Hi, Tessa here. Since 2002, I've been writing advice articles for West Coast Swing from my perspective as a WCS Champion and 30 years as a professional teacher and coach. My mission is to help teachers #teachWCSsmarter and dancers #trainWCSsmarter, which we do thoroughly in our Swing Literacy training programs.
But these articles are my way of contributing some free, bite-sized education to the community to help inspire and motivate with practical, actionable advice.
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I highly encourage everyone to leverage these free resources by sharing them in your community groups and with friends you know who could use them. Enjoy!
“What should you do if…”, “What happens when…”, “How can I handle…”, “How do I deal with…” These are all questions that students of all levels batter their teachers with. They are tactical questions – they ask for circumstantial advice, or recommendations for particular situations that have to do with not just the physical side of
I recently had a set of privates with an older male leader (let’s call him Phil) who was a very nice man and well liked in the community but has received complaints from followers that he hurt them. Many followers would say that they can relate – this is a common issue in many communities –
What does it take to have a WCS dance where both partners contribute to the fun? As a leader, do you wish playful followers would let you lead more? Or wonder why more followers don’t play with you they way they do when they dance with other leaders? As a follower, do you
West Coast Swing offers a unique opportunity for both partners to express themselves and co-create in amazing “dance conversations”. But it wasn’t always balanced or amiable. So how did we get here? This article describes the journey of how the the improvised conversation of West Coast Swing social dancing has evolved dramatically over the
Struggling to find dancers in your area who want to practice? Need to find the words to approach partners and suggest practicing? Here’s a complete guide to who to ask and how to approach them.
Are you winning yet? “Winning” is not only about the final placement. You don’t even have to be competitive to be “winning”. In our WCS competition scene, while many dancers ambitiously chase points, others are kicking their butts in other aspects – winning games that have no trophies or prize money, but are invaluable
This is Part 2 of a series to help you transition back to dance. Click here to go to Part 1: How to Survive the Awkward Phase as we Return to Dance Many places in the world still have COVID restrictions preventing large classes, but we’re hearing from many dancers right now that they would prefer
Can’t get your body to do what the teacher expects? You could be dancing in the wrong profile. I’ve got good news for you: It’s not your fault – there’s nothing wrong with you, but you need different tools. You are not alone – most dancers are struggling to conform to an ideal. There
A workshop weekend can serve to inspire your students, boost their improvement, and stimulate your community. Anyone can host one – it’s not difficult, but it is complex and there are many potential pitfalls. Here’s how to do avoid them and put on a productive, professional workshop that benefits the students, the guest teachers, and
Something doesn’t add up…. How many WCS patterns do you think you’ve ever learned? Just calculate how many patterns you learn per week, then multiply that by how long you’ve been dancing. Now, how many of those patterns have you actually adopted into your social or competition dancing? Oof. That’s a big difference. That’s a
No one wants to be the person that everyone complains about. It’s easy to make the assumption that since you “never get any complaints” that your partners are satisfied enough. But since people don’t usually complain to your face, how do you know if people are complaining about you or not? One method
Do you hear feedback from teachers and judges that you need to work on your timing? Or maybe you can feel you’re off time a lot but don’t know how to fix it? Being off time could be referring to 10 or more different issues. Whenever a teacher or judge tells you you are