority of dance
movements—you should be able to do the movement at a painfully slow
pace. If you can’t, that indicates a failure to use your muscles properly to
control the motion!

Dancing to really slow music is great for building control.

By forcing yourself to slow the motion down, you quickly learn what parts
of the body actually need to be involved in creating the motion.

Moving slowly will dramatically improve your balance, since you need to
stabilize yourself through the entire movement.

You will also dramatically improve your fine motor skills as your body
learns the micro-adjustments you need in order to manipulate the motion.

There are great slow blues songs in the 60bpm or slower range. Dancing to
these songs will force you to control your motion at all times.

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Try dancing to some of these slow songs:

1. John Mayer – Slow Dancing in a Burning Room (67 bpm)

2. Albert King – Blues Power (65 bpm)

3. Stevie Ray Vaughn – The Sky Is Crying (57 bpm)

4. Brother Yusef – Freedom Train Blues (55 bpm)

Why you should practice fast

Fast Builds Precision - When you dance slow, you need to control the
movement at all times. When the music speeds up, you can’t micromanage
the movement in the same way because there simply isn’t enough time.

During fast music, you can only keep up if you can execute
the movement cleanly and precisely.

Lots of dancer’s struggle with fast music because they are trying to do too
much. When you start learning any skill, you have a lot of unnecessary
movement. As you practice, you refine the motion so that you are doing
exactly what you need to do, and no more.

You probably recognized a point in your own dancing when you were no
longer exhausted after social dancing for a half hour; part of the reason
that happened is because you had refined your basic movement so you
could move more efficiently.

The key to practicing fast is to pick a tempo that pushes you but doesn’t
overwhelm you. It’s no good to practice at a speed that makes you
abandon your technique. You want to aim for a tempo where you can
consistently execute about 80% correctly. When you are successfully
executing whatever you are practicing 90-100 of the time, up the tempo
again until you are down to the 70-80% range.

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This method of progressively increasing the tempo ensures that you

are spending your practice time right at the edge of your abilities.

If you raise the tempo too quickly and your success drops below 70% or so,
you are no longer practicing correctly with any consistency, and you risk
encoding the wrong skills into your muscle memory.

But, if you are consistently succeeding 9 out of 10 times, you aren’t

pushing your abilities very much and you won’t improve quickly.

Here are some songs to help you push your personal

tempo:
• Danny Gatton – Funky Mama (135 bpm)

• Lady Gaga – Applause (140 bpm)

• Big John Dickerson – Red Beans (147 bpm)

• Black Eyed Peas – Pump It (154 bpm)

• Larry Dunn – Avalon (160 bpm)

Why you Should Practice Your Strengths

We’ve all heard the adage, “Play to your strengths.”

We understand that there are some things we do exceptionally well and it

makes sense to work in a way that leverages those advantages.

Yet, when it comes to practice, we tend to ignore our strengths and

instead focus on our weaknesses.

There’s nothing wrong with practicing weak spots. Some skills are simply
essential for success in a given domain. In WCS, if you can’t do an anchor,
you’re going to struggle.

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But, if you spend all your time practicing the things you do poorly, you
aren’t taking advantage of your strengths. Surprisingly, practice is most
effective when it focuses on strong skills and builds them into world-class
skills.

The claim that practice is most effective when it focuses on skills that are
already strong makes sense when we think in concrete terms.

Who is going to get the most out of practicing body rolls—someone who
struggles with body isolations or someone who already has a great deal of
body control?

The person who struggles with isolations may pick up a couple of

movements, but the person with body control has the ability to polish
those movements into acts that stand out and catch the judges’ eyes.

Likewise, a person who has a solid repertoire of footwork variations is

going to get more out of practicing funky syncopations than a person who
struggles with basic foot positions.

The reality is, practice time is limited.

If you want to become exceptional by fixing all of

your weaknesses, you’re fighting an uphill battle.

If, on the other hand, you minimize your weaknesses and pour your effort
into making your strengths truly outstanding, you’ll be able to leverage
your existing skills to a far greater degree. Practice to your strengths!

Learning by Overcorrection

Most skills require balancing between two extremes.

A proper anchor involves keeping your unit foot behind the other foot
without placing the unit foot way behind your body, body rolls require
some movement but look sloppy if they are too big, and so forth.

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In these examples, you are trying to hit a fairly narrow target of “just
right,” without going too far to one extreme or the other.

Because the target is such a narrow range of options within the whole
spectrum of the movements you could make, it is much easier to approach
the ideal by deliberately overshooting and then bringing yourself back
towards the target.

This method of learning was recognized as early as the ancient Greeks:

Aristotle uses this method of training when describing how

an individual should attempt to acquire the moral virtues!

By intentionally overshooting the ideal state, one can slowly close in on

the target by making smaller corrections every time one overshoots the
mark.

This same principle is behind the tuning procedures of many professional

musicians, who will deliberately aim below the note they want and then
bring the pitch up until they have tuned their instrument correctly.

For any dance skill, ask yourself what it would take to overdo it?

It might be a full-body roll that looks like a parody, a truly ridiculous

degree of foot turnout, or a massively overdone smile.

Go to the extreme, and then tone it back until you hit the target!

Practicing Blindfolded

Everyone agrees that a great connection makes the dance better.

But, it’s hard to get good feedback on your connection as a beginner

because we don’t always listen to the physical connection.

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It’s easy to respond to what you see from a person and assume that the
connection is working. However, there’s a simple way to focus on the
physical connection: dance blindfolded.

Blindfolded dancing is a very popular instructional technique.

Here’s your drill…

The Drill: For this exercise, pick one or two of the objectives below. With a
partner, blindfold the follower. The leader should then lead for a song,
with both partners concentrating on the selected objectives.

You can choose to focus on any of these objectives, or other objectives

that your instructors have suggested:

1. Having the follower stay back on the anchor. To help with this, the
leader should occasionally anchor (but not stretch) and then hold for
two extra beats before stretching. If the follower anticipates the
next lead, you both will know it!

2. Having the leader create a body lead on 1. Followers, if you can’t

feel a clear lead from your leader, or if you can’t tell what direction
you are being led, don’t go.

3. Having the follower stay into the connection. Leaders, you can lead
push breaks or whips and pause before the redirection on 4,
extending for two beats. Followers, fight to stay into the connection
as long as possible.

4. Having the leader maintain the slot. Followers, focus on aligning

with where the leader’s arm/hand puts you. The leader needs to
ensure that he is keeping you in the slot.

Now, have the follower take off the blindfold and have the leader put it on.
Dance again, focusing on your objectives.

When the follower was blindfolded, it was easy for her to tell when her
instructions were unclear.

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Now with the leader blindfolded, it should be easier to feel when the
follower isn’t responding in the way you would expect. Leaders: this does
not automatically mean that the follower made a mistake!

If something feels wrong, both of you need to work

together to figure out how to fix the issue.

Sometimes it’s on the follower’s end, sometimes it’s a leader issue, and
sometimes it requires both to change. If you can’t figure out a solution
together, then this is a great question to take to your local pro.

Learn to Practice with No Music

Dancing can be defined as movement to music.

West coast swing is famous as a dance in part because of the variety of

music that works for the dance. It’s so obvious that dance and music
belong together that it can be bizarre to think about dancing without
music.

Today, we’re going to be bizarre.

When we dance with a partner, we tend to use the music as a shared

metronome.

We figure out where we are in the beat, or the pattern, by first identifying
where we are in the music and then asking whether our partner is there
with us. As a result, we can lose sight of our partner’s timing.

It’s hard to listen to when your partner is moving if your default

reference is the song.

To really hone in on our partner’s timing, your drill is to dance with a

partner, without music. This is not your typical music-free practice when
you go through moves slowly and pause to figure out how the pieces work.

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For this drill, you are going to do honest-to-goodness WCS dancing, but
the only music will be the beat in your head.

