Does anyone here have experience and / or advice how to train to become faster on your feet? I am sometimes unable to execute things for musicality just because I can’t move my feet fast enough. Or something that the leader suggests - I register it in my head, I understand what they want, but just can’t react that fast.

This is NOT about dancing to fast music in general. This is specifically about musicality and adding in fun footwork or other little bits.

Anyone have experience buying dance shoes in kids size? im a womans 4W but most companines 4 is more like a 5 and just not wide enough. i also could wear a kid size 2w or 21/2w. on top of that , i had a bum knee surgery so i have to make adjustments on shoes with a lift or an elevated insole. i don't mind spending $ even if its custom! thanks! i just want to dance.

Hey! I am from Germany and new to west coast swing. I did not do a lot of dancing, especially not partner dancing in my life, but I did do a lot of theater, especially improvisation and some dance theater. Its also how I got interested in wcs, because I really like improvisation in all its little quirks and ways. I am in a beginner class and we basically by now learned the left-side pass, underarm-pass, sugar push and the torque turn. The teachers encouraged us to stay for the first dance party and I was very motivated, but then completely overwhelmed. The people dancing were very good and I had no idea on how the "etiquette" there works, so in the end I just sat at the side. Do you have any tips for a beginner on a dance party?

Hi everyone. Does anyone know how I can watch a livestream of The Open championships this week?

Hey westie besties :) Thanks so much to everyone who answered my last question! Your tips helped and I definitely improved.

I've decided to enter my first competition as a newcomer at an NYE event. I've been googling, YouTubing, and stalking old posts on this thread to find out info about competing (there really needs to be some master post somewhere explaining everything... WSDC website you are no help lol). I've even been listening to What Judges Want.

Aside from aggressively going over my beginner patterns, continuing my lessons, and social dancing, are there any particular ways to practice for newcomer? Everything I've scoured for info seems to basically say "know your 3 Ts and pray you get lucky" hahaha

TLDR: prepping for my first competition as a newcomer. I've done a ton of research and it seems like the only thing you can do is know your 3 Ts and pray you get good judging, a good partner, and other competitors who aren't outta your league. Is there anything else I can actually practice to help my chances?

Hi, my husband and I are looking for dance classes in Denver! Preferably a swing dance anybody have any recommendations?

Strictly using a slot is, I believe, unique to West Coast. Lindy doesn't have a similar concept. When was it added and why?

It's always struck me as an extraneous constraint on the dance. My assumption is it was introduced to make floor craft simpler, mostly simpler on long, rectangular dance floors. Like, it was intended for strip mall dance studios.

I’m relatively new to WCS but I’m loving the hell out of it. My journey started out with looking for a hobby to improve my body confidence and I was pleasantly surprised that I’m not half bad with dancing. It’s been a year now and I am planning to attend the SwingVester 2024 in Wels. There are certain criteria to attend the advanced workshops and while I’m definitely not eligible at the moment, I would still want to find out more and start taking WCS seriously. Maybe next year be prepared to take part in competitions and stuff. So, as the title suggests, how do I earn an advanced point?

Just saw the video of Emeline and Jesse dancing to You Shook Me All Night Long by AC/DC and was curious what other songs are out there that’re swung rhythm but not blues!

My (26F) local WCS group consists of a lot of people in their 20s, and it’s typical for a group of us to hang out (outside of dance) 2-3+ times a week. We are all each other’s primary friend group: we help each other move, pet-sit for each other, our birthday parties are made up of WCS people, we take care of each other when we’re sick…

Is that normal? I figured it was normal but a friend told me today his last group wasn’t like that at all.

At a WCS Christmas party, which Christmas classics, Christmas covers or Christmas-adjacent tracks make you:

• run TO the dance floor or
• run FROM the dance floor

Thanks!

Leads and Follows - what are your current favorite patterns to lead or follow? I’m trying to see something

I found a recommendation for Leodance shoes but haven't found anything about this model specifically.. Anyone have them? https://chaussure-de-danse.fr/prodotto/torri-2-cognac-nubuck/

Hello!
There was a very nice micro-musicality challenge with knwogledge and exercises recorded on video by Swing Literacy recently. It was there for the time of the challenge and still a little bit afterwards, so I hoped it will stay online and accessible for a month or so for people that signed up to participate. Due to health issues I couldn't finish it in time, but I was really interested in doing that. I opened those today only to experience huge disappointment that links to videos don't work.

Does anyone have access to those videos? I cannot find them anywhere anymore.

I’m really into modern music, and West Coast Swing seems like the perfect dance for it—it’s super versatile and works with a lot of popular songs.

I’ve tried Salsa and Bachata, which are fun, but since I don’t understand Spanish, I don’t feel as connected to the music. I also enjoy Texas Two-Step and Country Two-Step, but it feels like they’re only big in Texas, so I’m not sure they’re worth focusing on outside of here.

Are there any other partner dances that work well with modern music ? Maybe Hustle ?

The spectacle, the event, the memories, THE OPEN.

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Hey everybody!

With a friend we were wondering what was the average spending per year per dancer.

Including

• classes & privates
• events (workshops, festivals, weekenders)
• socials
• shoes & clothing
• transportation & housing (for far away events)

And for how long have you been dancing?

