The #1 Key toMusicality in West Coast Swing. The only rule for this exercise is that the feet have to keep the same degree of turnout relative to each other. This is count 6. In a whip, the follower is led past the leader and then redirected back towards the end of slot over 8 beats of music. Laur Haile. When the free foot makes contact with the floor on the way down, there should still be no weight on it. Pattern 15: He concentrates In third foot position, the heel of the front foot is lined up with the instep of the back foot. Footwork: Rolling Through the Feet ), which helps facilitate body flight in dance. Enter your email - I''ll send you the video! In this drill, were going to address that issue by thinking about peeling the feet off of the floor. 2 Left Side Passes, 2 Underarm Turns Web130 Share 12K views 5 years ago Looking for an easy west coast swing pattern. Continuous Pattern 5: Sent 2X per month to your inbox for FREE! Turning Basic You want to do more of the latterpulling your leg muscles up will keep your legs in a nice line, while just pushing the thighs together can result in an ugly knee position if your feet remain wide. The basic footwork for a whip extends the six-count pattern by inserting a pair of walking steps between the triple steps. left elbow straight back on count "2". Your goal is simple: put the towel between your thighs, and do chaines turns without letting the towel drop. WebDips (6 count) Goofy Hand Free Spin Dip. Its an easy move to 'groove' with your west coast swing. SEQUENCE #1 Pattern 1: 4-Beat Triple Rhythm Break & Anchor Triples Teaches Centering over the unit foot. 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. Amalgamation: Push Adrian dance shoes by very fine are the perfect choice for west coast swing dancing. Keeping the feet underneath the body makes it easier to transfer weight quickly, it keeps them from wobbling between steps, and it produces much better leg lines. When the leg is straight, make sure that all your weight is on the receiving side. Starter Step We call this around the world. So the author of the heading of this section seems to be referring to a later time when West Coast Swing had already become popular and Arthur Murray dancers were still using their version of the Coaster Step instead of adjusting to use of the WCS Anchor Step. In WCS, the dancers appear to glide across the floor; there is no bounce in the upper body. Repeatable sequence. West Coast Swing The whip is an evolution of the Lindy Hop basic, but with a smoother and more grounded west coast swing interpretation. Teaches him to lean back on 3-4 and 5-6. The footwork is therefore "step step tri-ple-step step step tri-ple-step." Fifth foot position is not used often in WCS except for variations. The West Coast Swing Whip, which is our first 8-count timing in West Coast Swing. The West Coast Swing Whip, which is our first 8-count timing in West Coast Swing. This is count 6. anchor into his right hand with her Upper Left Quadrant. Enter your email - I'll send you the video, Shared withby west coast swing online, Click the button & I'll Explain Personally, Download our video Rolling Through Your Feet. Teaches the Point of Connection on count 4. 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. 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. West Coast Swing For the purposes of this exercise, the exact timing of when you transfer weight is not as important as the start and finish positions. I want to talk about 4 important footwork concepts. Standard Foot Positions The Drill:Without a partner, practice walking forwards and backwards while keeping your heels on a straight line. On the triple, think of pushing off right-and-right (3&4), then for the anchor pushing off left-and-left (5&6). This is a drill, so over exaggerate the motion in order to develop the peeling action. 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! As a result, leaders are allowed to cheat slightly when single tracking. In first foot position, the two feet are next to each other. While your partner is trying to move your leg, you should be engaging your thigh muscles and pressing into the floor in order to keep your leg from moving. Role-Reversed Sugar Push. As you are peeling each foot off the floor, pay attention to how the ankle helps articulate the foot. Footwork Styling Basics. WebKeeping your foot mostly on the ground, you start moving your foot backward, and then drag it in a gentle curve to its new position. This foot is now the receiving foot. Release the heel of the now-unweighted foot by letting that knee bend forward. Pattern 7: This exercise is designed to practice dancing with smaller steps. 