Since you don’t have a shared timing device like a metronome or a song,
you will need to pay attention to your partner much more than normal.

Each role has a slightly different responsibility during this exercise:

Leaders: Your lead needs to accomplish two things.

1. You need to establish what the beat is in your head. To do this, your
body needs to communicate your timing clearly. Your footwork,
center movement, and even styling all need to send a consistent
message about where the beat is.

2. You need to tell the follower when to prepare for the lead.

Followers: You have two major responsibilities during the no-music dance.

1. You need to “hear” the leader’s timing. Pay attention to his center
movement, his footwork, and his connection in order to zero in on
when the beat is hitting in his head.

2. You need to identify when the leader is asking to lead. To do this,

you need to stay responsive through all your movements.
Maintaining your frame, paying attention to when the post is
established, etc. are all part of being prepared to receive a lead.

Try this to Improve Your Creativity

The phrase “kill your darlings” comes from William Faulkner, who used the
saying to express his writing advice.

This advice has been echoed by many world-class creative people.

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The point behind this advice is that writers tend to get too attached to
their darling creations, and in order to make the piece work they must be
willing to ruthlessly kill of their precious words for the sake of the story.

TAKE ACTION>> Download 5 ways to style your anchor step

The lesson that lies underneath this advice is that creativity can be
blocked by becoming attached to an idea that isn’t quite right.

By cutting the elements that you are particularly attached to, you can
create the mental space for better ideas to emerge. I personally
experienced this phenomenon while writing my dissertation. Whenever I
was stuck on a chapter, I would cut the paragraph that I thought was my
best work in that chapter. Uncannily, that simple change suddenly made
the chapter work—I either realized that I was approaching the chapter in
the wrong way or suddenly discovered a different way to make the point
that fit with the rest of the chapter.

For dancing, there are a number of ways that becoming attached to your
darlings can block your creativity. If you are choreographing a routine and
feel stuck, cutting your favorite move will often fix the problem. More
often than not, the reason the choreography won’t come together is
because the move that you love is preventing you from doing something
else that would fit the music better. By cutting the move, you reopen the
possibilities for the other sections of music and make it possible to find an
even better set of movements.

If you are social dancing, your darlings are the movements you perform all
the time. Try dancing a whole song without your favorite move or
syncopation: if you love kick ball changes, axe them for an entire dance. By
taking away your go-to option, you force yourself to come up with
something new. This deliberate restriction actually enhances your
creativity because it makes every opportunity for that movement into an
open field of possibilities rather than a choice made by rote.

In short: if you love doing a move, take it out of your repertoire. You’ll be
amazed at how much more creative you can be!

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A Fun Way to Use Social Dancing as Practice

Want a fun game to play that will allow you to use social dancing to help
you improve?

Write specific skills on slips of paper and put those slips in a bowl by your
door. When you go dancing for the evening, draw out one of the slips out
and work on that skill for the evening.

Voila, you have a fun way to improve while having fun social dancing!

Top 5 Drills to Improve your Dancing in 30 Seconds

Have you ever felt like you were too busy to practice?

Although some exercises require dedicated space and time, it’s possible to
dramatically improve your dancing with 30 second micro-practice
sessions.

This list gives the top five drills you can do anywhere to become a dance
rock star!

The real lesson behind these drills is that practice doesn’t have to be long
or stressful. The real key is repetition.

If you pick one of these drills and commit to doing that drill for 30 seconds
whenever you can during a week, you will be much better by the end of the
week.

Have you ever felt like you were too busy to practice? Although some
exercises require dedicated space and time, it’s possible to dramatically

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improve your dancing with 30 second micro-practice sessions. This list

gives the top five drills you can do anywhere to become a dance rock star!

Want all 5 drills on video? Get them here!

1. Stand up Straight
And sit up straight, too. Good posture is the key to connection, balance,
and projecting confidence. In fact, working on your posture will make you
look more confident outside of dancing too, and will help you avoid lower
back pain later in life!

For a quick correction, un-hunch your shoulders by rolling them up, back,
and down. Lift your head and torso from your crown like you are a puppet
on a string. You should feel better (and taller!) already.

Take action>> Read this article to improve your posture!

2. Balance on One Leg

This is the quintessential “anywhere” drill. No matter if you’re in line at the
grocery store, on the phone, or in the elevator, you can lift one foot off the
ground a half inch and no one will notice.

Balancing on one foot is the easiest way to improve your overall balance.
Not only does it improve your proprioception (your sense of how your
body is positioned in space), but it strengthens your stabilizer muscles and
trains your body to make small corrections in order to maintain your
balance. The result: improved stability, more balanced spins, and better
spatial awareness!

Take action>> Download our video Improve your Balance

3. Dance with the Wall

…Or your sink, or the door frame, or some other stable surface. You want
to be able to move without pulling on your connection, so put your hand

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against the wall and see how much you can move while leaving your hand
stationary.

This exercise is great for working on shaping and footwork variations on

your anchor, body movement, and spacing. See how creative you can be!

4. Roll through your Feet

The “look” of WCS comes from rolling through the feet. Being able to
control your foot articulation makes your dancing smoother, enables you
to dance to extremely fast or slow songs, and gives you better control over
your movement.

You can practice rolling through your feet anywhere that you can stand!
Focus on controlling your foot articulation so that you can direct your
body’s movement at any point in the dance.

Take action>> Download our #1 Drill to Improve your Footwork

5. Find the 1
Great musicality comes from instinctively recognizing when a song is
building to an accent. Any time you hear a song—especially if you’re thrown
into the middle of the song, like when you turn on the radio—you can
practice finding the one and develop that instinct.

The next time you hear a song, just point or tap your finger on the 1. You
can do this while driving, in a meeting, or even just talking to people (as
long as you keep it subtle!). You’ll be amazed at how quickly you start to
know that accents are coming when you dance.

Struggling with musicality? Download the #1 key to musicality for

WCS

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A Challenge to YOU!
The real lesson behind these drills is that practice doesn’t have to be long
or stressful. The real key is repetition. If you pick one of these drills and
commit to doing that drill for 30 seconds whenever you can during a week,
you will be much better by the end of the week. Anyone can find 30
seconds to fix their posture, and anyone can fix their posture several times
a day if they’re thinking about it. The question is: will you?

10 Things Good WCS Dancers Do Differently

There are a lot of things that separate good dancers from poor dancers
and great dancers from good dancers.

Background, physical talents and years in the game are all factors that
come into play.

As a teacher, I live in a world where I’m consumed by getting the most out
of what I have without making excuses.

That being said here are 10 things that you can and should be doing if you
want to take your West Coast Swing dancing to the next level.

1. Commit to getting better

Nothing starts without a goal and the commitment to follow through. You
have to know where you are going and be willing to stay the course.
Committing to getting better is a both a mindset and a process.

2. Learn to dance by yourself

Too many people in West Coast Swing are limited by ‘needing a partner.’
Hogwash! Learn to dance on your own and practice on your own. All
serious dancers do.

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3. Take music seriously

There is no way around this one in the West Coast Swing world. We are so
driven by different kinds of music that if you don’t become a bit of a music
nerd you are giving away a step to the dancers who do.

4. Learn to love drills

Learning to isolate techniques to drill them is a fast track to better
learning. I personally use drills before most lessons and practices and have
for almost 10 years now. They are very valuable. Read 5 Drills to Improve
your WCS in 30 seconds!

5. Develop a relationship with a coach

Notice I said relationship? Too many people in WCS run around taking
random lessons from random coaches. While each coach has something to
offer I think this process is flawed. I don’t have time to fully cover my
thoughts on the subject but does Tiger Woods take lesson from different
golf coaches ever week? Right! Find a coach that you can develop a long-
standing relationship with and it will pay off in spades.

PS as a FULL ACCESS member to our site. We will work as your ‘virtual

coach’ via email

6. Develop a work ethic

You have to develop a consistent approach to practice if you want to gain
momentum. Just like going to the gym or eating healthy, it doesn’t really
show results if you only do it once in a while.

