An Affair to Remember ©

White Lights, City Nights

I do not live close to New York City.  I live in a land where dancing was once heady, heavy, sexy and close knit. But it’s not anymore. It’s energetic, it’s unique, it’s socially connected… but it’s not the dance Mecca that it once was.  People drive less to dance less. People dance maybe once a week now, and if more, it’s other dances… a salsa night here, a tango night there, a swing night in between.  Gone are the euphorically addicting dances that kept me up nights and left me enamored and spinning with music and movement in my head… so much so that I made myself go to church on Saturday nights before dancing instead of Sunday mornings after dancing. After a night of dancing, Sunday mornings just didn’t work. I just couldn’t sit still. I couldn’t listen… my feet were doing syncopations while the words of the sermon fought with the music and the leads and the dancing in my mind…

Now the word ‘syncopation’ is hardly used. And my dances have been slowly whittled away by poor leads… no, not poor leads… no leads. Or terrifying yanking at any random point. So I stay on the sides and watch the floor, waiting for the miraculous moment when I will see an opportunity for 1. a real swing song and 2. a real swing dancer, to actually become available at that one fine, glorious and golden moment. I don’t care if I dance with a novice. I just want a darn swing dance. I get four a night if I’m incredibly lucky, but honestly, it’s really down to one when I don’t count my husband.

And then someone whispered in my ear: Hudson Swing Affair!  Hudson Swing Affair? The one in New York?  The one with the girls and tuxes and glamour? So I emailed Festa. And he told me the glorious news… no non-swing songs. Pure swing. And no competitions, which means the people there… must be there… for the dancing? only?  Hmmm… sounds a little too good to be true. But it’s Festa. And he’s already too fabulous to be true. So. We prayed. We bought our tickets. We started to prepare as best we could. Gown and suit for the Black and White Ball? Check. Sturdy luggage? Check. Plenty of light clothing? Check. Curiosity in crazy amounts? Double check.

I’m so glad we went.

In fact, it hurt our hearts to leave.  We left family behind. We left our hearts on the dance floor.  Nick took me in his arms on the plane home and started to slow dance with me… suddenly I was back at the Pier Dance, with white lights surrounding me, a fabulous melody playing in my ears and the wind blowing gently through my hair. And I wish it was next year already.

If you ever traveled great distances to an event for the dances you could have, then you will be able to relate.  My dances with Festa, Ramiro and Mark will stay with me forever, just as dances with them, Mark Eckstein, Demetre, Carlito and Mario and more, have stayed in my veins for years. They are the sustenance on which I live. They are the health food I crave. I never even missed the competitions. And I felt like I had a new home, like the Camelback Inn used to be for me. The sights and the heady and the sexy and the power and the strength of swing came crashing back upon me. People watched. People studied. People admired and they respected. They learned and they were inspired and they grew.

I don’t know what the key ingredient is. Is it the lack of competitions? Is it the quality of staff? Is it the music? Is it the location? Is it Festa?

I suspect it’s Festa. Because he maintains all the others. And his fans are loyal. And he treats them like the kings and the queens that they are. He is a lover of beauty. And beauty is everywhere you go at the Hudson Swing Affair.

And despite a bad flight there… a weak arrival at 2 am on Friday… and through a terrific scare with a supposed lost wallet… and needing to switch rooms at 5 am… even so… we ended up having the time of our lives.

My husband wasn’t there when Kenny was around. My husband never went to the Camelback with me. My husband never saw the late night dancing sessions I still dream about… when I could trade off for four hours straight between dancers of such champion skill and control that I still shiver with edification, joy, expansion, growth and… ‘yum’ factors.  Oh, the challenge and the real dancing that occurred then!

And oh the real dances I had at Hudson… with the exception of one single dancer there (from where I live, I guessed and of course, confirmed)… oh the dances I had… they were marvelous! And I’m glad beauty, goodness and swing are not gone forever… they are nestled in the bosom of the starry night that is… and I suspect will always be…

The Hudson Swing Affair.

An Affair to Remember is part of the collection of groundbreaking articles found in Telling the Truth, available in both Kindle and Print on Amazon.com. Copyright 2011-2014.

The Time Has Come ©

How West Coast Swing Gave
Birth to Another New Dance

Excerpt from Telling the Truth: The Foundational Articles for Today's West Coast Swing. Find this and other books by Katherine on Amazon.com.

____

I've listened to our heartbeat.

For years now I've listened. I listened to former champions. I listened to fellow champions. I listened to newcomers. I listened to non-competitors. I listened to novice, intermediate, advanced and all-star dancers. I listened to judges, to event directors and to studio owners. I listened to DJ's. I listened to photographers. I even listened to hotel staff and to non-dancers staying in the hotels at conventions. I listened, and listened, and listened. I listened to the audiences and I listened to my students and I listened to the conversations taking place in hallways and dinner buffets and clubs. I listened. And I heard a lot. I heard what was being told, what was being said, what was being danced, what was being judged, what was being seen and what was being thought. I watched too. I watched carefully. I watched the Jack and Jill’s, the social floor, the dancing during the breaks and the dancing during late night. I watched the routines, the workshops and the private lessons. I listened and heard and watched.

And by doing so, I ended up taking the pulse of our West Coast Swing community.

It's not good news. I learned that we are hurting. I learned that we are divided. I learned that we are in crisis. We are confused, damaged and torn. We are sad, angry and lost. I learned that we desperately need to see a doctor. It's time for a diagnosis. We need a prescription. We need to start healing and return to a state of joy, freedom and empowerment on the dance floor.

I can help. After absorbing, analyzing and assimilating all I had heard, seen and felt on the floor, I discovered The Big Picture. I know what's going on. And perhaps more importantly, I know how we got here.

Once I figured it out, I naturally started sharing it with others, as I usually do… in lessons, in discussions, in the hallways of conventions, etc. But this time it was different. People were gathering around to listen in. Many I knew, but many I didn’t. Dancers passing by would hear my comments and would stop. They’d pull up a chair. They’d lean in. And I could see that they wanted more, much more.

At the US Open I gathered my biggest crowd yet. I believe it was Sunday afternoon, and by the time it had grown to cover and block two aisles, I realized it had become nothing more than a Q&A session… and I was able to easily answer ever Q with a very sound and thoroughly explained A.  When it finally broke up for awards, I turned to my husband Nick and said, “I think I’d better start teaching on this stuff.” He agreed.

So I spent December creating my SwingIN!s. A series of new and never-before-seen seminars, demonstrations and activities, I designed my SwingIN!s to give dancers what they so clearly desired: equipment for dancing in today's WCS world. I had no idea just how popular they would become.

My first one was held in January (Past, Present & Future), where I first taught about how we got here. During it, I outlined and explained what I’d discovered about our history: The Gathering of Great Minds, The Renaissance and The Perfect Storm. The response was tremendous. The "ah ha!" moments were overwhelming. I could tell I had started something big.

As news of Past, Present & Future spread, so did the requests for encore seminars. I held numerous sold-out encore presentations of it in studios, living rooms and dance floors across southern California. At each, I reminded everyone that Past, Present & Future was designed to prepare them for “the big” SwingIN! that was coming in April on Easter weekend. I had named it New School vs. Old School, but it was really about much much more. For five hours on that Saturday afternoon, I taught, for the very first time, about my biggest discovery: Abstract Improvisation. It was nothing short of groundbreaking. Revolutionary.

