Swinging Sundays July 5th
Why Practicing Triple Steps Will Skyrocket Your West Coast Swing
Sometimes change is good, and one of the best changes you can make in your dancing is committing to a few minutes of focused practice every day. If you truly want to elevate your West Coast Swing, there is one drill I recommend over and over again: non‑stop triple steps for the length of one song you enjoy. You do not need a partner, you do not need a big floor, you just need your feet and three to five minutes.
Triple steps are the heart, soul, and defining movement of West Coast Swing. They generate a huge amount of the partnered connection, and they shape the rhythmic character of the dance in a way nothing else does. When you string triple steps together back‑to‑back, you naturally alternate which foot starts the triple, which means you drill both sides of your body without having to overthink it. That balanced repetition builds timing, balance, and confidence, all at once.
The single biggest jump I ever made in my own dancing came from committing to this exact kind of triple‑step practice. The more you drill your triples, the harder you swing. The harder you swing, the more desirable a partner you become, and the more options you have when you want to play with syncopations, styling, and musical accents. When you watch top‑level pros pulling off wild tricks and seamless transitions, remember that underneath all of that is a rock‑solid triple step and a clean connection. If you want your West Coast Swing to feel powerful and controlled, start by making your triple step the best part of your dance. Then Try These Whip Variations:
Musicality Starts with Connection
Musicality starts with connection but where does connection start? Is it in the hands? Could the feet have something to do with it? Does it go deeper into the body?
When we learn to walk as babies we figure out how to drive our center of gravity forward to stay balanced under our giant baby heads. Eventually we grow into our giant heads and we move through the world driving from our center of gravity in every activity from jump starting a standard transmission to playing tug of war. Every movement we make where we try to get something else to move we naturally move our hips into position. Then we see people couple dancing, we take a lesson, and we revert back in time to when we struggled to move our own bodies.
This week I plan to share with you the drill I use to help me connect with my partner on a deeper level. I know we are in a unit on how to be more musical and it seems like I am talking about some pretty basic stuff here but in order to lead or follow each other and “play” with the music, your connection must be on point. In order for your connection to be on point you must be moving the right way.
Check out how well these two dancers communicate with each other through connection. Look at how many times they achieve stillness. Check out how little energy they are wasting. Listen to the announcer at the end and then go back and watch the video one more time…Yeah its even more amazing the second time when you notice what you missed the first time around!
See you Thursday
304 S. Broadway
Salem NH 03079
$20 per person
6:30-7:30 Lesson
7:30-8:30 Guided Practice