7. Learn to cope with self doubt

There are ABSOLUTELY going to be periods of self-doubt. Know that they
will come and do your best to work thought them when they come.

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8. Take overall physical fitness seriously

Sometimes it shocks me when people want to move like high level dancers
yet they let their basic physical fitness get away from them. Things like
Yoga, Pilates are great for dancers. As we get older some form of
resistance training is helpful as well. Combine these with a healthy diet
and you’ll be in much better shape to take your dancing seriously as well.

9. Realize that learning curve is not a straight line

Bad dances, bad competitions, bad lessons and crummy days are just a
part of doing business. Learn what you can from them and come back
smarter the next day. Don’t get discouraged. Learn the lesson and move to
be better next time.

10. Learn to dance with different partners.

One of the best things you can do is to cultivate the ability to dance with a
wide range of partners. Not only partners that are brand new but also
partners that are far ‘out of your league’ It’s good to be able to the the skill
and courage to dance with everyone on the spectrum of abilities. It’s the
essence of social dance, the essence of West Coast Swing.

Overcoming Frustration in Dancing

Frustration in dancing tends to happen when we don’t meet our goals.

Overcoming frustration in dancing can be difficult. We might be unhappy

at missing a goal or from struggling along the way. There are lots of
reasons that this happens.

The causes of our frustrations either come from internal things that are
within our control, but often from things outside our control. Some of us
feel frustration deep in our hearts, others just brush it of as the cost of

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doing business. The journey through the stages of dancing West Coast
Swing will frustrate the best of us. What can you do about it?

Ask yourself this question… What is frustrating me?

As a second question…. Can I control this, or can’t I? It important for us to

identify what things we can control and what things we cannot. From
there it becomes much easier to create a plan to overcome our
frustrations in dancing. Ultimately, we want to not only achieve our goals,
but to simply be happy about our dancing.

The biggest variable in your success and happiness will be YOU!

Step 1 – Change what you can

1. Identify what you want to change

Sometimes people skip this simple step. What is it that you would really
like to change that’s frustrating you? Pick something! Is it your footwork?
Your styling? Chose the topic that bothers you the most so you can move
to making it better.

2. Do something about it
Fail to plan and plan to fail. Create a mini system to fix your problems.
Perhaps you can create a practice group? Maybe you can commit to
practicing your footwork just 20 minutes 3 times per week. It shocks me
how long people delay overcoming frustration with their dancing by not
taking action! DO SOMETHING and DO IT CONSISTENTLY to make
things better.

3. Track you progress

Keep a log of your progress. Maybe it’s on video. Maybe it’s written. I have
a student that pulls out old competition results or old videos of when she
stated to remind herself how far she’s come. I think you should do

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something similar. The feeling of wanting to be a little bit better will

always be there. It’s important to realize how far you’ve come!

4. Get a reality check

This one is hard to swallow. Get someone that you trust to be honest with
you. Perhaps it’s a coach or just a good friend. Have them tell you the
truth. Maybe you need to hear that you will never be a champion. Maybe
you need to hear that you’re better than you think! If you understand
reality, then you’ll be free to become the best version of yourself on the
dance floor!

Part 2 – Learn to accept what you cannot change

The are no real steps to this part of the process.

Sometimes we have to learn to be at be peace with things that are out of

our control.

As a social dancer, you cannot control the random person criticizing you
on the dance floor, nor can you control the fact that you didn’t start
dancing earlier in life.

As a competitor, you cannot control what your competitors do, not can
you control the judges.

Start to be thankful for what you do have and what you can control!

Over the years I have seen so many people let these types things ruin days,
weeks, months and sometimes YEARS of their dancing.

Sometimes the best route to overcoming your frustration is to simply

accept things as they are.

We are all going to have setbacks and frustrations but if have a goal and a
plan to achieve it, you well on your way to success!

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All too many times dancers skip these basic steps on the road to success
and they are left frustrated and lost. Don’t let this be you!

Cracking Under Pressure

Choking is one of the most universally feared experiences in any skill-

based activity. The idea of your body or mind suddenly failing to execute
tasks you’ve practiced terrifying. Fortunately, it’s also much rarer than you
would think.

Most of us aren’t actually good enough to choke under pressure.

To understand why, we need to look at what chocking actually is.

When you learn a skill, all of the elements have to be learned

independently and processed consciously. We develop the ability to do
the skill subconsciously, without having to think about every little muscle
movement.

This is a good thing, because the explicit motor control system is just too
slow to handle the thousands of elements that need to be coordinated in
the span of a few hundredths of a second to produce a single cohesive
movement.

Choking occurs when this transition from the explicit to the implicit
system breaks down.

An expert who normally works with the implicit motor control systems
suddenly, for whatever reason, is trying to control the movement with the
explicit system. This is a huge problem: the explicit system way too slow
and limited to coordinate the movement in real time. That’s a choke.

Where’s the good news?

Well, it turns out that choking can only occur in people who are genuine
experts at the skill in question.

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For people who are still learning a skill (and if you’re reading this, odds are
good that you fall into that category for WCS), paying more explicit
attention to the performance of the skill actually improves your
performance.

Researchers at the University of Dayton proved this by studying Tetris

players.

In a competitive environment with a big audience, the novice Tetris

players improved their playing abilities, while the expert players got
worse. The pressure moved the experts from their implicit to explicit
systems, producing a choking effect.

By contrast, the novice players were already using their explicit systems,
so the added pressure simply caused them to use that system more
effectively (since they were so focused).

In other words, don’t be afraid of choking under pressure. For all but the
top tier of performers, pressure is more likely to make you perform better.

There are no Natural Dancers

When your own dancing hits a plateau, it’s easy to become frustrated and
jealous about the people who just “get it.”

Every community seems to have someone who is a natural.

This might be the person who dances well despite never taking a lesson, or
it might be the person who can see a complicated move once and then just
do it socially.

It seems that some people just have the natural talent for the dance.

Except…talent doesn’t work like that.

In Genius Explained, Michael J.A. Howe examines the cases of apparently

naturally talented geniuses, from Mozart to Einstein and Darwin.

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In every case, the genius had put in thousands of hours of work before
their efforts were recognized as exceptional.

The reason Mozart composed world-famous symphonies in his 20s is

because he began composing at age 5, under the strict tutelage of his
father, who was one of the best musical instructors in Salzberg.

From my own experience, I’m amazed at how many of the “naturals” I have
met in west coast swing have a story of hours of practice behind their skill.

One person told me about doing triple steps his entire shift at the factory,
day after day. Another person came from dancing parents, where “quality
time with the family” meant dancing around the living room in the evening.

Talent develops with practice.

The people who seem to be naturals may have a slight edge in natural
ability, but it’s far more likely that they have put in the hours when you
haven’t seen them.

So, the next time you get frustrated, remember that now is another
opportunity for you to put in your time, outside of the view of anyone else

How to Sustain Your Motivation to Improve

Research on the development of expert-level skill is clear: there is no

magic talent gene.

Instead, talent is the accumulation of hours of practice, in which would-be

experts continually push themselves beyond their comfort zone in order
to develop new competencies.

The development of the brain structure to consistently perform new skills

requires hundreds of repeated stimulations of the brain circuits.

There is no shortcut to true excellence.

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Given that expert-level skill requires deliberate, focused practice, the key
question becomes:

What does it take to sustain the motivation in order to become a

master-level practitioner?

Although research is beginning to uncover some principles that underlie

sustainable motivation, the best answer is one that you have.

Why do you want to get better?

Take five minutes to write down why you want to become better. You
might say that you enjoy being able to do more moves, that you like being
able to have more interesting dances, or that you like seeing your own
progress.

Whatever your reason is—write it down!

Then, find a way to remind your future self about those reasons. You can
put an alarm on your calendar in a couple of months, use a website like
FutureMe.org to send your future self an email, or ask a friend to remind
you at the right time.