And the attendees knew it.

When it was finally over, the dancers in attendance, that included newcomers, judges, promoters, instructors, competitors and social dancers… stood up, eyes opened, and... danced their pants off that night!

Then they spread the word.

It’s been only a week and my terminology is appearing all over the social networks and my inbox is starting to fill. Unfortunately, the terminology is spreading so quickly, so fast, that I’m watching my work spin wildly out of control… as with all “telephone” whispers, sharing and gossip, my terminology from one single day was being turned into something completely different than what I’d actually taught.

And so I began this article. In order to prevent misunderstandings, incorrect deductions and incorrect terminology, I’m forced to share the most groundbreaking and healing discoveries of my work with you... One day I look forward to sharing my now famous seminars, Past, Present & Future as well as Abstract vs. Swing with you by DVD, but for now, this will have to do. I hope you will enjoy it as much as my attendees have.

The following are the most popular terms in use:

RENAISSANCE ERA

ren•ais•sance  n.
a revival of intellectual or artistic achievement and vigor

West Coast Swing experienced what I call its "Renaissance Era" in the years around 1991-1999. Its waves lapped our shores before 1991 and left amazing treasures after 1999, but in general, our Renaissance occurred in the 90's.

Never was there such a surge of "intellectual and artistic vigor" in our art form. During those years we saw the Great Minds of WCS, Country, Shag, Hand Dancing, Hustle and even Ballroom and Salsa converge, talk, share, teach, challenge and grow the dance. It's the Era that produced tapes which non-dancers in lunchrooms across America (and my inner-city classroom, by the way) were glued to when we played them.

It's the Era when our Great Minds made breakthroughs in dance knowledge, technique and terminology that was and still is unparalleled in any other dance form. It's the Era which allowed, in Southern California alone, 12 studios (not including clubs!) to be dedicated to WCS and its sister dances. Some studios had full WCS classes every night of the week.

It's the Era we lost to the digital age.

It's the Era when we understood how hard WCS was to do, and we attracted dancers who were willing to work that hard to do it. It took five to seven years to learn WCS back then, and it was during the Renaissance that dancers applied for job transfers across multiple states to gain more training in WCS.

It was during the Renaissance that dancers who had reached their peak in other dance forms became attracted to WCS because of its depth, difficulty and challenge. People dancing for two years called themselves beginners. It's the Era when audiences gave standing ovations before a routine was even done, and an Era when routines inspired you to jump out of your seat and move your feet!

PURE WEST COAST SWING

aka Renaissance Swing, Traditional WCS, Classic WCS or just...
West Coast Swing

Pure West Coast Swing is the dance I outline in West CoastSwing Essentials. It has well over 35 elements. It takes years to learn. It is a highly connected lead and follow dance. The lead is center to center. Foot positions, body positions, control, and impeccable leading and following... they are of the utmost importance.

Pure WCS requires Timing, Technique and Teamwork (The Three T’s), all of which are extremely high-end skills and none of which are easy. The body is always over one foot. It is not split weight. There is a leader and there is a follower. The leader is in charge of taking care of and leading his partner.

Pure WCS uses power points, body flight, triples, and subtleties that make you lean in and watch every second the better it is done. Pure WCS can be learned in a studio, has basic patterns and when a Novice learns it, they can dance with a Pure WCS Champion and feel like they've died and gone to heaven.

It's slotted. It has anchors. It's upright, tall and framed, but it is also grounded, into the floor and into the heels. It's easy to see when there's a mistake or a disconnect between the two partners. Pure WCS does not lend to ‘cookie-cutter’ partnerships, where everyone looks exactly like everyone else on the floor. WCS brings out a dancer's individuality, especially in its syncopations and stylings.

It's very easy to tell the difference between a novice, intermediate or advanced Pure WCS dancer. You can watch a floor and very quickly identify each level of dancer. In Pure WCS, the better a dancer becomes, the more they develop their own unique look.

You can see their personality and style while they are doing the same exact basics as the newcomers. Each dancer has their own style, their own strengths, their own creativity, their own syncopations and the magic created when a unique lead draws a unique follow is like no other. There are numerous styles of Pure WCS because of its complicated nature, patterns and difficulty.

ABSTRACT IMPROVISATION

Abstract Improvisation is the other dance form we are seeing on the floor today. Because I have not written an article on it before, I will spend some more time outlining it here.

Abstract Improvisation’s roots extend back 10 years ago. The roots grew very slowly in the beginning, but now, especially in the last three years, they've come into full bloom. In some so called “West Coast Swing” communities and clubs, it’s the only dance they know. If asked to do an actual WCS pattern with triples and wraps, they would not be able to do so without great difficulty or without removing all of its footwork and timing.

I derived Abstract Improvisation’s name from a combination of two terms: Abstract Art and Contact Improvisation. If you have not studied Abstract art or danced Contact Improvisation (two studies I would highly recommend), then here are some definitions of the two for you.

Abstract / Abstract Art

-difficult to understand
-a form of art with no rules, definition or boundaries
-a removal from reality
-form and line
-a period of art which followed the Renaissance

Contact Improvisation

-a form of modern dance improvisation
-points of physical contact provide the starting point for exploration through movement improvisation
-does not have rhythms, a step pattern, or music requirements

Touchdown Dance magazine once wrote the following about Contact Improvisation:  "Contact Improvisation is a means to explore the physical forces imposed on the body by gravity, by the physics of momentum, falling and lifting. It is a complex but very open form with infinite possibilities and is a dance form that is made by the dancer in the moment of dancing." Keep this in mind, as it most definitely relates to Abstract Improvisation.

Abstract Improvisation has only four elements. It relies heavily on Teamwork but not Timing or Technique. It can be learned within a week to a month and does not require classes. It can be learned on the floor or on YouTube. It is highly improvised, "made by the dancer in the moment of dancing," instead of being pattern based.

Dancers who do 'Abstract' look very much alike. It is almost impossible to tell the difference between a novice or advanced Abstract dancer beyond their differences in attitude, confidence and attire. Abstract leaders' feet are almost always wide and flat footed. In pictures their legs look like they are straddling a pony.

"Lines, shape and form" are created by straight, stretched arm leads and follows. Turns are led with rainbow arcs, high above the head, rather than halo turns, which leads to off balance following, which leads to arching backs and sways by the followers. The shoulders ride very high and the elbows are turned outside of the body, rather than tucked in towards the floor. The leads are less about leading her body, but more like "suggestions for direction." These “leads” are all in the arms leads, not body or center leads.

The footwork is not the focus in Abstract. The upper body (waist, head, arms) is where the action occurs. Your eyes are drawn towards the upper body area where spins are arching, hair is flying and arms look like they are holding giant beach balls. If you count to the music, and then look at the feet, you will find no relation. The feet are shuffling to catch the body, not drive the center. You will also notice how often single footed spins fall or gyrate off balance and the move is exited in an archway as a cover up.

Abstract isn't danced over the heel, but over the ball or flat foot. The feet are rarely turned out. Feet are used for catching falls, for straddling, for hitting lyrics and melodies, for sliding... not for holding a rhythm pattern, moving the body or leading. As a result, Abstract Improv can be danced over any kind of music- a waltz, a samba, a nightclub two step or a hustle. This is part of the reason that when a hustle or nightclub two step is played, dancers are still dancing what they call 'swing' on the floor, but only Abstract Improvisation works over any song.