Anyone try westie pro recently ? and if so which pro did you do. I'm trying to see if I can use it but saw a post from 2 years ago that pros don't respond on the platform.

As the title suggests, I need recommendations for shoes/ booties for size US 10.5. I really like the SwayD Kaya booties, but they only go up to US 9. Preferably suede sole. Right now I’m using salsa sandals that I got from amazon, and I like the feel of them but I want to try a pair of booties out. TIA :D

Just starting a fun topic.

Mine was the second dance in this https://youtu.be/SLzpnDbBIpE

Although I guess I did see Benji in SYTYCD years back. But tbh, I feel like the showcase style looks pretty unrelatable so its not something that got me interested.

Bonus question: Is there a particular video you show to others to try to get them interested? Oddly, despite the video that got me interested, I feel like I would choose a video with less "mime-ing" musicality.

I thought I'd post a little warning, please be kind.

My instructor has always told me dips could be dangerous and has always encouraged dipping close to the body. He encourages me to push my weight down and not out to the side and not throw myself into a dip before I'm lead so that I don't throw anyone's back out. On the leading side, he teaches me to bring my follow close to my body so there is usually a leg connection, and for side dips our inner and outer heels connect.

Three weeks ago, I was lead in a sit dip that was NOT close to the body. Basically the leader had me a full arms length out to his right in an anchor and he initiated this little move which brought my weight lower to the ground similar to a pistol squat. My left leg was bent at 90 and my right leg was straight out. He had my right hand in his left hand but it was a finger tip hold. Seeking more connection, I tried to press my weight back into his right hand and hoped that my armpit or waist would lock.

I heard two giant cracks and buckled to the ground immediately. I sustained a spiral fracture to my fibula, an MPFL tear to my knee, and this caused my kneecap to dislocate 3 days later. Now I'm homebound, unable to go to school , unable to drive, and would be on disability if my job wasn't remote. I can only bend my knee a few degrees and then my muscles all lock around my knee- they call it muscle guarding. My foot is in a boot. I'm a little worried my tibia bent too. It's a little hard to even imagine my leg bending 90 degrees again although I'm sure it will.

Just a word that because a follower looks like they CAN do something doesn't mean they SHOULD do something. I'm 42 years old and 120 lbs so transitioning my weight over my leg shouldn't have caused this much damage, but I found out during X-rays that I have a rare bone disease where a lot of the inside of my bones aren't bones but brittle fibrous masses. I also have a shallow groove for my kneecap to sit in and this increases my risk of dislocation.

You wouldn't know any of this by looking at me though, nor would you know that I have chronic neck issues that flare up almost any time I'm lead in a head roll. Tbh, the head rolls and the chances of tricks and crazy dips have been what's been causing me to fall back into ballroom dance where I feel safer, but my husband has been obsessed with West Coast lately. Wish me luck. I hope I can dance again and I hope it doesn't take a year to recover.

Hey all, I’m from the US and will be in Toronto this week. I was wondering if there was any active socials dances I could check out?

I'm a beginner+ dancer who is looking for some clarity around heel leads.

When I first met this dance 15 years ago, I remember being taught that a forward step should be with a heel. However, throughout the years I sometimes see instructors really articulate a heel lead, but more often than not I don't see much of a heel lead. Even when I watch All Stars/Champions and scrutinize their feet, I may see a step with a heel 20% of the time, and even so it's not really articulated but more of a heel-ball step. Dancers who wear a shoe or a boot almost never seem to step with a heel.

So my question is: what is the proper technique for this? Are you actually supposed to step forward with a heel? Is there even a consensus?

Thanks!

i just recently had a severe concussion and am still dealing with complications from it. i want to compete again in the next couple months, and i’ve seen a lot of people use earbuds during comps for the noise cancelling/ lessening. any recommendations of earbuds that won’t fall out, or am i overthinking it and should just get disposable ear plugs?

In another post someone mentioned they can’t find many videos online of high level dancers showing “Straight legs” - I’m having difficulty finding them too… Lots of amazing musicality and Micro musicality… But can’t find many that show “Straight lines”… Probably I just don’t understand what I’m looking for… If anybody can reference some good videos online that demonstrate clearly of this “straight leg“action- and when and where it occurs… That would be super appreciated.

Thanks!!🙏

What reasons would deter you from going to an event (as related to the event itself)? Especially if you already been there. Why would you decide to not go again? If you are feeling like it feel free to provide examples naming events and what you didn’t like about them 😅

EDIT: wasn’t clear I didn’t mean personal life reasons

My (non-dancer) husband just asked me this and it had me curious - are there any high level dancers whose primary role is their non-traditional one? (Ie men who primarily follow or women who primarily lead?) Not who can do both to a high level, but who can do the non-traditional role to a higher level than the traditional one?

Can anyone suggest any awesome tracks for WCS in languages other than English?

Bonus points for Lithuanian!

I'm truly so tired of shivers. I'm not abuge Ed Sheeran fan in general BUT EVERY SINGLE EVENT plays it as the one line dance. I don't dance in the country swing circuit, but I know there are so many good ones. I know shake that was pretty big for a bit a few years back. But what line dances do y'all think we can slowly use to phase out shivers?