By passing on your reasons to your future self, you can use your current
motivation to boost your future dedication!

How to Fail Better

In a novella by Nobel Prize-winning author Samuel Beckett, one of the

characters shares a thought on failure:

Try again. Fail again. Fail better.

When we practice, it is tempting to see failure as, well, a failure. But, truly
exceptional performers know that failure is an essential part of the
learning process. If you aren’t failing, you aren’t improving.

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If you want to improve your dancing, you can’t play it safe.

You can’t keep doing the same thing that you’ve always done!

Find something in your dance that you are failing at, and do it again. Keep
going until you fail at a higher level.

For a beginner, you might move from failing to keep the timing of your
triples to failing to roll through the feet. That’s a huge improvement.
Failing to roll through your feet is failing at a much higher level than the
failure to keep time.

If you can move to failing at a higher level, your dance will improve
substantially. Keep trying. Keep failing. Fail better!

Learn to Dance Without Thinking

Research on practice strategies has revealed that the value of practice

actually increases once a skill can be executed successfully.

Mastery is a new starting point for practice, not an endpoint.

The reason practice continues to be valuable even after a skill is mastered

is because, at the level of mastery, a skill still requires thought in order to
be executed correctly.

What practice does is move from the level of mastery—consistently

correct execution—to the level of automaticity, in which no mental effort
is required in order to execute the skill.

Because the brain can only juggle a limited number of thoughts at once,
moving to the level of automaticity makes it possible to execute higher-
order skills.

There are thousands of examples in WCS of how moving from mastery to

automaticity improves the quality of performance.

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Say that you have mastered a body ripple during your anchor. If you move
to the level of automaticity, you can now perform that body ripple while
also shaping your partner and responding to his or her connection.

Achieving automaticity for picking patterns to accent specific counts in

the music allows you to spend your mental energy figuring out how to exit
the pattern in order to set up the next hit.

Automaticity in your footwork allows you to syncopate to the music on

the fly, instead of having to manually determine, “now I need a triple, then
an &kick-ball change, then a double, then a hold-step.”

The philosopher Alfred North Whitehead remarked on the value of

automaticity by writing.

It is a profoundly erroneous truism, repeated by all copybooks and by

eminent people when they are making speeches, that we should cultivate
the habit of thinking of what we are doing. The precise opposite is the
case. Civilization advances by extending the number of important
operations which we can perform without thinking about them.

If you want to be a truly advanced dancer, practice to automaticity.

The more you can do without thinking, the more you can use your
brainpower to set up amazing movements that would be far beyond the
reach of mere masters.

What Tiger Woods can teach us about WCS!

One of the most frustrating moments in dance is when an instructor has to

repeatedly tell you about a problem you know about.

Everyone who has taken west coast swing seriously has had that
experience.

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Whether it’s your coach telling you to turn out your feet for what feels like
the thousandth time, or a practice partner reminding you that you came
forward on the anchor again, being reminded about the same mistake,
over and over, is frustrating.

It can make you feel angry with yourself, helpless, like you are wasting
your time, or that you simply will never get past this bad habit.

Sometimes the student takes this as a sign that the coach doesn’t really
know what they are talking about and heads off looking for a ‘magic pill’ in
the form of a new coach.

Top performers don’t take this approach when dealing with coaches!

Enter Butch Harmon.

If you’re a golf fan, you might recognize Harmon’s name. If not, you
probably know his student Tiger Woods.

Butch Harmon is the coach who has worked with Tiger Woods from
1993-2004, a stretch of time during which Woods won his first major,
achieved the top ranking in the world!

What followed was a lackluster year for Tiger

Then he won a jaw-dropping eight events in 1999, and six events in a row
in 2000 (a feat that was last accomplished in 1948).

What’s most interesting about this time period is the lackluster

section between earning a #1 ranking in 1997 and
catapulting into historical excellence in 1999.

Woods felt that there was something off about his swing; even though he
had earned the world’s top ranking, he felt like he needed to fix his swing
mechanics in order to remain at the top.

Harmon agreed, although he warned Woods that he would get worse

before they were able to improve his swing because they needed to

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change some fundamental elements of his technique. Woods decided to

go ahead despite the risks.

In 1998, Woods hit hundreds of practice shots every single day. Harmon
was right there, giving the same corrections over and over. During some
sessions, Harmon told Woods the same correction as many as a hundred
times. The same correction, over and over and over.

Woods succeeded in rebuilding his stroke, but it took a year to get there.

It wasn’t that Woods was lazy or stupid—far from it. And it wasn’t that he
hadn’t listened the first hundred times that Harmon told him to fix his grip.

The reason it took so long is because old habits are hard to break.

One swing at a time, one correction applied over and over for thousands of
repetitions manage to kill the old habits, but there was no shortcut to do it
faster.

When you next get frustrated because your teacher tells you the same
things over and over, remember Woods hacking away at the practice
shots, with Harmon repeating the same corrections over and over.

Fixing your mechanics is hard. It requires a lot of repetition.

Just like Tiger Woods, you will need to hear the same correction hundreds
or thousands of times before you master it. That’s okay.

How to Figure Out Why You’re Making Mistakes

Most of us have an error model for our mistakes: we erred, and thus the
action did not achieve the intended result.

An example of the error model would be a piano student who plays an

incorrect note and attributes the mistake to pressing the wrong key.

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Instead of hitting the A, his or her finger missed and pressed the B key.
This model is straightforward and seems to provide a simple explanation
for why our action was incorrect.

Unfortunately, the error model is unhelpful in improving performance.

The pianist who wishes to press the A key can pay more attention to what
key he or she is pressing; he or she can try harder to hit the correct key.

However, how he or she can try harder is impossible to describe.

There is a growing body of evidence suggesting that the error model ought
to be replaced with a different conceptual paradigm.

Instead of making mistakes because errors, we make mistakes because of

bugs in our execution.

The bug model comes from computer programming: computers faithfully

execute the instructions they are given, so an incorrect result is a
consequence of not telling the computer the right thing to do. In other
words, the problem resides in the instructions themselves, and not in the
execution of the instructions.

How does the bug model alter our understanding of mistakes?

It allows us to ask why the mistake occurred at a deeper level than the
error model.

For instance, it might turn out that the pianist has crossed his or her
fingers at a specific point in the passage, and that crossing puts the hand in
a position where hitting the B key is the natural motion.

By modifying the programming—in this case, by adopting a different

fingering for the passage—it becomes possible to reliably press the correct
key.

This method does not require exhorting the student to “concentrate” or

“try harder”; it instead examines why the situation made the mistake
likely, and then corrects that element of the situation.

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The bug model is relatively common in technical fields, such as math and
science. When determining how to round a number or how to balance an
equation, mistakes are usually not the result of the student simply losing
focus. Rather, mistakes emerge from an inadequate or erroneous
understanding of how to round a number or balance an equation.

Correcting the mistake thus occurs by teaching the procedure for

rounding or balancing an equation, and fixing the error in the process used
by the student.

Professional WCS dancers also recognize the usefulness of the

bug model, although they may not refer to it as such.

If you ask them to troubleshoot a footwork variation, they will not tell you
to step faster; they will show you why the placement of your body weight
makes it difficult to execute the movement in time, and will correct your
weight placement.

If the problem is the lead for a move, they will stop you right before the
problem spot to make sure that your body position, momentum, etc. are
correct for the move.

Rarely will the solution be to “do it better”; the reason they are pros is
because they can see how what you have done thus far is putting you in a
position where success is unlikely, and will fix your execution so that
success becomes more probable.

In other words, failure to perform a skill is not a matter of not trying hard
enough, or being lazy, or not being talented. It is virtually a causal
necessity; if you put yourself in a position where the correct movement is
not easy, then you will not execute the movement correctly.

Fix the situation that you got into, and the problem disappears.

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Here is how you can identify your mistakes!