Abstract Improv requires four elements: strong knees, a flexible spine, quick reflexes and total confidence. This is why young and untrained dancers excel at Abstract Improv. Their muscles don't injure as easily and they don't have years of training telling them to keep rhythms, posture, to lead correctly or to connect fully. Abstract Improv instruction often uses the following terms: momentum, shape, channeling, improvisational, new school, flow, 3-D, free-styling, contemporary, etc. Common Abstract phrases include "the anchor is obsolete," "stretch out as far as you can go," "no leading, only suggesting," "there are no rules," "disconnect," “eliminate your triples,” “split your weight across both feet,” "dance behind the beat," etc.

When danced on beat, Abstract Improv is almost all single and double rhythm based and often the leader or follower can be seen standing in straddle position for well over four beats, while their upper half gyrates, sways or 'mimes’ the lyrics.

The man does not post. The slot is often circular and free formed. The leader can move up and down the slot (or lack thereof), “flip-flop” positions with the follower and sometimes the follower is left in the middle while the leader dances around her. Pure WCS couples dancing next to an Abstract Improvisation couple will feel like they are being constantly run over or invaded by the Abstract couple's slot.

In Abstract Improvisation, major phrases are hit by tricks, swoops and falls that are dramatic but most often messy, as are they are done split weight, with loose high shoulders and extended lats.

Abstract Improvisation is not about controlled movement, but large, “sexy,” or “on-the-floor” movements. Abstract dancers often replace the push break with a four beat ‘push and pull,’ and their Underarm Turn most often becomes a two beat "snap" by both partners to opposite ends of the slot.

Because of such quick movements, Abstract Improves seems much more big, bold and energetic than Pure WCS, and so Abstract dancers are put into finals instead of Pure WCS competitors, despite having a complete lack of timing, connection, technique or swing.

Yes, I said swing. Abstract Improvisation looks, feels and reflects many of the attributes of Contact Improvisation, which is a postmodern contemporary dance form, rather than any partner or rhythm based dance with steps, rules, leading and following. Therefore I classify Abstract Improvisation as a rudimentary contemporary dance (not to be confused with contemporary music), or modern dance. It’s very similar to improvisational club dancing at young city nightclubs, but it is not a swing dance.

I've heard many times that Abstract Improvisation is really WCS "evolved." However, the world "evolved" connotes a movement towards a higher level of skill or movement. The fact that Abstract Improvisational dancers cannot do a series of WCS basics with critical timing, posture, centering, skilled leading or following, or any of the other incredibly difficult levels or patterns that Pure WCS demands, debates the idea of any "evolvement."

An elimination of excellent leading (“we don’t do ‘prep prep’ anymore”), following (“don’t wait for me, you should do your own thing now”), of centering, of foot positions, of syncopations, of timing… all of this only indicates a "devolvement" in my opinion, not an "evolvement.” We would be wise to see these claims for what they really are: an excuse to keep students from going to any other instructor, to protect their own "revolutionary" brand, to gloss over training they don't have and to protect a dance that only they understand and therefore only they earn money off of.

Abstract Improvisation is such a far cry from Pure WCS, that the students of this new dance often find any other teacher’s methods a threat. If they are at a convention and attend a Pure WCS instructors workshop, they will sometimes declare that they “only want to learn (fill in the blank: “contemporary,” “new school,” etc, etc.) swing” and will sit the class out. And since Abstract Improvisation doesn’t have any rules, students have walked away from conventions learning eight different ways to “anchor” or “replace their anchor,” six different ways to hear the music, “feel it,” “dance the emotion of it,” “dance the lyrics,” “dance the melodies,” but never dance on beat, which is now, unfortunately, the rarest of finds at most conventions and many dance scenes across the country.

Let me clarify. To “dance on beat” refers to the dancer’s feet dancing to the beat of the music. I often hear students and judges say that Abstract Improvisational dancers “hit every beat” in the music, when in reality, their upper bodies hit all of the breaks. This is actually pretty easy to do. What’s difficult to do is lead and follow with your feet on beat AND hit the breaks. If you look at these “flashy” improvisational dancers’ feet, you will suddenly see how very little skill is actually being executed.

The Time Has Come.

As you've probably figured out by now, I've discovered that we as a community now have two completely separate dances on our hands. I understand that this has been hard to see, especially since a handful of our top pros are able to do both depending on what music they are given, the audience they have, the judges they have, etc.  But they comprise less than 1% of our community. And they’ve been dancing and teaching this new dance for a few years now, and we have been unaware of this shift. We’ve just seen the dancing change, but we didn’t know how or why.

It is time to face reality. There are two dances.
It is time to admit the truth. There are two dances.
It is dangerous to deny it and stay on the path we are on.

And I mean dangerous.

First, it's dangerous physically, emotionally and mentally to our dancers. When a Pure WCS trained follower draws an Abstract Improvisation leader, she gets physically hurt by the clash. She feels totally lost and thinks she’s in over her head. She is yanked off her anchor with no warning because Abstract Improvisation never moves on the same beat or even on a beat. She is put into precarious positions where she's not quite sure what's expected of her and gets hit in the head when trying to go down the slot.

When a Pure WCS trained leader draws an Abstract Improvisation follower, he can't figure out how to lead her, to connect with her, how to even get a push break out of her. She will be extremely light, to the point of complete disconnection or she will be extremely heavy and pull him off his anchor or timing. He will never ever get her on the foot he's trying to get her on, because she is not expecting him to lead her feet into positions.

It's the same the other way around. I'm hearing stories nearly every week about how an Abstract Improvisation leader draws a Pure WCS follower and accuses her of deliberately fighting him or getting in his way, when she is simply assuming he's doing the same dance. My inbox is jammed with horror stories of the meeting of these two dances on the floor. They are stories ranging from physical harm, to emotional harm to mental harm... and dancers are falling out of love with the dance. They just don't understand that there are two completely different dances on the floor today. Which brings me to my second point.

If we don't acknowledge that there are two dances,
the future of the West Coast Swing industry is in jeopardy.

It's already suffering. Highly trained WCS professionals feel pressured to teach poor technique. Novice and intermediate dancers are suddenly instructors. Event directors are hiring unskilled teachers and dancers because they are cheaper and seem to be the "hot ticket" instead of hiring highly trained real WCS instructors. Classes are shrinking across America. Because Abstract Improvisation is just that, improvisational, and requires almost none of the skills and training that Pure WCS does, it doesn't have to be learned in a studio.

That doesn't mean there aren't people teaching Abstract Improvisation. There are. But people hear them say, in their so called “WCS” classes that, "we don't do that anymore, we do this now," and the students feel like they have to start all over in the dance. But the reality is that Abstract Improvisation really doesn't take any training. I'm meeting more and more dancers at conventions who have never taken a single WCS lesson and are having a blast.

In fact, Abstract Improv dancers, for reasons I've briefly touched on, make finals over Pure WCS dancers, which only promotes the idea to onlookers that classes, privates and lessons in general are not needed to be successful in the dance. Why spend money on Pure WCS, which absolutely has to be learned in a lesson setting and takes a long time to master, when you can learn Abstract Improvisation on YouTube for free? If we insist on calling Abstract Improvisation "Swing," then we are contradicting every single real WCS teacher out there and setting up all of their students for confusion, bitterness and failure. We will, ultimately, lose them. And then we will lose our instructors.

