One of the most difficult elements in west coast swing is the triple rhythm. Most dancers struggle with the body control necessary to do three weight transfers in two beats of music because the body has to syncopate. As a newer dancer we must first master the basic timing of the triple step. More advanced … Read more
One of the easiest ways to show musicality is to adjust the “volume” level of your dancing to the music by modifying your footwork. Most dancers understand that you can make the dance quieter by taking out weight changes. But, fewer dancers know how to modify their weight changes to make their dancing quieter. In … Read more
Great dancers can make their triples match the music. In this drill, we’re going to work on flipping between straight count and rolling count on the fly. If you’re not already familiar with the idea of the straight and rolling count, you should practice doing straight and rolling triples before attempting this drill. In this … Read more
Last week, we looked at how the shuffle rhythm drives the rolling count triple in WCS. Now it’s time to practice the shuffle feel in our syncopated triples. First, a reminder: a normal triple has a step on the downbeat, a step on the upbeat, and a step somewhere between the downbeat and upbeat. In … Read more
In the post on rhythm units, we described double and triple rhythms. To wit: a double rhythm has two weight changes within 2 beats of music, and a triple rhythm has three weight changes in two beats of music. One way to make your dancing fit the music is to dance triples when you hear … Read more
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