If you know what you should be doing but can’t seem to execute it
consistently, back up two beats and see how you are getting into that
position.

It might be that your foot is in a position that makes the movement more
difficult, or that your movement is causing you to get overextended at the
trouble spot, or any number of other issues.

The key is to recognize that there is a reason why your attempt is failing.
Identifying that reason and fixing it will be far more likely to remedy the
mistake than trying to fix the mistake itself.

Top 10 Struggles of WCS Dancers

Over 2 years I polled tens of thousands of WCS dancers across the world
to find out their biggest struggles.

I was fascinated to hear what new dancers struggled with the most.

My assumption is that once we reach an intermediate level, we have more

skills knowledge and resources and we will be more comfortable finding
our own way in the dance. I just don’t want you to quit before you get
there!

Dancers of EVERY level have struggles both mental and physical.

You’re not alone – All of us go through struggles – It’s a normal part of the
process.

My goal is to create resources to help pave the way for you to enjoy west
coast swing with as little frustration as possible.

After receiving 1000’s of emails and comments – here are the top
struggles of WCS dancers worldwide.

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We included some actual responses we received via email –I’m using

their words.

1. I have trouble staying on time to the music.

“I took a weekend workshop. I had never even seen the west coast swing
before. What a fiasco! Left was right and right was left. I was f-ing lost.
Yes, that word describes my situation precisely. I did not take the 2nd
class as I did not want to screw up any partner. Then for the next couple of
years I avoided the dance when I could.”

“I have no problem executing patterns with no music but as soon as the

song comes on…I really struggle with staying on beat”

Helpful Resource: Check out our Musicality Resource page. There are
some great articles and videos to help you stay on time!

TAKE ACTION> Download the #1 Key to Musicality for WCS

2. I can’t remember my patterns

“My biggest WCS struggle is that I forget new moves shortly after learning
them. Seems like lessons never spend enough time on practice, which I
think may help my retention”

“ My biggest WCS struggle is that I forget new moves shortly after

learning them.”

“I seem to know the pattern after class but when I social dance… BLAM it
all goes out the window”

Helpful Resource: Check out our 5 tips to remember your

patterns blog post

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3. I lack self confidence

“I first started to learn dancing to help recover from the side effects of
being in a toxic relationship. I didn’t know which direction to go. My self-
confidence was shot, I was unsure of myself, and my soul was crushed.

One of the hardest struggles I had to overcome was to get rid of the the
self-defeating doubts that I had with in myself!

Thanks to dancing and especially West Coast Swing. I have performed in 2

show case dances. I have also competed. My first time competing, I got the
best all are Swing Dancer Award. I have done things that I have always
seen done, but I never pictured myself doing!

Dancing has changed my life in more ways ways than I ever imagined.”

“I just recently started ballroom and social dance lessons at age 65. My
instructor is a very talented 24-year-old. Yikes! The thing is I really can do
the steps. My lack of confidence holds me back”

Helpful Resource: Everyone and I mean EVERYONE struggles with self-

confidence during their dancing. You are not alone. Be patient with
yourself and remember to enjoy the learning process because you ARE
good enough!

4. I don’t have anyone to practice with

“I love WCS but I can’t find a regular partner to practice with”

“We are new to west coast swing and there is no dancing in my area so I
struggle with practicing on my own.”

Helpful Resource: Practicing by yourself can be rewarding. Also, I suspect

there are others in your area with a similar frustration. Perhaps forming a
practice group with a couple of them would be a fun idea.

Read our Practice by Yourself blog post or scroll to the ‘solo practice’
section of this ebook!

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5. I struggle with styling, creativity & musicality

“My wife and I got into WCS late (early 60’s / late 50’s) from a social
ballroom background. We can learn patterns and moves but #1 struggle is
learning to play with the music and look like the rest of the West Coast
World”

“As a follower I feel like I lack styling. I don’t want to be boring. I want to
look good so others will dance with me”

Helpful Resource: For help with musicality watch download the #1 Key to
Musicality for WCS.

For help with styling, check out our Styling Resource page

6. I get stuck on various things despite knowing what

I’m doing is incorrect or could be done better
“I’ve taken private lessons from lots of top pros. I know what my problems
are but I have trouble correcting them even though I know EXACTLY what
is wrong”

“I struggle with staying back in the connection. Even though my teacher

has explained it to my 100 times I still can’t seem to get it right.”

Reply: You are 100% normal. Actually, you are lucky too! Knowing what
you need to fix and being aware of it is a HUGE step to actually getting
better. Be patient, enjoy the process and as time goes by look back and
appreciate how far you’ve come! If you have access to a good regular
teacher/coach then use their expertise to guide you. A lot of what they can
share is not only technical by mental. Staying positive and knowing that
you’re struggles are normal will help keep you in the game

Helpful Resource: Check out our Video Page for some awesome tips and
techniques. The page also includes a Q&A section where I have done video
replies to your questions!

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7. I look around at everyone else, and I’m frustrated at

how little I know.
“Every time I go social dancing it’s demoralizing. I feel like everyone else
knows what they are doing but I’m just a dumb beginner”

“I get so overwhelmed with all the technique I hear in lessons and

workshops. I feel like I don’t know a thing and I’m never going to be any
good.”

REPLY: Be okay with not knowing! Chances are lots of other dancers in
the room feel the EXACT same way. Trust me I was one and now I run the
world’s largest wcs website. You’re going to be ok!

8. West Coast Swing seems so much harder than my

previous dancing.
“I’ve done several ProAm ballroom competition but man starting WCS was
the hardest thing I’ve done in dancing”

“I was very into social ballroom but WCS was super confusing to me at
first. It didn’t seem to fit the mold of my other dances. The music didn’t
seem to match the timing of the patterns. Very confusing!”

REPLY: Yes WCS is a VERY difficult dance to be really good at. It can be
learned fairly quickly buy as we get more advanced it becomes infinitely
challenging. This is why we all love it so much though There are so many
things to keep us entertained and excited.

Helpful Resource: Our video page has 400+ videos to help!

TAKE ACTION> Get access to over 400 Instructional Videos

with a Get a FULL ACCESS Membership to our website

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9. Social dancing WCS is, frankly, waaay beyond my

comfort level.
“Truth be told, even now, social dancing WCS was like to visit a rural part
of a foreign country while knowing only five words of the language. I still
do not possess enough of the vernacular, vocabulary, or processing speed
to be confident as a follower in WCS.”

“Leaders who get frustrated when I don’t know what they think they’re
leading, pushy/pulling/yanking leads, or shy (lack of leading) leads and you
have a perfect storm to keep me from the local social dances, workshops,
and conventions.”

REPLY: There is only one way to fix this one…. Like Nike says… JUST DO
IT! Make a goal to dance for just 30min of a social dance. Heck, maybe
make it a goal just to dance once! Then slowly add to your goal until you
can get through an entire dance. You might even enjoy it!

10. Finding a place to dance.

“We live in a small town with no west coast swing dancing. We have to
travel 2 hours to find the closest social dance.”

“There are no west coast swing teachers in our area. We dance in a small
group at our studio but none of the instructors are ‘real’ west coast swing
teachers”

REPLY: After teaching around the world (25+ countries) I have learned
this truth. Every dance community started with just a few passionate
people who really spurred growth. Maybe YOU are the one to do it in your
community!

Start with just a few friends and start inviting people. If you are not
confident in your ability to teach others… shoot me an email and I’ll give
you some awesome resources that you can use to help instruct others and
build your community.

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Helpful Resource: Our Beginners Guide to WCS was created to help you
get comfortable with WCS fast as you move from the beginner to
intermediate level of WCS.

Bonus. My husband/wife, boyfriend/girlfriend is not

into dancing
“I love dancing but my husband hates it. I just want him to dance with me.
What do I do?”

REPLY: As much as we love dancing…It’s not always for everyone. If you

are lucky enough to have the support of your partner, be grateful and
enjoy your dancing! The dance bug is likely to hit you hard and you might
want to dance 5 nights a week but be respectful of your partner because
they are likely not to understand your new passion.

