Author Archives: Tessa

I seem to be a victim of the “fear factor” – many people tell me that they or their friends are too intimidated to dance with me. One reason is they think that I’m going to dance with them the exact same way I dance with other Pros. They think I’m going to pull out tricks [...]

Upbeat/Downbeat Timing in WCS and Ceroc Q: Do you see any fundamental differences between dancing Down beat/ Up beat pairs versus Up beat/Down beat pairs? What are they? More specifically, do you see the differences affecting each dance’s ability to interpret/reflect the music, and if so how? A: The first question about the possibilty of being [...]

Differences between Ceroc/Modern Jive and West Coast Swing Quoted Question: “There is a phrase I use from time to time when teaching beginners “lets get the nuts and bolts in place and then worry about the finer details”. In other words there is a difference between talking about technique and doing it. A beginner who [...]

Personally, I LOVE social dancing. I’m a close-the-ballroom type. The only thing that will send me home early is uninspiring music or sheer fatigue. Unfortunately, fatigue is a common occurrence when I am on staff at an event, because I have likely had a full day of workshops, private lessons, judging, competing, and possibly our [...]

When I’m judging prelims, we are instructed by the chief judge to pick a set number of “Yes’s” (usually 10) and 2 alternates. Sometimes I am judging both leaders and followers, sometimes just one or the other. In each heat, I usually use the first song to pick out my “No’s”. That means, I look [...]