West Coast Swing Puns

I took my 1st West Coast Swing Class and it was fun! Although I definitely had to fight the urge to triple step side to side like in East Coast. I then started looking into the history of WCS and saw that it was derived from Lindy Hop. It had its origin in California. How in the world did it get so different in style?

Also, how come a dance like Balboa, which also had origins in California was able to stay with the "Lindy Hop family" but West Coast Swing is like that cousin that no one ever wants to talk to anymore.

It's weird to me a dance derived from Lindy Hop is so different from it's other family members.

YouTube recommended to me today this video of UCWDC line dancers performing WCS routines.

For those of you who don't know, competitive line dancing is a dance sport, where they compete by performing solo and group routines in a selection of dances. With mandatory cowboy boots and hats (no joke).

Thought it would be an interesting example of non-WCS people's impression of West Coast Swing. :)

Some rambling:

It's kinda weird to me seeing West Coast Swing in this position: it runs counter to my perception of it as of this little niche nerdy hobby, where we care more about how it feels than how it looks. And then even when we care about how it looks, we want it to look like it feels good (or at least feels "right").

And here they are, looking at WCS as just another dance where you have to hit the visual points a/b/c and execute patterns x/y/z and voila you are dancing correct WCS, and judges are happy, and what post, stretch and anchor? Never heard of those.

Idk, it's kinda as if I was really into painting miniatures, and then I discover a painting competition where painters have to paint a wall, a car, a miniature, a portrait, a graffiti and make a tattoo because, well, a good painter should be able to paint anything!

On the other hand, I guess it's a sign of recognition when WCS is taken on equal footing with dance giants like hip-hop and waltz. :)

Hello, So I’ve been doing swing for a year now with my club at uni learning solo jazz, east coast and Charleston. Some of the club members and I went to the local swing scene where they were teaching west coast. The odd thing I noticed was we took both beginner and intermediate lesson and we never danced anything we learned to music. Also, the instructor said some things that I don’t agree with, like “followers never need to know a single move, it’s the leaders who have to know their stuff”.

The instructor also got mad when some of our members did argue about what he said.

I was expecting the lessons outside of my club to be more exciting and frankly not what I just described. Just wanna get your opinions that I just got a bad experience and it’s not the norm. Thanks!

Does anyone know of any DVD series or paid online video courses for west coast swing? My father wants to get back into it and have a way to practice at home, maybe use a video on a date night.

Basically the title. Also any roller skate groups if anyone knows of any! TIA :)

I just moved here from NY. Obviously the pandemic makes these kinds of things difficult, but I'm curious if there are groups dancing WCS out here.

Thanks!

Any westies, two-steppers, or country swing dancers out there? I’m interested in starting a club here—similar to the successful one at UNT. We would teach lessons, have socials, and do group trips to dance halls/studios. Even if you are not currently a dancer, is this something that interests you? These are partner styles, so you meet a lot of great people and have an absolute blast (as well as get some exercise).

I think it’s well documented that the Reds have struggled mightily in their West Coast road games, but why?

Time difference aside, is there any quantifiable reasoning?

Do West Coast teams struggle as much on the East Coast?

Since a backup car is not needed, are teams bringing both the car and equipment needed for this weekend’s race at Las Vegas and next week’s race at Phoenix all in one trip?

I don’t want to see anyone get injured. Am I crazy or does it seem like the roster gods are smiling on us?

I’ve been looking online for a social dance group, but it’s unclear if any groups are meeting (or when they will start again), and most all pages say “ballroom mix” as their style. Does anyone know of any groups that are primarily west coast swing and where their online presence is?

RVA is on the list of “places I might move” and this is an important part of the criteria. I want to plan my visit for a time when I could go to a dance.

So I have been really wanting to get in touch with some WCS dancers. I really miss dancing so much!! Is there any 20’s/30’s year olds swing groups in Sacramento? I also love country swing!

St. Louis Blues (34-25-6) at Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Ducks (26-32-9)

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LET'S GO BLUES

Why does NASCAR do all the west coast races back to back to back? Don’t the haulers have to drive back to NC after every race and reload with the new cars? That’s gotta be brutal.

Hello friends, I have taken up songwriting in quarantine and I want to write about something I’m passionate about soooooo... I chose WCS!

The general idea I have for the song is about a boy meeting a girl at WCS lessons and the progress that they make in their dance skills is reflective of how their relationship progresses. (Maybe a bridge idea could be they hit a plateau in their skills/relationship but then get through it? I’m open to suggestions!)

I would love any lines (however cheesy) you’ve got that reference west coast swing (i.e. “sugar no need to push me” or “you can lead and I will follow”). For a good reference for the vibe I’m going for, listen to the chorus of “The thought of you” by Logan Smith.

I appreciate any and all suggestions!

Hi, I hope it's okay to post this here? Apologies if not!

We just published an article on tips for improving your WCS musicality.

It looks at understanding phrasing, accenting the music, hitting the breaks, and matching your dance style to the musical style.

It also gives practical tips for putting your musical knowledge into practice, such as:

• Pick a song you know and express one aspect of the song at a time. For example, try focusing on the drums, then the vocals, and so on.
• Listen to songs you’ve never heard before and try to predict when the breaks will appear and when you can best accent the music.
• Play songs from different genres back to back and test your ability to quickly switch the style of your dancing

We'd love to know if you find it helpful or if there are other techniques you use to improve your WCS musicality.

Here's the article link.

I have tried many, many times to watch their stuff because it seems pretty informative, but I just can’t do it. I find the format to be a slog to get through, especially when waiting on the video clips to catch up at 1/4 speed. I have yet to finish more than about 10 minutes of any episode because it’s soooooo slow. Anyone else try this show out?

And what kind of dance background did you have?

I started about a 4 months ago at age 24. Didn't really have much of dance background, took a couple of hip hop classes here and there, but played lots of sports (I don't really think it helped)

Curious to know how and when other people got it the dance

Is there any camps that do west coast swing or are there any social west coast swing dancing? I went last year but didnt see any but wasnt sure.