Category: Featured

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The Whip: How a Classic Lindy Move Became a West Coast Swing Essential


The Whip is one of the foundational patterns in West Coast Swing, and it has a richer history than many dancers realize. It evolved directly from the classic eight‑count Swingout of Lindy Hop, which took shape at Harlem’s Savoy Ballroom in the 1930s. As Lindy dancers migrated west and adapted their style to a smoother blues scene, the Swingout began to transform.

One of the most influential figures in that evolution was Dean Collins, whose dancing in 1940s Hollywood and California clubs helped refine the Swingout into a more slotted, grounded form. Over time, that refinement produced the elastic, directional version we now recognize as the West Coast Swing Whip. Around the same period, regional swing styles in Texas, like the Houston Whip and Dallas Push, were already using similar “whipping” actions. It was the Western Swing scene in California, however, that ultimately codified the pattern as a core eight‑count basic.

In a classic West Coast Swing Whip, the leader sends the follower past them down the slot, then redirects that energy with leverage or compression, whipping the follower back to the starting side in a dramatic but controlled way. This evolution emphasized musical phrasing, body flight, and the signature West Coast Swing extension‑and‑compression technique, which clearly separates it from the bouncier feel of East Coast Swing and many Lindy variations.
By the 1960s, when the dance was officially renamed West Coast Swing, the Whip had become one of four core patterns alongside the Starter Step, Push Break, and Side Pass. From there, the variations multiplied—basic whips, inside and outside exits, double whips, and many more that dancers still love to teach and reinvent. If you want to deepen your West Coast Swing, investing in a clean, musical Whip is one of the most powerful things you can do; it connects you directly to the history of the dance and anchors a huge amount of modern styling.

About the Author: Mr. Jonathan has been teaching and writing about WCS for 25 years. Catch his classes on Thursday nights at 6:45pm at 29 Middlesex st (The Roma Restaurant). Class is $20 and lasts about an hour. It’s an all levels class with built in dance hosts/hostesses that will give you the extra attention you need if you get stuck. Class is followed by a guided practice where everyone takes turns dancing with each other and private instruction happens if needed or requested. Check out his calendar of events on the home page or click here

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Footwork First: The Simple Fix That Transforms Your West Coast Swing

Footwork First: The Simple Fix That Transforms Your West Coast Swing

Partner dancing works best when our footwork is aligned with our partner’s. The simplest connection between two bodies can deliver tiny “micro movements” into our brains that say either “all systems go” or “something is off.” When you really zoom in on what creates that feeling, it almost always boils down to having your footwork dialed in.

If you struggle with leading or following patterns that are new to you, there is a very good chance the problem is not the pattern. It is that your footwork is missing a step or two. You might be on the wrong foot by one beat, or you skipped a weight change you didn’t even realize was there. The pattern then feels fuzzy, late, or heavy, and you end up blaming your memory or your partner when the real issue is that your feet are not telling the truth.

As shocking as it may seem, I very rarely practice patterns. I practice my basic footwork—daily—for about five minutes. I do it as a leader and as a follower. When I am dancing solo, those five minutes are pure gold. Nothing can replace proper foot placement when it comes to dance. Patterns come and go. Styling trends change. But clean, consistent footwork will make every pattern you ever learn feel easier and more fun.

Think about the oldest structures on the planet: the pyramids. They have lasted thousands of years because they were built on a wide, solid base. Your West Coast Swing is no different. If the base is narrow and wobbly, the “fancy stuff” on top will always feel unstable. If the base is wide and strong, you can stack whatever you want on it and it holds up.

So what does a strong base look like in West Coast Swing?

Followers start on their right foot. Leaders start on their left. Six‑count basics actually have eight weight changes and are counted:
1‑2, 3&4, 5&6
Whips have ten weight changes and are counted:
1‑2, 3&4, 5‑6, 7&8

The way I learned it early on—and the way I still hear it in my head—is:

For six‑count basics: “walk walk triple triple”

For whips: “walk walk triple, walk walk triple”

Those simple phrases have served me incredibly well. They keep me honest about how many times I should be changing weight, even when the music or the pattern gets more complex. If I feel something slipping out of control, I go right back to those words: walk walk triple triple. Walk walk triple, walk walk triple. If I can say it, I can dance it.

Here’s my challenge for you this week:

Set a timer for 5 minutes.

Put on a song you like.

As a follower: start on your right foot and quietly drill “walk walk triple triple,” then “walk walk triple, walk walk triple,” paying attention to every weight change.

As a leader: start on your left foot and do the same thing.

Stay relaxed, but be honest. Are you really changing weight eight or ten times, or are you sneaking through on autopilot and skipping a step here and there?

The goal is not to look fancy; the goal is to feel solid. When your feet know exactly where they are going, your brain relaxes, your connection cleans up, and suddenly those “new” patterns don’t feel so new anymore. You will react faster, lead and follow more clearly, and your partners will notice that dancing with you just got easier.

Five minutes a day is not much, but if you give that time to your footwork, the rest of your West Coast Swing will thank you for it.