The Value of Solo Practice

Many dancers complain, “I don’t have a practice partner!”

This complaint seems to make sense: shouldn’t you need a partner to get
the most out of practicing a partner dance?

Surprisingly, more often than not the answer is no.

Fundamentally, all social dancing requires you to execute your own part.

A great dancer can adjust to make a less skilled dancer feel like they are
dancing better, but it’s an illusion.

At the end of the day, each partner needs to dance their part.

This is true even for dips and other social tricks: if you can’t dance the dip
on your own, you are relying on your partner to support you, which is not a
good position to be in unless you really know and trust your partner!

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It’s true that some moves are easier to do with a partner because you can
work off that person’s energy.

Even when you are doing a move that relies heavily on working off your
partner, you need to have enough body control of your own mechanics to
be able to channel that energy.

Pot-stirs work much better when the leader can maintain a consistently
pulsed halo and when the follower can balance on the toe base. Mastering
you own body mechanics is what makes it possible to work off of your
partner, rather than relying on them.

Perhaps most importantly, your ability to dance is

something you can develop on your own.

In fact, it’s usually easiest to work on the technical elements of your

movement without a partner. Whether you are learning to roll through the
feet, body isolations, or dancing to musical phrases, it is much easier to
develop your skills in an environment where you don’t have to worry
about what your partner is doing.

The bottom line is that solo practice is immensely valuable.

Even when partner practice is helpful, you will get the most out of your
partner practice if you have put in the solo work beforehand.

So, don’t stop practicing just because you don’t have a practice partner!

Instead, think about what your responsibility is for the part of the dance
you want to improve, and find a way to work on your responsibility.

That way, you’ll become a better dancer for yourself—and a better

practice buddy for your future partner.

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How to practice alone

The open secret of partner dances like WCS is that you don’t actually need
a partner to practice.

Ask any pro, and they’ll tell you that they spend lots of time working on
their dancing alone because that’s what they need to get better.

For whatever reason, many of us think that advice isn’t important at our
level. In reality, solo practice is even more valuable to newer dancers
because they aren’t executing moves that require the partner to power
through or stabilize.

What can you practice on your own?

Footwork:
No one else can help you move your feet. When you’re on your own, you
have the ability to repeat a movement as much as you need, at whatever
tempo you want.

TAKE ACTION>> Watch our Rolling through your Feet video

Posture:
Your body alignment is great material for solo practice. Whether you are
working on un-rounding your shoulders, tucking your pelvis under, or just
lengthening your spine, you can concentrate on that element without
being distracted by what a partner wants to do.

TAKE ACTION>> Watch our Balance & Posture Video

Weight transfer:
Rolling through the feet, delaying your body flight, and using your sending
foot are all great skills to practice solo.

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TAKE ACTION>> Download our #1 Footwork Drill Video

Balance:
Stand on one leg for 30 seconds. When that’s easy, stand on something
unstable (like a pillow), close your eyes, or move your body around while
you are balancing. Working on your balance solo is a two-for-one, because
the better your balance is on your own, the less you will need a partner to
make it through moves.

TAKE ACTION>> Watch our Balance & Posture Video

Shaping:
Learning how your body can move is a lot easier on your own. Yes, you will
eventually want to put this into a dance with a partner, but building your
own repertoire of movements before trying to partner dance will help
tremendously.

TAKE ACTION>> Read our Styling Checklist Blog Post

Musicality:
Hearing sets of eights, phrase changes, and accents is something that your
partner can’t help you with. Learning how to count music (not just
patterns) is what we call counting straight 8’s. It’s the biggest key to
musicality! Just throw on some music and start counting 8s all by yourself.

TAKE ACTON> Download our video, Counting Straight 8’s

There’s no shortage of material to practice on your own. So don’t let the

excuse that “I don’t have a practice partner” stop you from getting better.
You can work on your dancing by yourself and become the person that
everyone else wants to practice with!

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6 Tips for Practicing with a Partner

Although there is a ton of work that you can do to practice WCS on your
own, there are some things that simply aren’t possible without a partner.
Other elements of the dance can be practiced independently but can be
learned more efficiently with a partner. So, having a practice partner can
be a huge benefit in learning this dance.

The following list suggests some “best practices” for working with a
partner. Like all relationships, a practice partnership requires effort from
both sides in order to keep working. These suggestions are aimed at
helping you develop and sustain that relationship.

Here are your 6 tips for partner practice:

1. Communicate
If you only take one idea away from this post, remember that
communication is essential to a good practice partnership.

Both partners need to feel comfortable in discussing what their needs and
expectations are for the partnership. If the two of you can’t communicate
in an effective manner, then the partnership is only one confrontation
away from collapsing.

2. Identify your goals.

Each partner needs to know what the other person hopes to gain from the
practice time.

This is important both for feeling like your time is not being wasted and for
being able to help your partner get what he or she needs out of the
practice.

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3. Be respectful of skill differences.

Practice partnerships will inevitably have skill differences, whether in
overall ability in the dance or in specific areas. Both partners need to be
respectful of those differences.

If you are the more-skilled partner, be cognizant of your partner’s abilities.

Chances are both of you are still less-than-pro dancers, so always make
sure that you are not doing anything to pull your partner off before
criticizing his or her dancing.

If you are the less-skilled partner, you need to take responsibility for your
own comfort zone. If your partner is giving you feedback and you are not
in a position to take it—whether because you are mentally exhausted,
physically sore, or any other reason—you need to speak up and let your
partner know that it will have to wait until later.

Likewise, if your partner is asking you to do something that is well beyond

your abilities, be honest and let him or her know.

4. Focus on each person in turn.

Each partner should have the opportunity to work on what they want to.

A great way to do this is to take turns: one partner directs the action for
15 minutes, then the other partner takes the next 15. Your partner may
ask you to lead nothing but side passes for 15 minutes; if that’s what he or
she needs, then let them! (But be smart about physically demanding tasks
like spinning; no follower wants to do barrel rolls non-stop for 15 minutes.)

5. Determine how you want to give and receive feedback.

Talk to your partner about when and what kind of advice you want.

Some partnerships thrive when each partner can call out the other for
inadequate performance; for other partnerships, that’s a recipe for
disaster.

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You may want your partner to say nothing unless you ask for comments,
or you may want your partner to interject whenever you perform a
nervous habit. You don’t have to have the same expectation, but you do
need to know and follow each other’s preferences.

6. Have fun!
And, if you’re not having fun, talk to your partner about it!

Remember that your partner benefits from working with you too, so it’s in
the best interests of both of you to keep your practice relationship
enjoyable. Your partner is not a mind-reader, so be honest about what you
need in order to keep enjoying the time to improve together.

Dancing with different partners

One of the best things you can do is to cultivate the ability to dance with a
wide range of partners. Not only partners that are brand new but also
partners that are far ‘out of your league’ It’s good to be able to the skill and
courage to dance with everyone on the spectrum of abilities. It’s the
essence

Improve Your Social Dancing with This Drill

When you dance on the social floor, do you find movements that don’t
work as well as they did in class?

If you feel overextended, off-balance, or just plain uncomfortable, the

problem might be that your body isn’t in the right position.

In this drill will try to fix these problems by eliminating the handhold
connection. By letting go of your partner, you can easily see if your body is
under your own control—or if one of you is misaligned.

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This drill is useful for dancers at all levels.

Raw beginners often cheat on their anchors because the connection to

their partner pulls them off balance. More advanced dancers will discover
that being too far from their partner means there isn’t enough slack in the
arm connection to make the move work. So, this drill is useful no matter
what level of the dance you are at.

The Drill:

Pick a move that doesn’t feel right, and dance it with your partner.

Pay attention to why the move doesn’t feel right: Do you have trouble
putting your feet in the right position? Do you feel off-balance while
spinning? Does it feel like your partner is pulling on you?