And then we will lose the dance.

We need to face facts. We need to remember what ‘normal’ is in the partner dancing communities. In healthier communities, like ballroom, the fact of the matter is that when someone has been learning a ballroom dance for three months and then dances with a ballroom pro, they feel like they are on top of the world and can do no wrong. It's like dancing with a dream. They are then are inspired to keep going, keep learning, keep expanding their knowledge and enjoyment of the dance.

But if a WCS dancer has been taking lessons for three months at a studio or a club and then asks a supposedly higher level dancer (because points tell them they are so, not other dancers) to dance, it will not be a pleasant experience. Those who have racked up points in the past five years are almost all Abstract Improvisational dancers, and they will completely run over this new beginner to our dance. The newcomer will be completely lost and feel defeated, not inspired. They will feel confused and torn. They will stick with lessons for about six months to a year and then they will give up, because they feel like they aren’t getting any better.

In reality, they are learning one dance and yet asking someone who does a completely different dance to help them measure their progress. What a catastrophe for these dancers! It’s heartbreaking, hearing their stories. Because we haven’t admitted this other dance, our newcomers don’t realize it’s another dance that they’re clashing with, never mind a lesser art form. And we should take a stand for them.

It is time, everybody.

People are done. People feel left behind. People feel ugly, misunderstood, confused, angry and they feel scared. We are hemorrhaging veteran dancers at an astronomical rate. We are allowing our most talented individuals to feel "old" and we are attracting a demographic of dancers who would rather not work at their dancing because it's not "fun," and allowing instructors into our community who have absolutely no problem giving watered down shortcuts to technique, slandering our most knowledgeable and respected legends and calling an extremely difficult and praiseworthy dance "out of touch."

Non-dancers have a better eye than we do now. Lunchrooms don't watch our videos after 2002. But they can't get enough of our Renaissance Era. They’ll watch those tapes for hours.

It's time to put an end to the madness. It's time to equip our students, our fellow judges, our newcomers and our fellow dancers with the knowledge to walk into a studio, into a convention, into a workshop and say, "Okay, that's Abstract and that's Pure West Coast." And then they can make informed decisions. Then they can dance with freedom. Then they can understand what they're watching. Then they can understand what's going on…

And then we can heal.

______

From the bestselling book Telling the Truth:

The Groundbreaking Articles that Saved West Coast Swing

www.amazon.com

Photo from Australian Blogger: www.wcsblogger.com

West Coast Swing Essentials©

Defining West Coast Swing

Excerpt from Telling the Truth: The Foundational Articles for Today's West Coast Swing. Find this and other books by Katherine on Amazon.com.

___

I learned a massive amount while owning a studio. About life, about dance, about everything. But one of the favorite things I learned was that there is a dance for every season of life. I opened the studio a committed West Coast Swing fan, and left the studio a fully obsessed fan of all the partner dances… from Viennese Waltz to Tango, to Bolero.

A dance studio draws you closer to people unlike any other kind of business. It’s a family. You get to see people at their best, at their worst and everything in between. And you get to see that there is a need for all of the dances. For the street dances, the latin dances and the smooth dances. There’s even a need for American and International styles. Every dance matches a person, a people and a family. And in life we all experience different seasons that draw us or push us closer to the different dances that can heal or feed us at the time.

As time went on, through a thousand privates, classes and workshops with questioning and exploring students of all levels and backgrounds, I had the amazing opportunity to learn the intimate details that make a Waltz a Waltz, a Salsa a Salsa and a Cha Cha a Cha Cha. I learned that every partner dance has a character, a step pattern, a pulse and a particular floor craft. West Coast Swing is no different.

It too is a partner dance that’s lead-and-follow and danced on beat, with steps, rhythms, rules and a specific floor craft. In fact, its rules are quite a bit more complex than any other dances.’ So what are the essential elements that help us identify the dance? How do we know when we’re watching a WCS dance and not a Tango, a Foxtrot… or even Abstract Improvisation or Zouk?

To help, here are some easy things to look for when you’re trying to identify a couple’s WCS content:

THE WEST COAST SWING ESSENTIALS

#1

A DEFINED RECTANGLE SLOT

Country Two Step travels around the floor, as does Waltz. Salsa is danced in more of a small circle, as is East Coast Swing. West Coast Swing, however, is danced in what’s called a “slot.” Most teachers teach that your slot should run parallel to the wood panels of the floor you are dancing on. Others say it should be danced parallel to the longest side of a rectangle room. I say that no matter where you are, make sure your slot isn’t in the opposite direction of anyone else’s around you. That kind of behavior never ends well.

A WCS slot is typically 2-3 floor squares (6 to 8 ft) long and one floor square wide. Most WCS dancers that have been dancing it for the last 30 to 60 years, however, typically stay in the 6 feet or less range when it comes to length. They focus heavily on the footwork and tend to dance, even now, on extremely crowded floors, so their slot has remained tight and controlled.

--All Graphics Designed and Copyrighted by Katherine Eastvold--

GRAPHICS AVAILABLE IN THE BOOK ONLY

*GRAPHIC*

The Slot and its Boundaries

In WCS, depending upon the available room, we can shift the Defined Slot’s location on the floor, but then we re-post and stay there in a new established slot or return back to our original slot. WCS is NOT a rounded or unconfined dance. The slot does not extend very far on any one side.

#2

MAN IN THE MIDDLE

In WCS, from the point of an onlooker, the man is visually in the center and patterns are used to move the woman up and down the slot. The man and woman do not stay at opposite ends of the slot and then switch, and the woman does not stay in the center while he moves around her unless it’s to let her pass him on her way down the slot. He stays in the middle, and makes magic moving her up, down, in and out of the slot. Some call the man’s actions to pin down the center of the slot ‘posting.’

*GRAPHIC*

In WCS, the leader operates in the center of the slot.

Here are other ways “Man in the Middle” plays out in the WCS slot:

At the start of a WCS dance, the follower begins in closed position with the man in the center of the slot:

*GRAPHIC*

For the majority of a WCS dance, the follower begins and ends all patterns at one of the ends of the slot:

*GRAPHIC*

In the Push Break, the follower moves towards the leader, then returns to her previous position. The whip follows a similar pattern:

*GRAPHIC*

In side passes, such as the Underarm Turn, the Left Side Pass or the Tuck, etc., the follower moves from one end of the slot to the other. Notice how the leader, throughout all the patterns, remains in the center of the slot:

 *GRAPHIC*

--All Graphics Designed and Copyrighted by Katherine Eastvold--

GRAPHICS AVAILABLE IN THE BOOK ONLY

  

# 3

SENTENCE STRUCTURE

WCS patterns are a lot like a sentence. They have a beginning, a middle and an end. The beginning of a WCS pattern is started by what’s called a Rubber Band motion. It occurs on the ‘&  a  1’ of a pattern and provides the momentum for the follower to move towards the leader. The middle of the sentence starts with the double-triple I will talk about in essential #4. The middle can come in the form of a myriad of patterns. Because WCS has so many triples and so many basics, the variety of patterns available are remarkable. They always require a multitude of triples, however, mixed in with a few doubles and every once in a while, a single, depending on the music that’s playing.

No matter how long a WCS pattern ends up being, no matter how long the sentence goes on, it will always end with a period. In the case of WCS, we call this an anchor. For years teachers have taught that the anchor is the period at the end of a sentence, but it does require some unique training and as such, much of its power and technique has been lost.