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. Skippy Blair. WebLEVEL PATTERN DATE NOTES Beg/Int Cut off right side pass Beg/Int Around the world Beg/Int Styling Anchor Step Variations Beg/Int Tuck Turn with Two Hands Beg/Int Simple reverse whip variations Beg/Int Same Side Whip Beg/Int Whip from Closed Position Beg/Int Reverse Whip with Inside and Outside Turns Beg/Int Whip with Outside Turn Beg/Int Triple-Rhythm Break (4-Beats of Music). Teaches himto reach behind himself - rather than forward toward her That gives you space to roll through the foot when you place that step. Teaches her to swivel on the &a. West Coast Swing In the 1950s, West Coast Swing was popularized by Skippy Blair, who within time introduced the Anchor Step for use during the last two beats of each rhythm pattern for both leaders and followers. West Coast Swing Footwork Pattern 11: Enter your email - I''ll send you the video! Pattern 6:Hand-Change 1994. Teaches her to swivel on the &a. The speed of the turns is totally irrelevant, so go as slowly as you need in order to feel comfortable. Enter your email - I'll send you the video! First foot position is often taught in many beginner patterns. We call this around the world. Teaches him to Enjoy. His right hand stops the The feet should brush past each other on every step. Enter your email - I'll send you the video! Right Side Pass West Coast Swing cheat-sheet for basic technique 1. Introduces theHand-Change. First foot position is often taught in many beginner patterns. For 3&4, think push left-and-left, and for the anchor think of pushing off right-and-right. The whip is walk, walk, triple, walk, walk, triple. Whip with Inside Roll West Coast Swing Footwork phrase. For Leaders:Single tracking creates clean lines, but doing it constantly creates a feminine look. However, if we dont cover a couple basics first it will all be for naught. West coast swing is characterized by an extremely smooth quality of movement. You dont want to lock the knee or hyper-extend it; just get to a straight leg. Pattern 22: This is where you would be if you ended the pattern on the wrong foot. If you know how to finish the pattern off from the wrong foot, it becomes much easier to confidently insert your own footwork variations. Enter your email - I'll send you the video! Pattern 3:Underarm Start from Slingshot position. Role-Reversed Sugar Push. Adrian by Very Fine. wall. Like all foot positions, this position can have varying degrees of turnout because everyone is different. Swing Dance Council, the Golden State Dance Teachers Association and Dance If we just did that in place, I go left, she goes right, walk, walk, triple step, walk, walk, triple step. repeated leverage technique. 1971 & 1975. Inevitably, you will end up on the wrong foot at the end of a pattern. Once you can do that, you can start to work on what the receiving foot does in order to control the energy created by the sending foot. Its ok! Footwork Styling Basics Closed Whip Pattern 19: West Coast Swing WebIn this West Coast Swing patterns video, Anthony and Rose Lewis of Country Dance X teach you a new way to look at the west coast swing basic steps, the side passes. Pattern 13: 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. Pattern 20: During the last two beats of a rhythm pattern, the follower rotated 90 to be perpendicular to the leader, then stepped back, together, and forward in triple-rhythm (three weight changes in two beats of music), then rotated back to face the leader and to be ready to step forward as the leader led the follower in to begin the next pattern. 1. to your favorite Swing competitions! Adrian dance shoes by very fine are the perfect choice for west coast swing dancing. on "3&a" before moving back on "4". four6-beat patterns, finish with any 8-beat Whip. This program is recommended by the World Swing Dance Council, the Golden State Dance Teachers Association and Dance Dynamics. Easy West Coast Swing Pattern When you can straighten and release the leg fluidly, you can begin playing with the rate of weight transfer until you find how to switch your weight in a way that is comfortable for you. If you compare a new dancer to an experienced dancer, one of the first visual differences you will see is that the new dancer looks like he or she is marching, while the experienced dancer can glide across the floor. The whip is an evolution of the Lindy Hop basic, but with a smoother and more grounded west coast swing interpretation. 4-Beat Rotational Starter Step That's basic whip timing. 1. By training yourself to keep energy in your leg, you are making yourself feel and look more solid. Both partners will frequently use second position when hitting a pose and presenting towards the audience. The feet maintain the same degree of relative turnout as in first foot position, but the heels are separated along a horizontal axis. One of the most common types of contrast within a song is between smooth and crisp sounds. The easiest way to train steps that stay under the body is to focus on keeping your thighs together. repeated leverage technique. WebDips (6 count) Goofy Hand Free Spin Dip. him to place her behind him in "Slingshot" position In this article we will cover 5 footwork drills to improve your west coast swing. Rollout Normally, the last step of the anchor is a whole beat, so you have some time before you need to step for the next pattern. For the purposes of this exercise, were not going to focus on the timing of the weight transfer; were just going to work on completing the leg action with each step. 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.