Personalizing WCS

Okay, folks, one more swing question. My project this weekend was to do WCS basics, and add in my own styling. No problem, up to a point, but once I added in a few variations, I hit a brick wall. Any suggestions of neat variations to add into basic WCS moves, to spice things up a little?

Well depending on the song, if the leader leads you down the slot and lets you take your time through it you can do all different things with your feet according to the music.

If you are doing a whip and you are going to hit a break you can do something creative to accent the break such as kneeling to the floor, turning out and facing the imaginary audience, swivelling down to the floor. Of course you are talking about WCS and most of my stuff I think about doing in Lindy because it fits better.

pygmalion said:

Okay, folks, one more swing question. My project this weekend was to do WCS basics, and add in my own styling. No problem, up to a point, but once I added in a few variations, I hit a brick wall. Any suggestions of neat variations to add into basic WCS moves, to spice things up a little?

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Jenn,
I would just be yourself. "Your" style will come out . . . don't try to copy someone else . . . work on the syncopations with the feet and playing to the audience now and then, especially when your instructor/teacher faces you that way. Is your "raised" hand matching his? Is your head supposed to be staight or tilted somewhat? Etc., etc., etc. The little things are what you'll start picking up now!

Wish I could help more, but my dancing has been the pits lately, so I'd probably give you some bad info. I need to go practice, practice, practice.

Anything Goes

Pygmalion,
When you are in L.A. doing WCS Joshua Jive, anything goes; you can even break into the Nonna Peppa Tarantella Swingout with 8 count Lindy cacamamie Schottische anb you will be right up there with the best. It may look like I'm joshing, but this time I'm on the vernacular emmis. Australian slang for, 'truth'.
Black Sheep 'If you can walk and chew gum at the same time, you have the coordinatin to do the Texas Tommy Swingout', Anonymous 3000 b.c.

Vince A said:

Wish I could help more, but my dancing has been the pits lately, so I'd probably give you some bad info. I need to go practice, practice, practice.

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Hope everything's going okay with you, Vince. And remember. We all go through these things. Dancing is cyclical. Up, then down. The thing is, every cycle, the ups are higher, and the downs are higher too. No matter what you do, if you're dancing, you can't help improving. Even though you probably can't see it, other people can. Believe me. They can.

My project for tomorrow is to pull out my late-sixties Motown CD's, which are almost all WCS, get two glasses of wine, and see what my body does. It knows far better than my mind. So I'm going to set myself free, and see what happens. Thanks, Vince.

Re: Anything Goes

Black Sheep said:

When you are in L.A. doing WCS Joshua Jive, anything goes; you can even break into the Nonna Peppa Tarantella Swingout with 8 count Lindy cacamamie Schottische anb you will be right up there with the best.

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It does not speak well of WCS 'Joshua Jive' if you could break out in an unrelated dance and still 'be right up there with the best.' Ya know what I mean?

Black Sheep said:

'If you can walk and chew gum at the same time, you have the coordinatin to do the Texas Tommy Swingout', Anonymous 3000 b.c.

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cute

*snicker*

Some good ideas here...

and of course the prerequisite post that is from way out in left field.

The wine and motown are actually super ideas.

Developing your own style is really about finding your own voice in the dance. Try simple things like changinf the movement of your free arm, being minimalistic in your movement, exaggerate your movements, increase the syncopation/swing in your triples, replace triples with chase steps, french crosses, or sweeps.

It is really all about expressing your self through the dance.

I would caution you to be wary about doing things that will disrupt the flow of your leader. Ideally you should be able to express yourself without altering the move/pattern that you are being led through.

Does that make any sense?

d nice said:

I would caution you to be wary about doing things that will disrupt the flow of your leader. Ideally you should be able to express yourself without altering the move/pattern that you are being led through.

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Great point d nice. Few things on the dance floor irk me more then dancing with someone who is so caught up in doing their own "styling" that they are no longer dancing with me.

SDsalsaguy said:

d nice said:

I would caution you to be wary about doing things that will disrupt the flow of your leader. Ideally you should be able to express yourself without altering the move/pattern that you are being led through.

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Great point d nice. Few things on the dance floor irk me more then dancing with someone who is so caught up in doing their own "styling" that they are no longer dancing with me.

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Yes . . . thanks for pointing that out d nice . . .