The anchor always takes place while the man is in the center and the woman is at the end of a slot. The anchor is primarily a function of the center (your center point of balance, also called your solar plexus by some). However, the motion of your center during an anchor is incredibly small. It will be easier for most to simply watch the feet and see if they gather together at the end of a pattern and seem to re-ground themselves.

An anchor, unless the song ends, is followed by the ‘&  a  1’ rubber band motion, the beginning of the next sentence… the beginning of the next pattern. Sometimes you will see a couple “extend” a pattern at the end of the slot. It looks like the couple is about to start a new sentence, but instead, they do some playful footwork in place. This conversational kind of dancing is still part of the previous sentence. 

But when the play has come to an end, you will see the couple start a new pattern with a very clear WCS ‘&  a 1’ rubber band that gets them in motion once again and the new sentence or pattern takes off.

#4

DOUBLE, TRIPLE START

This is probably one of the easiest characteristics to identify. It’s quite the powerful tool. In short, all West Coast Swing patterns, whether they are basics or not, will begin with a double rhythm followed by a triple rhythm. For those that don’t know what rhythms are, you can think of it this way: every pattern begins with a walk, walk followed by a triple step (or as one famous yet scattered teacher likes to say, “walk, walk, run-run-run!”)

It is also important to recognize exactly how these two rhythms occur. At the start of a West Coast Swing pattern, look at the follower’s feet. She will always start a pattern with her right foot and she will always travel towards the leader from the end of her slot. A double rhythm done in place does not qualify as the start of a WCS pattern.

The triple rhythm that follows is just as important. Other dances start with double rhythms too, but then they are followed by single or double rhythm, not by a triple rhythm. In WCS, that first double is always followed by a triple. What occurs on that triple varies greatly, depending on what basic or pattern is being done, but it will never be a single or a double rhythm. It will always be a triple. And it will always be in the center of the slot, when the partners are close to each other and the ‘post.’ At a more advanced level, this triple rhythm can even become a higher rhythm, depending on the pattern, like a quad, but you will never see it become less, like a double.

Do not be fooled by stutters. After years of telling dancers to remove their triples from their dancing in order to make way for this “new” dance, some are trying to bring them back in order to satisfy the judges. Unfortunately, it’s not working. The majority of these dancers “stutter” instead of doing an actual triple step. A real triple step in WCS transfers the weight on ‘3  a4.’ But stutters are different.

In stutters the so called “weight change” occurs on ‘a3    4.’ Not only are the beats incorrect, but these leaders never really transfer their weight. Typically, you will watch them simply tap their toe on the ‘a’ so that their ‘a3’ looks more like a hiccup, rather than an actual step or weight change. Often this tap occurs with no weight change at all, making their feet look busy when they really aren’t.

When you are watching real WCS, you will see the triple rhythm executed on and between the 3 and the 4. Anything else is cheating and in bad form.

#5

AN ABUNDANCE OF TRIPLES

If you count out all the basic WCS patterns, you will notice that for almost every double rhythm, there are TWO triple rhythms. Not only that, but there are no single rhythms at all. Triple rhythms are much harder to do than single or double rhythms in a lead and follow dance, because they can’t be danced ‘split weight,’ especially with good timing. Since the majority of other partner dances are made of single and double rhythms, WCS really stands out with its exciting triple rhythm footwork.

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Once a dancer has mastered the above characteristics, meaning they are able to do them with all Three T’s: Timing, Technique and Teamwork, then, and only then, does WCS provide the complex freedom for three unique characteristics. I call them the Higher Essentials.

THE HIGHER ESSENTIALS

Many try to skip past the mastery of the above skills and boundaries only to find themselves doing another dance entirely. But when the following characteristics are added to the core essentials of WCS, the results are truly incredible. The dance becomes addicting to all ages and generations.  As with most art forms, once WCS is done with unusually excellent technique and skill, it can take anyone’s breath away, dancer and non-dancer alike.

The following are the characteristics that again, are not required, but can be attained more easily in WCS more than any other dance.

CONTRAST

Contrast is typically considered present when a WCS dance contains both small and subtle movements as well as large and fast ones. A dance that has nothing but big sweeping movements, dips and drops is considered to be only 'one note.' Pure WCS allows for this, in that its footwork is so busy that it can do both with startling ease. More footwork means more opportunities.

Contrast is not simply speeding up and slowing down or reaching high then dropping low. Contrast is a higher essential, and as such requires an incredibly high level of dance skill, training and mastery. Contrast requires deft subtly combined with precise expansion. It’s using an unexpected variety of movements to tell a story. Contrast draws people in… it prevents them from looking away… it keeps their attention and makes them hit the rewind button.

MUSICALITY

Musicality as a higher element goes beyond staying on beat. It means dancing to the major phrase (starting a new pattern on the 1 of major phrase in a song), doing a large movement to a large piece of music and a small movement to a small ‘ting.’ It’s helping others hear things in the song they didn’t know were even there. It’s using the dance to paint a visual representation of the music.  The more challenging the music, the more exciting the painting.

INDIVIDUAL STYLE

True WCS requires a high level of leading and following because it has eight basic patterns to build moves off of instead of one. Skilled WCS followers often have a very easy time switching into other partner dances because they’ve learned to follow anything. They can join any other class and immediately be able to follow the instructor, provided that the instructor is a good leader.

Along with the achievement of exquisite leading and following skill, WCS offers up the ability for both partners to add styling, footwork variations (syncopations), breaks and conversations through movement… all while staying in direct and perfect connection with their partner. The lead-follow relationship is never broken.

As such, each WCS dancer of this level looks unique. I chose to study WCS instead of ballroom at an early age because the ballroom ladies looked very “cookie-cutter.” Real WCS allows one’s individuality to appear within its strict confines. The more a dancer grows in the dance, the more individual their style becomes. If you’re watching a floor where all the upper level women and men look the same, it’s a clear indication that swing content is lacking.

It may be a challenge in the beginning to get used to catching each of these things, but your eye will soon learn and after a while, it will come naturally to you. Always start by watching the feet and listen closely to the beat of the music. This method works in identifying any partner dance, but since WCS is such a complex and difficult dance, easy shortcuts like this will get your further in less amount of time. So enjoy using these characteristics to identify WCS on your social floors, during competitions and during routines. But no matter what, as always…

KEEP ON DANCING!

______

From the bestselling book Telling the Truth:

The Groundbreaking Articles that Saved West Coast Swing

www.amazon.com

Just Say It ©

You Know More Than You Think You Do

The majority of the real talent in our dance community is in crisis.  Professionals, champions, judges and advanced dancers of today and of the past (when the All-Star Division didn’t exist) are doubting themselves. Though they have extensive knowledge, training, insight, control, centering, impeccable timing, posture, technique and individual footwork and stylings, they are, by and large, questioning themselves. Some are retiring, some are switching to other dances and some are quitting dancing altogether. It’s nothing short of tragic.

You have the power to stop it. I’m going to tell you how.

I noticed something at the national dance events across the nation this last year. An irritating yet thankfully inconsistent failure in our judging system of the past is now a full-blown and snarling monster in the present. It happened at every single event. The results would be announced: fifth place (murmurs), fourth place (more murmurs), third place (fidgety panic), second place (impending gloom and hope at the same time) and then… First.

