Not all musical accents are the same. The notes in “How Long Can a Fool Go Wrong?” demand a sharp, hard movement. Adele’s “Set Fire to the Rain” calls for a longer, softer, drawn out movements. Learning to dance the same accent in either a hard or a soft way can substantially improve the musicality… Continue Reading
Tag Archives: partner work
Expanding Your Palette
This entry is part 7 of 7 in the series Coloring the DanceThis series has gone over a number of ways to add color to your dance. At this point, you know enough about coloring your basics to start exploring new ways of coloring on your own. This post will give you some ideas for… Continue Reading
Getting Into Play
This entry is part 3 of 6 in the series PlayingNow that you know how to get out of play, it’s time to get into it. 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… Continue Reading
Getting Out of Play
This entry is part 2 of 6 in the series PlayingBecause 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!),… Continue Reading
Phrasing with Two Beat Extensions
In last week’s post, we practiced using two-beat extensions within basic patterns. Now it’s time to apply that technique in order to phrase the music. The Drill: First, listen to Sweet Sixteen by Junior Wells: In the last four beats of each major phrase (musical paragraph), there is a clear bass drum on the beat,… Continue Reading
Two Beat Extensions
WCS is a two-beat dance. As a result, it is easy to extend patterns by two beats in order to phrase the music. In order to remain on the same foot, we’ll use a double rhythm unit to extend the pattern, and we’ll put the extra double between the rhythm units of the base pattern.… Continue Reading
Coloring with Rotation
This entry is part 6 of 7 in the series Coloring the DanceAnother way to add color to the dance is through rotation. Increasing or decreasing the amount of rotation in a pattern can dramatically change the feeling of a movement. In general, changing the amount of rotation in a pattern is done by the… Continue Reading
Know Your Partner’s Musicality
One of the reasons that musical interpretation adds so much to the dance is that we all hear different things in the music. If you dance with a regular partner—either socially or in a strictly swing—you can improve your teamwork by learning what kind of things your partner hears in the music. This exercise aims… Continue Reading
Coloring with Footwork Activity
This entry is part 5 of 7 in the series Coloring the DanceOne 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… Continue Reading
Taking Off for the Pot-Stir
This entry is part 4 of 4 in the series Pot-StirsThe 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.… Continue Reading