Without trying to fix the move, simply dance it again while not holding
hands.

If the move is complicated, you may need to communicate with your

partner so you are leading/following the direction and momentum
changes at the same time.

You will each need to power your own movement through the pattern, so
extreme accelerations or decelerations may feel awkward.

Setting aside those parts, does the problematic part of the move feel
better? If so, odds are good that you and your partner had a spacing issue.

Now that you’re not connected, you can get away with being too far away.
The key will be to replicate this comfortable feeling, while close enough to
your partner to stay connected.

Go back to dancing connected, and slowly work through the move.

Pay close attention to your spacing, especially on the beat right before you
noticed the problem when first dancing the pattern.

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Experiment with having each partner adjust in different ways. You should
eventually find an adjustment for one or both of you that works!

3 Tips to Better Private Lessons

Looking forward to a private lesson with a big-name Pro?

Many years ago, I came away from my first private lesson with a ‘big name
instructor’ frustrated and disappointed. I had spent almost $300 for 2
hours of lessons and I felt like it was a waste.

I learned a valuable lesson that day that I would like to pass on to you.

First let me say this...

My biggest mistake in my first big time private lesson was that I didn’t not
take control of it. I wandered into the lesson not having a clue what was
about to happen. Had I had something as simple of these 3 tips, I would
have most assuredly had a much better experience!

Tip #1 – Know what you want out of the lesson

You need to be specific in what you are trying to achieve with the lesson.

Are you looking to learn new patterns? Do you have questions about a
specific subject? The lead of a pattern or perhaps you are having trouble
with a spin? Know ahead of time what you are looking to achieve then
communicate that to your teacher.

Tip #2 – Communicate with your teacher

Chat briefly about your experience level at the top of the lesson.

Its important for your teacher to know where you are coming from.
Letting your teacher know how long you have been dancing, classes you

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attend regularly, your private lesson background and practice habits are
all important things to talk about at the top of the lesson.

Its also helpful if you know your own learning style. Some people are very
visual. If that is you then your teacher can demonstrate more doing your
lesson. Some people are very ‘feel’ oriented. If that’s the case then you
might need to dance more on your lesson. Yet others still are extremely
detail oriented. Knowing this your teacher can help fill in all the details for
you.

Tip #3 – Let your teacher teach

Once you trust that your teacher knows a little bit about you, your goals
and your learning style it’s time to sit back and be the student.

This does not mean that you shouldn’t ask questions (you absolutely
should ask plenty of questions) but you need to allow your teacher to work
through the material he or she has been asked to convey to you.

Often times as a teacher I will resist answering a question until give my

answer a little context first. This is the type of expertise you are paying for.
Your Pro often has years of communicating their knowledge.

So, to sum it up… begin with the end in mind, communicate (especially
right in the beginning) then ask questions as you let your teacher quite you
though what will hopefully be a much better experience than my first
lesson with a ‘big time pro’

BTW if you want to know who the Pro was??? It was a latin dude. I’m sure
he couldn’t west coast swing a lick!

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How to get the Most out of Your Group Classes

Listen for technique tips:

Throughout group classes, instructors make asides about little technique
bits that make the move work. Listen for these. Ask yourself why they are
important on this move, and what other moves can benefit from those tips.

Watch the instructors:

There is almost always something to admire about the way a pro dances.
Find something that you like about your workshop instructors, and watch
closely while they demo their patterns. For instance, if you like their
anchor, pay close attention to where their feet are, where their weight is,
where in the body they settle their weight, etc. You can learn a ton from
close observation.

Learn the opposite role:

This can involve the whole range of options from actually taking the
workshop in the opposite role to paying close attention to what your
partner is doing during the pattern. In true lead-follow dancing, the leader
is more concerned with what he asks the follower to do than what he is
doing per se.

Likewise, the follower doesn’t know the pattern and so can’t be focused on
what she ought to do; she needs to be focused on what the leader is asking
from her. Group classes are a great way to develop this skill because you
can concentrate on how the leader’s movement is creating a lead for the
follower, and what the follower needs to do in order to feel that lead and
respond appropriately.

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Notice what makes each dancer differently:

Because you rotate through partners in a group class, you can become
aware of how your partner’s dance style affects the movement.

Leaders, pay attention to the ways in which the follower may not be
prepared for the upcoming lead, and either find a way to make the lead
work or to mentally scratch off that lead in that situation.

Followers, notice the variety of ways your leader can communicate a lead,
and focus on making your movements in a way that allows you to respond
to any of those versions.

Practice your technique in complicated moves:

Most workshop patterns are at least moderately complicated moves.
Whatever material you’ve been working on in private lessons—from
anchoring to stretching to rolling through the feet—should be able to be
applied in this move.

A group class provides a great opportunity to practice your

technique while performing more complicated patterns.

Don’t stop taking group classes!

As I write this in early 2017, a friend of mine recently ranted online about
people thinking they were too good for group classes. He said something
that resonated with me. He said,

“if you can’t get something out of a group class

you’re not trying hard enough”

I think this is completely true. Even today I’m always search of better ways
to understand concepts and as a pro, especially better ways to teach them!

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How to Practice After a Workshop

You just got home from a great workshop! Right now, you are inspired.

You don’t want this workshop to be just like all the others, when in a week
you go to social dance and can barely remember what you learned.

What can you do differently to get more out of this workshop?

Immediately after the workshop

• Record what you did. Most pros are great about letting workshop
participants video a summary of the class. If not, grab a friend and go
in the hallway to make your own video. Mention all the little details
you can remember, because this will be your reference when you
have a question.

• Write down what you did. Video is powerful, but the act of taking a
video doesn’t require much concentration. The act of writing,
however, requires you to go through the movement again, to think
about how you would break it down, and to recreate it in words.
Whether you write the entire thing, or add stick figure sketches, you
will remember a lot more if you force yourself to write down some
notes.

• Practice it that night. Most groups have dances after lessons, so you
should be able to try throwing your new skill in during a song. You
can also take a one-song break to walk to the corner of the room and
practice on your own. No one will mind, and you’ll get a chance to
reinforce your memory before the night is done. If there is not a
dance, take five minutes in your room before bed to walk through
the movement again.

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The Next Day

The first 24 hours are critical to our memory. If we re-activate a memory
within 24 hours, the brain is much more likely to try storing that
information into long-term memory. So, within 24 hours:

• Review your video/notes. As you do so, try to remember what else

was mentioned in the workshop that you don’t have noted yet, and
write that down. The details of the workshop itself will fade from
your memory quickly, so this is one of your last chances to recall a
tip that you heard but didn’t yet process.

• Practice the skill. Work through it at whatever speed you can. If all
you can do is step-by-step, that’s fine. Fluency is not important at
this point, but re-imprinting the memory is.

• Put it in a song. If you have enough fluency to dance the movement,

even at a painfully slow tempo, do so. This begins the process of
training your mind to see this movement as an opportunity while
you are dancing, so it can come out spontaneously instead of having
to be planned.

The Rest of the Week

Keep practicing! A few minutes every day are better than 15 minutes
every other day. Every other day is better than practicing once at the end
of the week.

This is a little bit different than normal skill-building.

With normal practice, there’s a lot of value in getting in dozens of

repetitions in the same session.

When you are trying to build fluency, lots of repetitions are essential and
doing a movement dozens of times is extremely valuable. But, when you
are trying to remember a movement, the more important variable is how

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many times you come back to the idea, not how long you worked on it
during each session.

Some people can remember what a movement is with two or three

sessions; others may need a dozen reviews.

As you add more movements to your repertoire, you’ll be able to

recognize similarities and pick up on new movements quicker, so don’t be
discouraged if you need more reviewing right now.

If you follow this process, you’ll be amazed at how much more you learn
from workshops.

Remember: a workshop can introduce an idea, but owning it requires

some effort on your part.