BOOM! The whispers, even cries all around me erupt. “What happened to so & so?” “What did I miss?” “That’s insane.” “Maybe it’s because they danced early?” “Maybe the scores were wrong?” and the worst, “That’s just wrong.”

I’ve been dancing WCS for nearly 20 years now. I’ve been to competitions since my start. I’ve been at almost every awards presentation. And if you know me, you know I have a killer memory. I remember them like it was yesterday. So I know when the sand is shifting. Okay, not shifting… more like quaking. A huge fissure has erupted. And the land of “performance” now looks over a huge canyon to the distant ledge of “scores.”

This is not the typical, “oh, I had fourth and fifth switched,” or “I had first place in third,” or “I didn’t have them in there at all” that I used to hear at so many events long, long ago. In fact, I was known for literally calling every single one of the scores back then. Even when I was a newcomer. I didn’t know names and I didn’t know faces, but I knew performance. And every once in a while, I’d wonder how my 3rd place was switched with my 5th place, but I never, and I mean NEVER saw a routine that I was sure would place… not place. None of us did.

Once the Points system was introduced though, around 1996, things definitely changed in that arena. Pros wanted to politic and protect their money and started fudging the scores a little. But in general, talented dancers won over untrained dancers. Messy, cocky ‘know-it-all’s’ who didn’t bother training but relied on “flash and trash” were kept in the lower ranks until they were serious and started showing some effort, skill and training.

But not today. Today is different. Very, very different.

Today there is a complete and utter disconnect between the famed “Three T’s” (Timing, Technique and Teamwork) and the final results. Audiences watch as a dance that was clearly executed with incredible craftsmanship, timing, teamwork and technique, as well as incredibly inspiring swing content, play and footwork, with no missed leads, no quivers in balance… just pure, inspiring, get-you-on-your-feet dancing… is left completely in the cold. As in out of the top five altogether. No recognition. Nothing. Some aren’t even close. And some, perhaps most tragically of all, are, for no reason I can imagine, at the bottom.

This, of course, has not gone unnoticed. At all. Even by the winners.

I’m watching the true professionals walk to the podium with a look pure confusion. They know their dance was a train wreck. A true craftsman knows when they were awarded for something unworthy of praise. They look uncomfortable… a bit wary. (Not the Nissy, of course. They always deserve, and completely expect, a walk to the podium, or even a higher placement, yes?)

The audiences? The ones that used to hear the scores and break into discussions like, “I had them here, but I guess I could see them there. What about you?” That audience is not taking it quietly. They, for the first time since I’ve been around, are flooding the scoring rooms. They didn’t even compete, but they want to know what the heck happened to produce such out of touch results.

I repeat. Non-competitors are checking the scores. I’ve never seen anything like it. In droves. They are baffled, concerned, unclear or just in awe and they are looking for answers.  Every Sunday night, as I sit and listen to them, I hear their conclusions. I am only going to list the conclusions I have heard from at least three different dancers each:

•The judges put in the people who are on their own event’s staff.
•The judges put in whoever danced the closest to the way they did when they competed.
•The judges were all over the board.
•The judges were scared of not being hired again.
•The judges put in who the event directors asked them too.
•The judges put in who they thought would win, not should win.

Let me be clear. The point of this article is not the judging that’s happening today. That’s an entirely separate article, though I do think a few of these reasons are spot on.

Now, my point is that, when you love what a couple does out there… you are not the only one! When the scores don’t make sense to you, chances are, there’s a sea of people standing right next to you that feels the same way you do.

You know more than you think you do.

But I’m asking you to do more than trust yourself. I am asking you take a deep breath, take a chance, and tell the talented person you saw that they inspired you. You can do it by email, by social network or in person. It can be brief: “I loved your Jack & Jill!” Or it can be detailed: “I loved that section with the (fill in the blank).” Of course, there’s my personal favorite “You were robbed. That was the best dancing on the floor hands down.” You’ll always hear me say, “give credit where credit is due.” When the judges don’t follow through on this concept, I’m telling you right now: you can.

This applies to social dancing as well. If you see a dancer on the floor who is a true champion, in skill, talent and control… a true artist that you just want to stare at because you learn so much by watching them, because they make you want to dance till your feel fall off… tell them. No matter who they are.

There is power in this approach. It WILL make a difference. Early on in my dance career a number of people said they loved my anchor. Let me tell you, I’ve never stopped paying attention to my anchor since then. If you tell someone you love their footwork or their lead or their smile while they dance, you can bet they are going to remember that and keep it in their dancing.

As such, I’ve made it a habit since I was very young to compliment those dancers that gave me goose bumps, no matter who they were or what it was that they danced. I knew even then that if I wanted to see more of such inspiration, then direct praise was in order. Now it’s your turn.

It’s time to inspire our truly talented dancers to stay with WCS. The days are far gone when a highly trained, talented and skilled dancer didn’t need anyone telling them that to know it. In an era where timing and technique are no longer rewarded but attitude, falling and Nissy-ish-ness are, the talented dancers are questioning their talent. They are questioning their place in this world.

In the dark and quiet,
they are wondering if the world has gone mad.

Please… give them the credit that they are due. Please… you know more than you think you do. Please…

Just Say It.

This article is copyright protected. Just Say It is part of the collection of groundbreaking articles found in Telling the Truth: The Foundational Articles for Today's West Coast Swing, available in both Kindle and Print on Amazon.com.

Routines 101 ©

The Components You Must Possess
For a Truly Amazing Routine

Dancing can reveal all the mystery that music conceals. -Charles Baudelaire

___

I rarely enjoy anything as much as I enjoy choreographing. Besides the people, it is the thing I miss most about my owning my own studio. It was life changing, empowering and incredibly satisfying to choreograph all day long… Foxtrot, Cha Cha, Waltz, West Coast Swing and Salsa... everything!

Then love, marriage and life happened. Now that I'm traveling for the WCS community again, it’s been a little shocking. I'm discovering that many widely known benefits and expectations of putting a routine together have been lost over the years. Things that used to be universally known or expected are now, I’m discovering, completely lost and forgotten.  I’ve found this to be true for much of our dance, not just the area of routines and choreography, but I shall address that in the future.

But if you or someone you know is interested in doing a West Coast Swing routine, and you want to get the most out of it that you can, here are some things you should know before you even pick a partner, never mind a song or a choreographer.

THE UNIVERSAL GOAL

Whether you're starting on this journey to get better, to make your partner happy, to showcase your accomplishments or to make your coach happy, at the heart of it all you really have only one goal that matters: to put YOUR best foot forward. The audience will only see YOU. And nobody else can be you. Nobody! And that's a GREAT thing!

West Coast Swing is stunning in its ability to showcase your individuality within its strict parameters. So the main goal of your routine should be to showcase your strengths, your stylings, your lines, your footwork and your own personality.

I have choreographed routines for students with movements that look terrible on me. Don’t roll your eyes. I have enough students do that. I’m serious- there are moves that I would never ever, in a million years, allow myself to be videotaped doing, never mind putting into a routine of mine to be played repeatedly by others. However, those moves have often worked for others beautifully. If they look fantastic on my student, I’m putting it in.

