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. The syncopated triple rhythm flips this pulse: the & count occurs before the downbeat in order to make the… Continue Reading
Tag Archives: syncopations
Rock and Go
The rock and go is leadable syncopation for combining two patterns. Instead of ending the first pattern with an anchor and then starting the second pattern with a walk walk, the rock and go replaces all four beats of the anchor and the walk walk with a two beat connector. For six-count patterns, the anchor… Continue Reading
Footwork: &-Kick-Ball Change
The &-kick-ball change footwork syncopation is a simple method to add energy to your triple steps. A normal triple rhythm has weight changes on the downbeat, the & count, and the upbeat: In this footwork syncopation, the first step happens before the downbeat in order to create time for a kicking (non-weighted) action on the… Continue Reading
Footwork: Advanced Syncopation Elements
The vast majority of footwork syncopations are built from a handful of basic movements. By drilling those movements, you can easily combine the pieces into a more elaborate syncopation to match the music. An earlier post discussed the single and double rhythm syncopations; this post adds to that list the triple and quad rhythm syncopations.… Continue Reading
The Bare Bones Dance
As we dance, we inevitably pick up habitual movements. Whether it is a tap step on an front tuck or an arm movement that you always do on a side pass, habitual movements creep into your dance because they feel comfortable. The problem is that habitual movements can easily become the default motion, and in… Continue Reading
Footwork: Syncopation Elements
Just like most moves in west coast swing can be broken down into two-beat increments, most footwork syncopations can be broken down into smaller pieces. According to Robert Royston, by practicing the elements that make up the vast majority of footwork syncopations, it becomes much easier to synthesize them on-the-fly into more advanced combinations. The… Continue Reading
Partnering Skills: Mirroring
Watching pro WCS dancers play is amazing in part because they are so good at mirroring each other and building on their partner’s ideas. This drill is designed to build your own mirroring skills in two respects. First, it will help you build the habit of observing your partner and matching what they are doing.… Continue Reading
Anchor Variations
There are really only three ways to get into an anchor in west coast swing: you can step down the slot (i.e., away from your partner), you can turn to your right, or you can turn to your left. Each of these directions sets up your momentum for different anchor variations. The purpose of this… Continue Reading