WEST COAST SWING ANCHOR - "What Is It REALLY?"

[@johngoff8923]

Brilliant, makes so much sense, Thank you.

[@SewingDee]

Hi there Rose and Anthony - firstly thank you so much for all your really helpful tuition videos - what a fantastic resource! I’ve watched all your WCS videos now, they are so helpful as I’m in the SW of England and WCS is only just emerging here (people still don’t know what it is - crazy right 😆!) I don’t have a regular dance partner, so no chance to practice between sessions, so your videos are really important to me - I don’t think I could’ve continued without them - so thank you so much Anthony and Rose 🤗🤗. This particular video, on anchoring, is really brilliant - I wonder if Rose could show us if/how, as a follow, we can add a little finesse to our anchor moves with a little styling maybe? Thank you again you beautiful people and I hope one day we’ll have the pleasure of watching you perform on this side of the pond. Stay safe 🤗🤗

[@countrydancex]

It makes us so happy to hear that our videos are helping! WCS is one of those dances that you either love it, or you just don't understand it ;-) We would love to travel to England one day!

[@chucka53]

Very good instruction. I never gave an anchor that much thought but it DOES need to be taught and you 2 do it well, very helpful, thank you.

[@countrydancex]

We’re glad you liked it! Thank you for joining in

[@ginacursi7149]

Thank you!! So helpful. I’m a beginner and looking to improve and I have noticed watching a ton of Jack and Jill Novice competitions, I rarely see an anchor step on 5&6. Now I see it’s the stretch!! Would love to see more videos on going from beginner to intermediate.

[@gretchenjacks]

thank you for that explanation. really clarifies for me. I have been taking lessons....but was never told this....makes a huge difference

[@countrydancex]

Glad it was helpful!

[@TeshaWheel]

Thank you so much for this content! We are just starting to learn and trying to make sense of what we're supposed to be doing, you're filling in some missing pieces and it's so helpful! Thank you thank you!

[@thydayisboatman336]

Another great video complete simple Great job

[@ForTheManDIY]

Thanks for your videos they are appreciated. On this anchor stretch, I find that the follower may take excessive time to get into the stretch resulting in the stretch time missing the next beat of the music. I guess you simply hold the stretch longer for the next down beat? No instructors ever address this problem. I am ready for the next beat but the follower is not ready for what ever reason.

[@ingridromero425]

I love you guys so much I can’t wait to see you guys in SA,TX @ the 2step tour!! Did you guys already announce where it’s going to be at?

[@countrydancex]

❤️❤️❤️ We’re excited to be there! We will be at the Thirsty Horse!

[@luckychucky3426]

When I was in my teens my sister and I would dance together we didn't know what we were doing we just did it I did it because I wanted to meet girls then I found out I like dancing and I thought I was pretty damn good at it my sister could pick up steps and I had the Rhythm we would actually win contest I wish this was around when I was a teenager I'm a pretty good dancer but I would have been a much better dancer I'm 82 years old but I still love to dance it's great exercise and it's a lot of fun what a great video you guys are doing a great job

[@countrydancex]

A life of dancing! We love that ❤️ We hope that’ll be us too

[@benwooten9668]

I love you guys bc you give me the bare bones structure that I need to be creative. - Ben from North Carolina

[@countrydancex]

Basics are where it's at!

[@chrismartin8820]

This is totally clear 👍even for me 😁

[@countrydancex]

Clear as mud? 🤣 We’re glad you enjoyed it!

[@chrismartin8820]

@@countrydancex no 🧐 crystal clear 🍸no joke 🤗

[@Jackson-fy9gb]

Is it 6 count and then stretch OR is the 6th count and stretch at the same time?

[@thydayisboatman336]

Makes sense the anchor is creating momentum

[@Brownseer]

Do you guys have a video that explains: 1. How counting works, and 2. How to use that to keep/stay on the beat with whatever song is playing? I still have no idea what the whole “1 and 2 and 3….etc” means. It usually just confuses me because my mind is stuck on thinking about numbers and a corresponding move instead of just dancing. Thank you.

[@countrydancex]

Have you tried our WCS basics videos? kzbin.info/www/bejne/nnbdqodmga9rfJY

[@Brownseer]

@@countrydancex I will check that out. Thank you.

[@christophercasson5200]

Ernest, the 1,2,3&4,5&6 of WCS comes from a Syncopation of the beat applied to stepping. What’s syncopation? It’s where you take a beat and split it into halves. It sounds or reads like 1&,2&,3&,4&. The result is instead of just 4 whole beats, you now have 8 half beats. Different Styles of music will have different syncopations. IMO the simplest musical Style to demonstrate this would be Cha Cha, which can be very similar to 4/4 time Swing music. In Cha Cha the 4/4 musical time 1,2,3,4, takes the 4th beat and splits it into 2 halves. So the Rhythm looks like 1,2,3,4&,1,2,3,4& ….in stepping you have 5 steps instead of 4 steps. Swing music commonly has a 4/4 time rhythm with a syncopation that looks like 1&,2,3&,4, not to be confused with the step count of 1&2,3&4,5,6. Clear as mud? I completely understand. Dances come from musical style and the feeling of movement the music generates. There are primarily two categories, Smooth and Rhythm. Within those two categories there are 6 Movements and 4 Elements that make up the construct of an unlimited number of leadable patterns. Besides Frame, how you connect or hold your partner, and Line of Dance, how the dance moves around the floor, there is really only 1 movement that Rhythm dances have that Smooth don’t. That Movement is Hip Roll. Smooth dances like Waltz, Foxtrot, Quickstep, CW 2 Step, Nightclub 2 Step, have no Hip Roll. Swing, Salsa, Bachata, Rumba, Cha Cha and all of those other dances whose name end in vowels, do. Swing and Cha Cha use a lot of syncopated movements reflecting the beat of the music. The big difference between Cha Cha and Swing is Cha Cha is a consistent 1,2,3,4&,1,2,3,4& where Swing can be all over the place. Antony and Rose do a great job in showing this. Their approach is very movement based as opposed to hard pattern and steps. I know it can be very confusing, but keep reviewing their videos and the concepts will start to fall into place. Good luck.

[@Brownseer]

@@christophercasson5200 oh damn that is as clear as mud hahahaha. But that explains so much that has always confused me and no one could ever answer. I appreciate that explanation.

[@knox_3234]

Do y'all actually teach the lessons for country dance X in person?

[@countrydancex]

Of course. We are on tour this summer ... xdance.com/cdx-bootcamps

[@dougitman5579]

Thanks for this meat and potatoes video!

[@countrydancex]

You’re welcome and thank you for reminding us to plan dinner

[@4114dancer]

Short version...the follow stays put the last two beats of every pattern...unless led otherwise.

[@llRoyalty]

😂 😂 😂

[@countrydancex]

😎