Take my husband Nick versus my dance partner Josh. Both Nick and I have long forearms, but very short upper arms. When we do routines together, such as our Salsa routine, there are drops, tricks and moves that work, and then quite a few that don’t. However, Josh has super long slim arms. They eliminate certain moves Nick and I do, but they also open up quite a few moves Nick and I cannot do without my head getting caught in his armpit or my hair tangled in his wrist. Naturally a lot of this is learned the hard way, but it’s an expected part of the routine process.

In short, choreography is sometimes about your dance level, but quite often it’s about other things you can’t change. When Josh and I first partnered up, we’d never really danced together. So I videotaped us dancing to a few songs, and very quickly noticed that our legs were the exact same length. If you know my routines, you’ll notice that I very much capitalized on that in my choreography. But I also noticed that our arms were completely and utterly different. Therefore I had to eliminate all “in-sync” arm stylings. If Josh’s arm was up in a long line, my arm would stay down in its own line, not parallel to his, as you see here.

(available in book version)

Choreography that capitalized on our strengths and smoothed over our differences: arms vs. legs, etc. (Photo by Kermit Dukes)

Any choreographer should know about these expected similarities and differences, and be able to see it. Even if they can’t explain why as I just did, they should understand certain moves and stylings don’t work on every single couple they give choreography to.

Yes, long distance choreography is popular today. You send music to a choreographer and they send you a video with your choreography back. If that’s the case, then you need to choose your choreographer very wisely, or be prepared to change your choreography accordingly, either on your own or with another coach or choreographer.

Because of the Universal Goal, I’ve also choreographed routines to music that doesn't move me, but it moves my students. It’s not difficult to do, unless the music doesn’t match the kind of dance they want choreographed. For example, a wedding couple brings in “At Last” as their wedding song, and they want a Cha Cha routine.

Okay, that’s an extreme example, but still, people today rarely know what kind of music works with what kind of dance (thank you very much, Dancing with the Stars and “iPod” DJ’s!). I’ve been lucky to work with couples who have had, for the most part, swingable songs. And though they don’t match my tastes, I can tell how much a couple loves their song. And so I wrap the choreography around their passion for it so that the audience can see their hearts on the floor.

I remember one couple that had already won the US Open in their division. They were trying a completely new direction and had received choreography for a 100% lyrical song. But they loved it. I mean, they really really loved this song. Even though it was chosen for them by somebody else, I could see that it made them want to feel. But they held back. And since the song wasn’t swing, it made the choreography they’d been given seem awkward.

Yes, I fixed a lot of the choreography, but my biggest change was to how they approached the song while dancing. I said, “Look, you love this song. I can see it. Don’t hide it! Let it envelop and fill you all the way through and just groove to it while you dance it. I want you to get totally lost in the song.” And so they did. And it gave me goose bumps.

Later, when they did their next “demo” in preparation for the Open, my own coach came up to me and said they had tears in their eyes after watching them. She said, “I didn’t know they could dance like that.” Exactly. It wasn’t a swing song, and it was hardly a swing dance, but all of that and the awkwardness it would normally have produced made the performance one of their best yet. As a judge, my job would have been easy, but as an audience member, I would have thoroughly enjoyed seeing “them,” in all their joy and passion, enjoy their song the way only they could.

(Imagine if they did that with a real swing song and a real swing routine! Oh my. I believe it would’ve brought the house down! And they would’ve placed much higher. There is nothing on this planet like watching swing dancers jam out their alive-ness in full expansion, with unfettered feet, against a ridiculously awesome swing song. It’s better than a triple shot of espresso, and it’ll charge you with so much energy you won’t be able to sleep that night! But I digress…)

The fact remains that no matter who you are, no matter what your background, level or experience, it’s vital that you understand this one thing before anything else.

If you are going to invest the money, the time, the training and the practicing... make sure you keep one goal in mind: to be yourselves. Never underestimate an audience. They know if you are pretending to be somebody else. And never underestimate the power of your "true self." It will fight you every step of the way if you try to be something you're not. You'll reduce your hours of investment, practice and coaching while increasing your enjoyment and benefits of the routine by taking the steps to ensure that it reflects YOU… and no one else.

YOUR MUSIC

This may sound obvious, but at the core you are doing a DANCE routine. Whether or not you're competing or simply showcasing your routine, never forget that you're doing a dance routine. So pick a song that makes you want to do just that: DANCE. And no, head-bobbing doesn’t count. It has to make you want to get off the couch, not lay back on it.

Trust me, whatever song or combination of songs you pick, you will end up hearing it a million-ba-jillion times before you ever perform it. You'll hear it at slow speeds, at fast speeds, in your head while you take a shower and in your head while trying to go to bed. If it inspires you to dance, and dance now, you'll enjoy the entire routine process and every performance a lot more than if not.

I am not a morning person. Not even a little bit. I don’t now how in the world I survived teaching high school and I don’t now how in the world I’ll ever survive kids. When the sun rises, I get tired and when it falls, I start to rev up. So when I have to stumble out of bed for a 6 AM floor trial with only three hours of sleep, I’ve never had to worry about not having the energy to practice. I put in the time and the work to get the right song. I know that, without a doubt, I'm going to want to dance no matter what the moment the DJ hits play.

The same applies to you. If you’re a morning person, then you’re going to have to be ready to dance at 11 PM at night. Either way, have a song that starts your engine is everything. Help yourself out and take the time to pick the right song ahead of time. It's worth the investment.

While we’re on the subject of music, let me let you in on a little secret. We pros with real training know that you choreograph, practice and rehearse to music that is 2% slower than what you will actually perform to on stage. You see, we know that adrenaline will make the speed you’re used to feel like mud when you’re out there.

Some pros no longer do this in WCS because they are no longer nervous. They know exactly how they are going to place or there is very little at stake. Others no longer do this because they are no longer energized by their routines or the crowd. But the majority of the real professionals dance it at 1 or 2% up from what they practice to, and for everyone else, 2% is considered the hard and fast rule. And what a little nugget of gold that rule is. I can’t even tell you. It’s quite the performance booster.

So if your song is 130 bpm, you may want to practice and choreograph at 2% down and then make a CD with your song at its normal speed. Or, as most people do, practice and rehearse at its normal speed, and then ask the DJ at the event to increase it by 2% when they play it. NOT at floor trials, mind you, but only for the big show. Trust me, you won’t notice a difference out there at all! The adrenaline will make it feel as if it’s the normal speed you’ve been practicing to all along, which will give your performance a much greater shot at being smooth and powerful.

YOUR PARTNER

I'm not going to lie. Partnerships are not easy. They are like marriages. They take mutual work, conviction, love, honor, respect and humor to run smoothly. I think I've seen a perfectly equal partnership on all fronts... twice. I learned very early on that for every two minutes we see of a partnership on the convention floor, there are hundreds to sometimes thousands of hours that we aren't seeing of that partnership. But it’s those hours that really matter, much more than those 2.5 minutes on the floor.

So here's the deal: everyone's different. Some people need a 50/50 partnership. Some can handle 90/10 partnerships. Decide what you can handle and grab a partner that fits. Be aware that most partnerships break up before they ever make it to the floor. There's no shame in that at all. Have pride for trying because you will have learned a lot no matter how far into the process you made it. It's worth the risk.

Keep this in mind, too. No matter how many times you’ve heard it, height, hair color and body types are NOT the thing to look for in a partner. All of that can be solved in choreography and costuming. Michelle Kinkaid was more than a full head taller than Phil Trau when they won the US Open Classic Division three times in a row. They rocked it like nobody’s business out there. Lance Shermoen, the King of the US Open, danced with more than three different partners over two decades, none of whom looked anything alike, and all of whom were phenomenal dancers. Yes, all of the routines looked different, just as they should have, but they were all amazing. Looks and levels don’t matter. Those can be worked around in routines.

