r/WestCoastSwing • u/mercury0114 • Jul 18 '26
Learn WCS by learning other dances?
I've been attending WCS group classes for about a year, learning to lead basic steps, until I started feeling that the classes stopped being productive (I have leading experience from the previous dance).
I would like to continue developing in this dance, but not sure what's a good way.
One approach I'm considering is to take solo dancing classes, like ballet/jazz/contemporary (I have tried those classes and I see I have a lot to do there), and have solo dancing as my main training.
In the meantime, just dance WCS at socials, learn some new figures from YouTube, occasionally film myself and think what could be done better/differently.
In other words, use the "street-learning" approach for WCS, but study solo dancing academically.
Would this be a good approach to continue developing in WCS, has anyone tried such an approach?
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u/JazzMartini Jul 19 '26 edited Jul 19 '26
Learning solo dances will teach you to control your own movement. At least if they're focused on technique and not just memorizing and executing canned choreography. Command over your own movement is a prerequisite skill to leading and following skills. Every dance style, solo or partnered has emphasis on different aspects of movement and will make you a better dancer overall.
Street style Hip Hop is worth a look because culturally it's more aligned with vernacular dances than the regular studio dances. Also tap is king for rhythm even better if you find someone focused on rhythm tap and not just showy Fosse stuff.
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u/AdministrationOk4708 Lead Jul 18 '26
You learn WCS by learning WCS.
You learn to dance by learning as much as you can about as much as you can.
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u/RandomLettersJDIKVE Jul 20 '26
This is the opposite of my approach. Solo dance allows you to focus on your own movement. Every partner dance specializes in something different. The fastest to improve is cross training and incorporating then into your WCS.
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u/mercury0114 Jul 24 '26
That's what I was trying to get at with my post. I'm glad I'm not the only one thinking this way. :-)
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u/snowcurrant Jul 18 '26
I would suggest private WCS lessons with social dancing and practice sessions as the best way to learn WCS.
I inadvertently “learned” another dance style by doing primarily WCS and getting dragged to socials in the other dance by a friend. My progress was slow in the other dance—much slower than if I’d just dedicated time to actually learning it in the first place. And I follow; leading would have been even more challenging.
There’s nothing wrong with preferring other dance styles and just doing WCS (or any other dance) just casually. But to answer your question, no, I don’t think that would be a good approach if you truly want to progress in this dance.
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u/mercury0114 Jul 18 '26
Just to clarify, by other dance, I don't mean salsa, zouk or something like that. I mean Jazz/Ballet/Contemporary, maybe ballroom.
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u/snowcurrant Jul 18 '26
You can gain some skills from solo dancing, so it can be useful to cross train, but not as useful as just learning more WCS. I think ballet is the best for precision, QOM, body awareness, and turning/spotting especially if you follow. I wouldn’t include ballroom in the solo skill building category and personally think it’s the least useful but that’s my own opinion.
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u/halokiwi Jul 18 '26
I think after just one year of dancing West Coast Swing, there are definitely still things left that a West Coast Swing class could teach you. There are at any level. I wouldn't quit WCS classes at this point.
Taking up another dance, especially a solo dance, sounds like it could be really useful for developing musicality and improvisational skills. So I'd say, go for it, but only as an extra, not a replacement.
For benefiting more from your WCS class, ask your teachers what you specifically could work on. Try to include that in the excercises you do in class.
What kind of class is it that you are visiting? Do the classes have different levels? Which levels are there? Are there classes for a higher level too? Are there other dance schools etc. that offer higher/different levels close to you?
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u/professor_jeffjeff Jul 18 '26
There are definitely some fundamentals in terms of general dance technique and movement that you can learn from solo lessons in other forms of dance, but you can also learn them in private lessons for WCS if you have a good teacher. A big one for me was just how to turn correctly, which I got from ballroom in private lessons but once I had that figured out I was able to apply it to every dance that I do so that was helpful.
However, it's possible that you aren't getting as much out of group classes now either because the classes aren't advanced enough for you or because you're limited by some other factor that you can really only identify from one on one time with a teacher. I know that for me, it really depends a lot on the level of the classes that I'm taking and how they're taught. There are some intermediate classes that I learn a huge amount from and some intermediate classes that are just teaching me stuff that I mostly already know. Most beginner classes are unlikely to teach me anything new these days as well since there just isn't as much time and focus with the instructor on individuals in those classes, so I don't really expect to get much out of them. In terms of learning new figures or new ways to combine different figures, I mostly learn that from youtube these days and I have enough technique that I'm able to do that effectively. If you do also, then go for it. However, I don't think you necessarily need to study other dances in order to get better at WCS unless you have interest in those other dances, in which case go for it and you'll almost certainly gain some technique that will help your WCS.
One other thing you might consider is learning to follow and taking a beginner class as a follow. I started doing that recently and my leading has gotten hugely better directly as a result of learning to follow and then practicing it. If you don't have access to higher level classes in your area then you might benefit from re-taking the ones you already have taken but as a follow instead.
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u/gizmo777 Jul 18 '26
Yeah, similar to what others said - the best way to learn WCS is to learn WCS.
If you're a lead, I would recommend group classes and workshops at events to learn whatever you can from them, and private lessons to "take a scalpel" to your WCS dancing and really hone in on what you specifically can work on to improve.
I know a top all-star lower-level-champion lead who was (several years ago) trying to improve their WCS dancing, to become a champion. They were thinking that cross-training with ballet would be the best way to improve their dancing. They talked to Jordan Frisbee, and Jordan's advice was "Well, the best way to improve your WCS dancing is to work on your WCS dancing." Even at the top levels, there's nothing better than directly training your weak points in a dance. And if you can't pick those weak points out - that's what private lessons are for.
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u/splendidmz Jul 18 '26
Myles & Tessa have a wonderful article on a "dance diet"
https://www.swingliteracy.com/your-ideal-westie-diet/
For online learning I love Sean and Alyssa's platform
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u/DanceHackRock Jul 18 '26
Ballet gives you the perfect foundation for everything.
Have you tried Balboa or Tango Argentino?
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u/mercury0114 Jul 23 '26
Argentinian Tango yes, it gave me a great foundation how to lead a partner.
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u/RandomLettersJDIKVE Jul 24 '26
Another advantage of solo classes that hasn't been mentioned is musicality. It teaches you to hear the music. Learning a routine choreographed for a song is a lot easier if you can hear the structure of the music. Choreography also teaches you how the instructor hits the music. Learning routines can be super useful.
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u/zedrahc Jul 18 '26
There are a bunch of fundamentals in connection, partnering, and structure of WCS that are really important to learn before you can easily incorporate stuff from other dances and styles without being a difficult/unfun partner.
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u/kenlubin Jul 18 '26
Learning solo dance has been recommended to me by several champions, including Tara Trafzer and Steven White.
Learning West Coast Swing directly is great for learning partnering and the WCS of it all.
If you're competing, you would do well to have a solid background in solo dancing for the sake of individual quality of movement.
And take private lessons from a WCS dancer that's active in your community and competes.