If you are deliberate in re-visiting the skills during that first week, you’ll
see a huge improvement in your memory and your dance ability!

It All Starts with Video

February 14th 2005. Do you know why that was a significant date?

No, it has nothing to do with Valentine’s day. It was the day that YouTube
was launched. Little did we know how the availability of online video
would impact our lives. Video has helped push West Coast Swing in front
of more people and helped bring inspiration to us all. We’re thankful for
YouTube it’s allowed us to share videos with dancers all over the world
with our WCS Online YouTube Chanel

Being Inspired by YouTube Videos

Have your ever seen this magical video?

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Take a minute to watch Robert Royston and Trendylon Veal’s J&J finals
dance at MADjam.

It’s great WCS, it’s musical, and it’s unbelievably entertaining. It’s an
amazing video but there is more to be learned than meets the eye….

Dances like this are brilliant.

But, it’s also important to recognize that it’s a unique magic moment, and
really, really good un-choreographed dances won’t always have that
moment.

The one in a hundred dance

In a lot of ways, our expectations for un-choreographed dancing are
distorted because we only see the jaw-dropping ones on YouTube.

How many dances does a pro have over a weekend?

Let’s say 100.

How many of those dances end up on video, either because they were on
the event DVD or someone was recording a social dance?

Maybe 10.

And how many of those get posted to YouTube?

If that pro had a truly magical dance, they might have one posted from that
weekend, but it’s common to have weekends with zero videos that get
uploaded.

YouTube is full of rare magical moments

So, if you are watching a video of a pro on YouTube, you are watching a
dance that was, at most, a once-in-a-hundred moment.

The videos that get thousands of views of YouTube have yet another layer
of exclusivity.

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The point is that YouTube dances are anything but typical.

They are so exceptional that you’d have to watch a hundred dances by

that pro in order to see something magical like that again. But on

YouTube, you are only seeing those one-in-a-hundred dances, and so you
begin to think that every pro dance is mind-blowingly magical.

The point isn’t to take anything away from Robert and Trendylon—if
anything, it’s the opposite.

The lesson is that you should recognize that a dance with magic moments
like this is very atypical, even among the champion level of dancers.

Many dancers try to force this kind of dance in their competitions or social
dancing, and they end up looking out of control, making their partner
uncomfortable, or just being frustrated.

These magic moments can’t be forced. If they happen,

by all means enjoy the ride.

But if they don’t, you can still have a great dance.

Watching Yourself on Video

There are few domains of dance practice and performance in which video
is not used.

Football players go to the film room to prepare for their opponents. Track
athletes use slow motion cameras to analyze the minutiae of their stride.
Even teachers will record their classrooms when getting feedback from a
mentor.

As a dancer, you can take advantage of this tool to improve your own
performance. This post is intended to give you some guidance and inform
you on what no one tells you about using video effectively.

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First Question:

What should you video?

The answer is simple. Video what you want to see.

If you want to improve your social dancing, video yourself doing a social
dance.

If you want to improve your arm lines, film yourself as you try a number of
different arm movements.

When working on a routine, you may video any chunk of the routine in
order to troubleshoot a section or refine the look.

Of course, video isn’t the only way to watch yourself.

Dance studios have walls with mirrors for a reason.

It’s valuable to see yourself immediately as you perform a move. While

video is less immediate than a mirror, it has definite advantages.

First, video is great for looking at yourself from the audience’s (or judge’s)
perspective. If you’re drilling a specific motion, you can stand square to a
mirror. However, if you’re at an angle (because of where your slot is,
where your head is facing, etc.), your perspective may be distorted. Using a
video camera can help you see what the movement looks like from the
“right” perspective.

Second, video can be played over again and slowed down.

If you need to refine a motion or need to check something subtle; the

ability to pause, rewind, and play in slow motion, make video superior to
mirrors.

Finally, video can be preserved. Whether you want to show an instructor

what something looks like, or see how far you’ve come, video provides a
record of your performance.

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Second Question:

How often should you video yourself?

The answer to this question depends on what you are doing.

If you are looking for a general overview of your dance, taking a video
once every six months is plenty.

If you are extremely focused, you can even video once a quarter. The
reason you don’t want to video yourself every time you practice is because
you need time to see the progress in your dancing.

Think about how parents can be blind to their child’s development while
the relatives who see the child once a year remark how quickly the kid is
growing up. The parents see the child every day, and therefore don’t see
how the little changes add up over time. Viewing your dancing is similar.

You need to give yourself the distance to be able to

appreciate how far you’ve come.

If you are recording yourself for a specific purpose (e.g., to see how a
routine is coming together), it’s ok to video yourself more frequently. In
this case you are focused on particular details.

Use your judgment about whether it’s more valuable to do another

repetition for the camera, or whether you should use the repetition to drill
the performance element.

Final tip:

Watch yourself in pieces.

When watching your dancing, cover up parts of the screen so you can
focus on specific elements.

It can be helpful to watch a video once with your hand covering your body
above the waist, a second time with your hands covering below the waist

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and above the neck, and a third time with everything but the head
covered.

Most people are more critical of their own image than others, so covering
parts of the body can help you focus on the look rather than the fact that
it’s you.

4 Ways to Improve Your Dancing with Technology

By now, most people in the WCS community have embraced video as a

teaching tool.

Heck you might already be a member of WCS Online

If not you can get a $1 Trial for 30 days right here

1. YouTube
First of all, use it for inspiration!

There are amazing routines and social dances that are literally uploaded
each week.

Make YouTube channel and keep a list of your favorite dance routines of
all time.

That way you will have your favorite routines there anytime you want to
keep you motivated.

Search for actual teaching videos. There are some great teachers online
that are sharing their info on YouTube.

You can visit our YouTube Channel here!

I was actually inspired to West Coast Swing Online after getting such good
response from the videos I was posting on YouTube.

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2. Invest in an iPad
Seriously how many times have you tried to learn a move or watch
yourself dance on your iPhone. The screen is too darn small for serious
learning.

Invest in an iPad or iPad mini and keep it dedicated to your dancing.

Buy one with enough memory so that you have enough space when you
need to video something important.

Periodically clean out the videos that you are not using.

Do you really need every workshop you’ve ever taken? Probably not.

3. Get a tripod
If you are like me and you are practicing you might want to video yourself.

If there is no one around you might find yourself propping up your phone
or iPad trying to point it in the right shot.

Invest in a simple tripod for your phone or iPad. It will dramatically

increase the quality of your video angle.

A quick search on amazon will pull up a number of good choices.

4. Get the Coaches Eye App

This one is pretty slick. Coaches eye app is an inexpensive app $4.99, that
allows you to do a lot of cool things to your practice video. I use it every
day in my studio!

You can watch in slow motion, draw lines and circles on your video and
best of all compare 2 videos side by side.

As a teacher, I use it to show students clear before and after videos of

themselves. It has proven to be an invaluable tool.

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I have found that actually being able to see the video was more useful that
trying to explain the changes.

A picture they say is worth 1000 words.

Pro Tip: Use the ‘compare’ feature in the app to watch a side by side
comparison of yourself. You will be able to see the before and after of you
dancing.

5. Become a Member of West Coast Swing Online

Is this a shameless plug? Maybe. Have we worked hard to create really
helpful resources for WCS dancers? You bet!

West Coast Swing Online had LOTS of resources:

• 400 Instructional videos

• 400 + Blog Posts (all of which are contained in this free eBook!)

• The Ultimate Guide for Beginners

• The Ultimate Guide to Ladies Styling

• The Ultimate Guide to Leaders Styling

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• The Ultimate Guide to Spins & Turns

• The Ultimate Guide to Musicality

We really appreciate those of you that support us as customers!

So, if you’re interested in becoming a member of the site or buying a

course we won’t complain ;-)

If not no worries.

Keep enjoying the free move of the week videos we send out every other
Tuesday.

Keep enjoying the free videos on YouTube.

And keep dancing some West Coast Swing!

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