Here is some great footwork to an awesome song:

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The Three Types of West Coast Swing Music Every Dancer Should Know


For as long as I can remember, West Coast Swing music has lived in three main categories: social dance music, competition music, and demo songs. Knowing the difference between them can help you choose better tracks for practice, for social dancing, and for performances.

Social dance music is where new songs break in and find a home on the floor. These are the tracks you hear most often at parties and weekly dances, the songs that feel good to a wide range of dancers and skill levels. As certain songs consistently get great reactions, they start to rise in status and move into the second category.

Competition music is where the strongest social dance songs end up when they prove themselves over time. These tracks are special in some way—maybe they have exceptionally clear phrasing, a powerful groove, or a structure that supports a lot of creative interpretation. They are the songs that make it to the main stage because judges, DJs, and dancers all know they can carry a full heat without falling flat.

Finally, there are demo songs. These are often the coolest, most interesting tracks in a DJ’s collection, but they can easily get lost if they are not handled carefully. Demo songs are frequently too fast, too slow, or too subtle to fully capture a social dance crowd’s attention, at least at first. But once you see a real set of pros pull everything they can out of one of these tracks, you start to hear the potential that was hiding there.

When I build a “greatest hits” night, I often arrange my entire catalog in order of most‑to‑least listened‑to and let the data reveal what social dancers truly love. The top cluster of songs usually become the backbone of the evening, and I sprinkle in a few fresh surprises for dancers who are ready to explore. If you want to deepen your relationship with West Coast Swing music, start paying attention to which songs make you feel at home on the floor, which challenge and inspire you, and which secretly belong in your next performance.

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From Lindy to Texas Whip

The Styles That Shaped Modern West Coast Swing


When dancers talk about “their” style of West Coast Swing, they are usually drawing from a mix of three big influences: modern elastic WCS, Texas Whip, and Lindy Hop. Understanding these roots will make your own dancing both more intentional and more forgiving.

The modern elastic, linear style that most people recognize today draws heavily from Zouk. It is the least complicated approach to West Coast Swing and offers the smoothest transition for dancers coming from other forms like ballroom, salsa, or hip‑hop. In this style, detailed footwork takes a backseat as long as you are stretching and anchoring properly on count one. As a result, missing a step from the previous pattern usually does not matter as much as maintaining a long, smooth stretch and a clean anchor.

Texas Whip entered the West Coast Swing conversation in the 1990s and put the spotlight on precise footwork. It kept the elastic, slotted feel but made preparation and foot placement much more important. In this style, patterns often flow directly into one another, with followers spinning into and out of most figures while the leader holds a very defined slot. It is a fantastic style for dancers who enjoy the feeling of continuous movement and clearly mapped‑out foot patterns.

Lindy Hop is the oldest and most foundational influence of all. One of the easiest ways to picture the Lindy‑influenced style is to imagine the connection between leader and follower as a hula hoop. The leader can rotate and tilt the “hoop,” setting the slot at up to 45 degrees on each pass, because the follower maintains strong oppositional connection and is willing to travel. In that context, both partners have more freedom to improvise their footwork as long as the connection stays solid.

Great West Coast Swing is like a diamond: it needs raw materials, intense heat, and pressure to form. Followers have to commit to oppositional reflex and stay deeply connected to the music, while leaders must respect, cradle, and skillfully use that energy. When you understand how these styles blend together, you have more tools to create something beautiful with each partner and each song.

In the Video below you can see how valuable Texas Whip and Lindy Hop can be when choosing patterns to practice.

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The Formula Behind Great West Coast Swing Connection

Musicality Starts with connection

The Simple Formula That Makes West Coast Swing Feel Effortless

West Coast Swing looks “easy” when it is done well, but what you are really seeing is a very specific formula applied over and over again. If you come from a ballroom background, you may be used to clear rights and wrongs, a single correct answer for each figure, and a strong focus on precise shapes. West Coast Swing is different. It is a street dance, which means there is more room for personality, more flexibility in how you stretch and compress time, and more freedom in how long or short you make a figure, as long as you honor the underlying rules.

One of the most important ideas I ever learned came from Mario Robau: in West Coast Swing we are less about rigid structure and more about a repeatable formula. That formula is simple. Leaders step down the slot on count one and set the direction and intention of the pattern. Leaders then manipulate the motion of the follower’s wrist or connection point, setting up the stretch and timing of the movement. Followers respond with oppositional reflex, stretching away from the leader’s energy before progressing down the slot, rather than collapsing toward it. The follower keeps their wrist or connection point slightly ahead of their body so that the connection stays alive and responsive.

So long as both partners “come home” together into a clean anchor, you have honored the formula and are ready to dance the next pattern. Once this formula is living in your body, the magic happens. That is when you suddenly have the time and mental bandwidth to really listen to the music, to add tasteful flourishes, and to play with your partner without getting lost. Just like learning a foreign language, fluency in West Coast Swing makes expression feel natural. If you are looking to improve your West Coast Swing connection, spend time on this formula until it feels automatic, and you will notice every dance getting easier, more musical, and more fun.