Swing Dancing - advanced swing out variations

This week we took a deep dive into advanced Swing Out technique with guest teacher Derek of ‪@swingriot‬ One of the key skills for an advanced dancer is being able to know the rules, then break them without breaking your dancing! This makes you a truely flexible dancer who can improvise on the spot, adapt to any move or rhythm, and really make the dance your own. We started by playing with when you lead the Swing out - does your follow come in on 1, 2 or 3? This is all about the lead preparing the stretch on the count before they want their follow to move forwards, and the follow really holding their ground and waiting for a clear signal from their leader to move. Some of the reasons we might want to change the count of our Swing Out are to allow room for variations like the inside turn on the top of the Swing Out, or for footwork variations. Ultimately it requires both partners paying attention to each other, to create a true two-way conversation. Then we looked at a footwork variation that involves shifting the order of the "step step" and the "triple step" to allow space for a fun slip slop styling. We usually teach the footwork as a standard pattern of "rock step, triple step, step step, triple step" but this is a guide not a rule. You can think of these elements as building blocks and you can switch these steps around to suit yourself, as long as you're still leading and following and maintaining clear connection with your partner. Switching a "step step" with a "triple step" or vice versa is also a great way to shift feet if you find yourself on the wrong foot for any reason. Have a play, and have fun! For more info about Derek, you can check out his YouTube channel ‪@swingriot‬