WEST COAST SWING CLINIC
Round Dance Festival '91taught by Susie & Gert-Jan Rotscheid

WCS was developed in California (on the West Coast of America), where it is the official State Dance. It is a lazy dance where the styling includes dancing "in the floor" & dragging out each beat where possible. The man usually dances & turns more or less in place, leading the woman across his spot and back in a line. It is a very new rhythm to round dancing, and there is presently only one approved Roundalab standard (Sugar Push Hook Turns, ph. VI).

There are 3 main rhythms & types of steps (and of course there are & will be exceptions)

1.	"sugar rhythm figures" - 1, 2, 3, 4; 1-2-3
2.	"passing rhythm figures" - 1, 2, 1-2-3; 1-2-3
3.	"whip rhythm figures" - 1, 2, 1-2-3; 1, 2, 1-2-3;

Most figures will end in what is called a "coaster step" - starting with trail foot -
M - XIB/sd, sd (sailor shuffle)
W - bk/close, fwd (back hitch) 
An "anchor step" may be used in place of the "coaster step" (triple in place, with last step slightly back for man). The woman may do a "French cross" for the 1st triple of a passing step (fwd turn/cross turn, back). We mostly use the "coaster step" and on a passing step I use the run/run, run turn.

Starting with 2 exceptions:

IV	1.	 "turning basic" - there is no other "basic" figure - in 2 triples you make a ½RF turn (no "rk, rec")

IV	2.	"throwout" - only figure, so far, where both "rk bk, rec". Start in SCP –
		M - rk bk, rec, sd/cl, sd (turn ¼LF); - coaster step
		W - rk bk, rec, sd/cl, sd (turn ½LF); - coaster step (woman may do a Fr. cross on 1st triple)

Sugar Rhythm Figures:		1, 2, 3, 4; 1-2-3 - 3rd step is a tch (no weight- taking) step

IV	1.	"sugar push" -	M - bk, bk, tch, fwd; - coaster step
W - fwd,  fwd, tch, bk; - coaster step

V	2.	"tuck & spin" -	M - bk, bk, tch, fwd; coaster step
W – fwd, fwd, tch, bk (spin RF 1 full turn); - coaster step

Passing Rhythm Figures:		1, 2, 1-2-3; 1-2-3

IV	1.	"left side pass" -	M - bk, cl (turn LF), fwd/cl, fwd; - coaster step
W - fwd; fwd, (to man's left side) fwd/fwd, turn; - coaster step

IV	2.	"underarm turn" - (rev underarm turn)
M - bk (turn RF), fwd, fwd/cl, fwd; - coaster step
W – fwd, fwd, (to man's right side) fwd/fwd, turn (LF); - coaster step

Whip Rhythm Figures:		1, 2, 1-2-3; 1, 2, 1-2-3;

V	1.	"whip turn" - RF turn for both - total 1 full turn
M - bk (turn), fwd (turn), sd/cl, sd; behind (turn), sd (turn) - coaster step;
W - fwd, fwd (turn & to CP), bk hitch (turning); fwd (turn), bk (turn) - coaster step;

Un	2.	"wrapped whip" - one full RF turn for man - woman does not turn
M - bk (turn & take double hh), fwd (turn RF & bring lead hands over W's head to wrap),
sd; behind (turn ½), sd – coaster step;
W - fwd, fwd, fwd/cl, bk; bk, bk - coaster step;

VI	3.	"whip inside turn"
M - (makes 1 full RF turn) - bk (turn), fwd (turn), sd/cl, sd (turning); XIB, sd (turn), - 
coaster step;
W - (½RF turn, ½LF turn) - fwd (turn RF), fwd (turn RF to loose CP), bk/cl, fwd, fwd 
(turn LF under lead hands), fwd (turn), - coaster step;

another type of figure (or exception):

"triple travel with roll" - starts in a R/hnd star - trail foot free
 -sd chasse, roll 2 (RF 1½times – L/hnd star), sd chasse/turn (R/hnd star), sd chasse/turn (L/hnd star), sd 
chasse/turn (R/hnd star), roll 2 (LF 1¼) -coaster step (start with a side chasse & a roll - do 3 side chasses, 
each with a ½ turn - then do another roll - end with a coaster step)

WEST COAST SWING FIGURES IN ROUNDALAB

(+    exper. unapproved; * - tentative; ** - terms which still need to be defined; $ - in "Beach Music")

Phase IV						Phase V
+	anchor						*	triple travel with roll
$ *	coaster						$ *	tuck & spin
+	French cross					**	tummy whip
$ *	left side pass					*	whip turn
+	man's underarm turn
+	right side pass					Phase VI
$ *	sugar push
$ *	throw out					sugar push hook turns
$ *	turning basic					(perm. approved standard)
$ *	underarm turn					**     travelling side pass