By Matthew Loukopoulos

One of my Tango students came up to me the other night very confused. Here is the gist of our conversation.

“So, I took the West Coast Swing beginner class with Mr. Big Arms.” (No, that’s not his real name. I chose it to keep things anonymous.)

“Cool! How’s that going?” I asked.

“Well, I’m confused.” He replied.

“Really? In what way?” I asked, already know where this was going. “Maybe I can help clear up your confusion.”

“Well, I took the class and I thought I got it pretty good. Then I go to YouTube and when I look at WCS it looks nothing like what we did in class. Nothing at all!”

“I totally understand. You did learn the correct basics. I saw the classes. Mr. Big Arms is a good instructor. He really knows his stuff. In Ballroom. He’s a great Ballroom dancer. But he’s no Swing Dancer. He doesn’t have ‘the look’. He does the patterns, but doesn’t look like a Westie.”

Yes, folks, I’m going There. The look of West Coast Swing. A topic that has been debated time and time again, year after year.

Every dance has a certain look. Ballroom, Tap, Jazz, Ballet, Tango, Swing, Salsa, Country and Western. They each have a look even within the same family. Take Ballroom for instance. Waltz looks different than Fox-Trot, which looks different than Cha-Cha. In the family of Salsa dances, Salsa looks different than Bachata, which looks different than Cha-Cha. In Country, Two-Step looks different than Waltz which looks different than Cha-Cha.

Now, that makes sense, right? After all, Waltz and Cha-Cha are totally different dances. But did you notice something? Did you see a dance or two that was common to all three families I used as examples?

Cha-Cha-Cha, you’re right! Here’s an example of a dance that is rather common in more than one circle of dance communities. And if you have a good look at it, you’ll see that the Cha-Cha you do at the country bar looks different than the Cha-Cha you see at a Salsa club, and different again at a Ballroom club. The same dance. But they look different.

The same goes for Swing. Lindy-hop, Balboa, Carolina Shag, West Coast Swing. They all look different. It makes sense. They are all in the Swing Family but are different dances. Can you name a swing dance that is common in more than one dance circle?

Anchor Step, you’re right again! You’ll find West Coast Swing at Ballroom dances, Country dances, and of course, Swing dances. Double steps and triple steps. Push Breaks, Side Passes, and Whips. Have a good look at it. You’ll see that it looks different with each crowd.

West Coast Swing has a certain look. I’m not talking about Kippy belts, wide leg pants, open back tops, Affliction T’s or Toms. Look up ‘Kippy Belt’ if you don’t know what that is. No, really. Look it up. Yes, I was there.

Ballroom dancers, Ballet dancers, Tango dancers, and Swing dancers all carry themselves different in their movements on the floor. If you are approaching WCS with a Ballroom style triple step, Ballet turnout, and Salsa hips you’ll be doing something that resembles WCS. However, it won’t look anything like authentic WCS. In order for your WCS to have that authentic look you have to move like a swing dancer.

What is this look? It is fluid. Elastic. Grounded. Smooth. There’s a drive that comes from a specific part of the body, sending it into flight. The look of WCS has nothing to do with what patterns you are doing. It has everything to do with how you are doing them.

Study the dance itself. Learn how to move your body to create the look of WCS and not matter how much it changes or how you stylise it, your WCS will always look like authentic WCS.

By Matthew Loukopoulos August 2014

Not too long ago I was teaching workshops for a weekend up in northern British Columbia. I have been up there several times now. It’s a small, but great community of Westies. As I have done in the past, I taught some group classes and set aside a full day for private lessons.

While I was there I heard that one of the dancers there wanted to take a private with me but didn’t think they were a good enough dancer for a private. This mindset that is quite far from what it should be. I thought about this for a whole half a second before I decided to write about it. By the time my plane landed back in Vancouver I had also thought of a few other things to mention about privates that often get overlooked.

Skill level. There is no such thing as ‘not good enough’ or ‘too good’ to take a private lesson. The whole point of a private lesson is to improve your dancing. Whether you have only just started yesterday and have two left feet or have been dancing all of your life on stage, a private is about improvement. An instructor is there to look at your dancing from angles you can’t see to coach you in areas that need improvement. Anybody can benefit from a private. There will always be something you can improve. Always. That is what private and group lessons are for.

Location. Almost every private lesson you will take will be in a studio of some sort. Studios can range from very small home-based with one mirror to large dance schools with full length mirrors on several walls. Regardless of the size you will have to travel to the studio. If I had a dollar for every potential student who tried to convince me to come to their place because we could use the small space they have in the hall, or kitchen, or they could move the coffee table out of the way I wouldn’t need to teach a single thing. The location they teach out of is where they work and do business. Your dentist doesn’t come to you. You go to their office. The same goes for dance lessons. Dance lessons are more fun than root canals. With either, you’ll be able to chew away at something.

Timing. Ah, the t-word you hear sooooo many times. Timing in your dancing, as part of the 3-T’s if you have ever been in a competition, etc. Timing has a role in privates too. Please be on time. People get sick, called in to work, etc. Life happens. If you have to cancel of run late for any reason, let your instructor know as early as possible. Just like you would for your doctor or hair appointment.

Privates are very different from group classes. They are tailored to your needs at that stage of your dancing. As a supplement to group classes they are extremely beneficial. There is no set of skills you need to be eligible to take one. There is no experience or ‘level’ requirement. Privates are not about how good you are. They are about getting better than you are now.