Build Better-Balanced Conversations

What does it take to have a WCS dance where both partners contribute to the fun? As a leader, do you wish playful followers would let you lead more? Or wonder why more followers don’t play with you they way they do when they dance with other leaders? As a follower, do you wonder how you can

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Build Better-Balanced Conversations

The Evolution of Play in WCS

West Coast Swing offers a unique opportunity for both partners to express themselves and co-create in amazing “dance conversations”. But it wasn’t always balanced or amiable. So how did we get here?    This article describes the journey of how the the improvised conversation of West Coast Swing social dancing has evolved dramatically over the

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The Evolution of Play in WCS

How to Make Sure Your Dance Partners Aren’t Complaining About You

No one wants to be the person that everyone complains about.   It’s easy to make the assumption that since you “never get any complaints” that your partners are satisfied enough. But since people don’t usually complain to your face, how do you know if people are complaining about you or not?   One method

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How to Make Sure Your Dance Partners Aren’t Complaining About You

5 Rules for Safe and Fun Steal Dancing

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.   Here’s a quick example of it in a competition, but this is

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5 Rules for Safe and Fun Steal Dancing

Pep Talk for the Girls: Part 2

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 stand.

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Pep Talk for the Girls: Part 2
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 follow.

Pep Talk for the Girls: Part 1

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

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Pep Talk for the Girls: Part 1

How to balance Social Dancing and Socializing

Post-pandemic, as you have been reassessing your priorities in dance, you may have noticed you have had a bit of an imbalance. Focusing too much on training and not having enough fun, or the reverse – focusing so much on the party aspect of our dance that your skills are suffering…   Regardless of your

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How to balance Social Dancing and Socializing

Anchoring for your Westie Soul: 20 Morsels of Wisdom to Get You Through the Holidays

Hey. You look a little stressed… a little adrift. Maybe it’s time we sat down and had a chat. Pull up a comfy chair, order your favourite hot beverage, and get cozy. Let’s get you feeling anchored.   This time of year can be emotionally draining, even pulverizing for some. While I don’t proclaim to be

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Anchoring for your Westie Soul: 20 Morsels of Wisdom to Get You Through the Holidays

What Dancers Need to Know About Facebook

West Coast Swing lives online, and if you don’t know how to operate your social media tools, you risk missing opportunities or being left out of the loop entirely. Even if you are savvy with Facebook, you may not realize how some of the features are restricting you if you don’t take control of them.

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What Dancers Need to Know About Facebook

Guidance for college-aged Westies

We all wish we could have started dancing earlier than we did. Just imagine what your teen years would have looked like if you had WCS in your pocket! Thanks to social media, the WCS demographic is getting younger, and there are more 20-somethings dancers than ever. Events and studios are wising up and starting

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Guidance for college-aged Westies

Taking Leadership to Grow Your Dance Community

You may or may not be a dance teacher, but you might be someone who people look up to in your local dance community. Someone who rallies the troops, who encourages the newbies, who stays late to help out, who’s full of ideas and desire to build and grow their community so they have more

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Taking Leadership to Grow Your Dance Community

How/When to Ask Pros to Dance

Asking a pro to dance can be as nerve-wracking as asking someone out on a date. Your ego is on the line, you hope not to come across creepy, yet you’re willing to risk it for the payoff of an awesome dance with someone you admire. We applaud your courage, as long as you keep

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How/When to Ask Pros to Dance