What does matter? Abuse. You absolutely must be on the lookout for that. Routines are highly stressful projects. The tend to bring out the absolute worst in the absolute best of us. No one is immune. Verbal abuse, emotional abuse and mental abuse... these are the greatest pitfalls of routines. Learn how recognize the signs, how to protect yourself and when to walk away. If you have a partner that respects and honors you, no matter what their level, you can get an incredibly satisfying and even highly successful routine experience.

YOUR CHOREOGRAPHY

Oh there are so many things to know about choreography! Especially in today’s environment. It is only too easy to pay a ton of money and get a routine you can’t dance all the way through after even as much as a month of practicing. Now, more than ever, you must be attentive, aware and ready when it comes to choreography.

Here are the things to know:

A) If you plan on hiring a choreographer, remember that you don't have to pick only one.

Some couples have two, three or even four choreographers work on their routine. But whoever you work with, be aware that it's easy to be intimidated and accept changes, choreography or music out of fear (submission) rather than trust (joy). I don’t think people understand how much fear controls their decisions in today’s climate.

One of my most life-changing lessons was that a business attracts people who are like the person who owns it. We’ve had Nissies running and winning things for more than decade now, and so we’ve spent the last decade slowly but surely losing teachers who are healthy and helpful and replacing them with Nissy instructors, who are more interested in their own visions and desires than they are in you and your success.

As a result, it will be quite easy, no matter where you live, to end up getting choreography from a Nissy. And you will instinctively fear them enough to stay quiet. Very quiet. Watch what your body does when you are around them. It will tell you wonders. Last year, for example, I was working on a couple’s routine for the US Open. They were taking with another coach at the same time. At floor trials, as I worked with them, they were open, giddy and asking a lot of questions. They had freedom.

Then it was time for me to work with another couple. I went up into the bleachers. As I waited for the couple to take the floor, I noticed that the “other” coach had approached the couple I was just working with. My jaw dropped. The woman’s shoulders were wrapped tight around her body. Both of them were kind of hunched over. The coach was chattering away super fast as I’ve seen him do before, even with me. But I’m strong enough that I’m not afraid of him, and I can chatter away right back rather easily. But the couple never said a word. Literally. I think she kind of nodded her head at one point, but for the most part, they were caught in his Nissy tractor beam. They looked deflated by the meeting, the exact opposite effect you want from a coach. But he was a ‘name,’ and he had youthful energy, so still and quiet they stayed. In fear.

How unfortunate. And how easily avoidable! So take note. Fear will slow you down, cost you more and paralyze you. A good coach and choreographer will make you feel empowered and excited about getting on the floor. Remember, this is your routine. It’s your time and it’s your money and it’s your performance. Only. Nobody else's.

As the old saying goes, “the only one who can fight for you is… YOU.” If you fight to choose your choreographer wisely before you begin, as in doing some research, taking some privates to see how they operate or asking around… you’ll save yourself the pain of breaking up with the choreographer in the middle of the routine. You might have change mid-choreography, but be assured that this happens so incredibly often these days, that I’ve never heard of a single pro asking where their couple has gone once they’ve lost them. Very few are keeping track the way they used to, and if they are, then that’s kind of a red flag anyway. So enjoy flexing your freedom muscles.

B) Don't be afraid to ask!

9 out of 10 couples I've seen in the last four years have had their choreography done by one pro and then partially or completely re-choreographed by another pro in order to "fix" it. This isn't cheap. But this expensive practice is perpetuated by a nonsensical trend: couples give their original choreographer credit and label the other choreographers as "coaches." I constantly see couples hit with surprise at the routine they've received, simply because the choreography that inspired them in others was actually done by a completely different pro. So when you ask a couple where they got their routine, find out exactly what pro choreographed your favorite parts. It'll save you a lot of money in the long run. Then pay it forward. Give credit where credit is due.

C) And finally, don't be afraid to make your own changes.

You can keep yourself in check by videotaping yourself. You'll learn what to keep and what to toss and, depending on your eye, save yourself a lot of money in coaching and choreography.  If something feels awkward, stop watching the video for the eighth time and change it to feel less awkward. Sometimes it’s something as simple as turning your shoulders or hips to a different wall that makes everything feel better. Sometimes it’s putting in more footwork to protect your knee from being twisted. Trust your body to tell you when something isn’t working right, and do what needs to be done to fix it. You don’t even need to point out the change to your coach.

Too often I see couples making a change they love, and then they show their coach, like proud teenagers wanting their mom’s approval. But the coach feels threatened instead, and makes another change to it. Now the couple is uncomfortable again, and they avoid making any changes in the future out of “consideration” for their coach. If you have a feeling it’ll go that way, then just enjoy your changes on your own… and you’ll rock it a lot harder on that floor as a result.

THE MAGIC BEAN: PHRASING

When I was studying at UCLA I was hired as one of their fitness instructors. During training, they pounded one big lesson into our heads again and again: choreograph to the major phrase. I had already learned about phrasing in Swing, but was surprised to find it so underlined in a fitness program. The staff would literally fire instructors who didn't phrase their fitness choreography. Why? Because whether you’re educated in music or not, your body knows a major phrase change when it hears one.

The UCLA trainers considered our training in phrasing as a "protective measure" against injuries. If we choreographed our step routines, for example, to start over on the major phrase, the body’s internal instinct to change is fed, and nobody trips or falls over by instinctively changing when the music does but the choreography doesn’t. I’ve seen a few of those falls go down. It’s not pretty.

UCLA knew phrasing was a powerful tool, and back then, swing did too. Being able to ‘chart’ a song is everything.

It’s a powerful and easy tool that will make your routine look amazing, more professional and more exciting to your friends, family and audiences. So whether you are choreographing your own routine or bringing it to someone else, try to phrase out your music or hire someone else to phrase it out before even touching it with choreography. Make sure you start a new pattern on the "1" of each major phrase.

So there you are. Doing a routine is not a small task. I didn't even touch on costumes! Or Timing, Technique or Teamwork (any coach that has any actual training will build these into you and the choreography they give your to make you both look and feel fabulous!). But it's worth it. And worthwhile things take work.

I'm keenly aware that one routine can impact every level of dancer in the audience, no matter what division or what place the judges give you. I'm not a fan of routines that are clearly unrehearsed, uncomfortable or uncontrolled... the things that make your eyes gloss over while watching them. C.S. Lewis once said, "No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally - and often far more - worth reading at the age of fifty and beyond." I believe it's the same with choreography. If a routine I put on the floor doesn't make kids and kings want to dance, then I've wasted my time.

As the nature of Jack & Jill's change, as more and more people are injured, and as more and more people feel sidelined in the dance, routines have the potential to change things. For the good or the bad. Follow these tips though, and you’ll be part of changing things for the better. You can love, live and grow through routines... visibly expand and shine... if you take the right steps.

Above all, I wish you the strength and courage to be yourselves out there…

and NO ONE ELSE!

Routines 101 has been greatly expanded with new material, pictures and info. It is part of the collection of groundbreaking articles found in Telling the Truth, available in both Kindle and Print on Amazon.com.