How do I take my WCS to that elusive "next level"?

Got an e-mail a couple of days ago from my former country-WCS pro saying, hey, let's enter the swing contest together at the next country comp...it was exciting and flattering, and I'm going to do it, but I feel that my WCS is stuck at that competent, intermediate but boring stage...I see people doing all these miraculous syncopations, and I always think "I could do that"...but of course, I don't.

I think most of the problem is, I don't really get to do much WCS. I live in a fairly small dance community and my only exposure to high-level west coasters is at the occasional out-of-town comp. Or videos. Any advice on kicking it up a notch or two, in a couple of months?

SlowDancer said:

Got an e-mail a couple of days ago from my former country-WCS pro saying, hey, let's enter the swing contest together at the next country comp...it was exciting and flattering, and I'm going to do it, but I feel that my WCS is stuck at that competent, intermediate but boring stage...I see people doing all these miraculous syncopations, and I always think "I could do that"...but of course, I don't.

I think most of the problem is, I don't really get to do much WCS. I live in a fairly small dance community and my only exposure to high-level west coasters is at the occasional out-of-town comp. Or videos. Any advice on kicking it up a notch or two, in a couple of months?

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Watch videos.

Let go and learn to play.

Experiment. See what works and what doesn't. When you have a leader who leads basic stuff, it is a great time to try things out. Shimmy. Body roll. Wiggle your butt. Vary your triples. Be sexy. Smooth your hair. Listen to the music. Dance with the music. Play.

Don't be afraid to screw up.

DancinAnne said:

Let go and learn to play.

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When you can do this . . . you will be there!

DancinAnne said:

. . . try things out. Shimmy. Body roll. Wiggle your butt. Vary your triples. Be sexy. Smooth your hair. Listen to the music. Dance with the music. Play.Don't be afraid to screw up.

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Ditto . . .

Once you forget about "what you have to do," and can play . . . you'll feel that growth . . . just remember, that once you do start playing, it will open up a new WCS world for you, but you have to be there for the leader . . . insure that once you've stopped playing, you settle in, anchor - signaling the lead to "press on." And be fair . . . don't play so much that you're constantly taking away his/her lead! Let the music dictate what you do . . . respond to the music . . . get in the groove of the music . . . feel it . . . learn the music . . . know how to hear the count 1, etc . . . you'll be amazed how different it can be!

Great advice from both DancinAnne and VinceA!

AHHH- WCS...my other love! (Along with Argentine Tango)

I agree that letting go and learning to play really will make a difference for you. I would sometimes try out all sorts of things at home with my favorite partner (the back of a chair) to work out something that I wanted to try when I knew I had a triple to play with, or side passes. This changes even the most basic patterns in to WOW!

Great suggestion . . .

Fishbowl

SlowDancer said:

Any advice on kicking it up a notch or two, in a couple of months?

Click to expand...

Fishbowl.

get a bunch of slips of paper. on each, write down a fundamental synchopation (example - "kick ball change"). fold up the slips, and put them all in the fish bowl.

Now, every time you go dancing westie: reach into the fishbowl, and find out what synchopation you are going to be doing that night. For example, if you draw "kick ball change", then that night, on every single pattern, replace the "walk walk" with a kick ball change. Yes, you are supposed to be sick of it before the first dance ends. keep at it anyway.

However - don't try to do the same kick ball change every time.

experiment with kicking in different directions, or using different kinds of kicks, or whatever. You are looking for some variation that works for you. Some of them will only work with some patterns, others will be more universal.

Doesn't have to be footwork, of course; you can beat the other dimensions of the dance into submission using the same approach.

What great advice from everyone...there does seem to be a common thread, and that is to learn to be spontaneous and play with the music. I like Dancin'Anne's advice: don't be afraid to screw up.

One thing I need to remember is that all those spontaneous-looking things I see ladies do have probably been practiced dozens if not hundreds of times. Somehow it seems a little contradictory, to practice being spontaneous, but I think that's what you guys are trying to tell me to do.

I really appreciate all the suggestions and plan to start working on this little project when I go out social dancing this weekend.

Let us know how it goes!

I will! I'm going to a Latin party and the DJ usually plays quite a few WCS songs. So maybe I'll have a chance to start tonight.

Well?

Vince, it was a pretty good night of dancing, except that there weren't many WCS songs played. Very frustrating. However, I did try to "play with the music" as much as possible. There just wasn''t much music to play with. Tomorrow night is country night and it should be better. Stay tuned....

I'm still tuned in . . . how did it go?

There is play time in all music . . . listen for things that are not necessarily the "music."

Hey, what trick do you guys use to find the major changes in the music? I do pretty good finding sets of two measures. Still, if you watch really good WCS dancers, they are able to change the whole dance at the right point in the music. I can sometimes do it with music I have heard a million times, but I have a much harder time with new songs.

OK. First, I'm not claiming to be a "really good WCS dancer", but a couple of things come to mind.
Most music follows pretty standard patterns. Once your brain has latched onto those patterns, it can do things for you that you aren't consciously thinking about. (How often do you step up onto a curb or a step, and screw it up?) So, listening and moving to music (hopefully in time) builds these pathways in your brain. Darn, I think they call that practice.

One thing to keep in mind is that when you watch someone dance, you have no idea how many times they have heard a song.

Breaks are the most obvious thing to hit.
Have you noticed that many songs announce their breaks with a build up of intensity, culminating in the break?
Listen, listen, listen. Does the music get softer? Does it get louder and have more energy? Is there a part with "syncopated" percussion, or a guitar solo?

Being able to keep time, take your own steps, and lead your partner, then be able to listen to and react to the music ain't that easy.
Having a good partner, who also likes to experiment, knows her side of the dance (so you aren't always wondering if she will get this), doesn't care if things go "wrong" sometimes, and helps you put things back together again when they do go wrong, is hugely important.