Do you hear feedback from teachers and judges that you need to work on your timing? Being off time could be referring to 10 or more different issues. Whenever a teacher or judge tells you you are off time, you need ask them to elaborate so you know where the problem is. Without knowing the […]
Steal dancing is when you are dancing with your partner and a 3rd person amicably “cuts in” for fun. This game is different than a typical social dance: it becomes less about patterns and musicality and more about flow and transitions. But it should not be entered into blindly. Like in any game, you should have […]
Do you live in a community where there’s not a lot of dance resources? (dancers/dance parties/instructors) Are you afraid of losing your improvement momentum because of it? Are you starving for feedback to know that you are on the right track? You don’t need to wait for the next big convention, or think that you […]
It’s hard to see the forest for the trees. When you were a beginner, overwhelmed by this amazing dance, all you knew were your local classes and dances. Slowly, you became more exposed to the big, wide world of West Coast Swing. Between events and competitions and routines and levels, it’s quite daunting to navigate. […]
Girls*, let’s chat. The boys had their turn with Guy-Guidance and Dude-Dilligence. Now it’s our turn. I’d like to address some of the common concerns and complaints I hear from women in my Feminine Styling Intensive, private lessons, and in personal conversations. It’s a bit of tough love specifically for women, whether they lead or […]
Last week’s Part 1 featured concerns that women have about their own dancing – things that women should take personal responsibility for, as opposed to blaming outside sources. This week, I need to shift the focus to more serious concerns: things women should NOT take responsibility for, and ways women can and should take a […]
Ah, the eternal competitor question… “What are the judges looking for?” Consider that judges are not necessarily “looking for” positive elements of your dance as much as they are “looking to eliminate” negative elements. We call these “red flags”: bad habits or errors that prevent judges from giving you a callback to the next round. […]
There are so many great teachers out there! You might be one! But even great teachers will have limited success with the wrong tools. Let’s be logical about this and take emotion out of it: “Wrong” in this case, simply means “less effective”, or “with negative side effects”. It doesn’t mean “bad” or “useless”: […]
Are you curious about what it takes to do a Rising Star routine? Are you an event director interested in supporting and promoting the next generation of routine competitors? You probably have a lot of questions. This article is aimed at answering them: Who should compete? What is the purpose of the tour? Who’s […]
We asked WCS MEN to tell us what would get them into class. You might be surprised what they had to say! Teachers and promoters: you’re going to love me – be sure to read to the end. It’s global phenomenon: most West Coast Swing scenes in the world struggle to attract men to […]
