If you haven’t heard about this psychological concept, you need to. Understanding it can have a profound effect on your dancing, but also other areas of your life you may be self-sabotaging. Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck’s research results and application are summarized in her book, Mindset: the New Psychology of Success. Her theory is […]
It’s great to see students all over the world taking the initiative to practice on their own. Practice of personal movement skills is part of a balanced diet of partner dance learning and skill development, regardless of your ambition level. We are strong advocates of “homework”: once you learn your skills in your lesson, […]
Yep, you have fallen in love with West Coast Swing, but she’s an expensive addiction, isn’t she? I laugh when people ask if I ski…I say, “No, I dance”. West Coast Swing, like skiing/snowboarding, is one of those recreation addictions that compels even the most cash-strapped of us to find and allocate any and all […]
I love that while our dance evolves as fast as technology, we use technology to evolve our dance. YouTube is a great source of inspiration, but for the most part, a horrible teacher: YouTube doesn’t know what you need to improve You have to force yourself filter out the entertainment aspect It doesn’t provide […]
I am simultaneously appalled and entertained by some of the things my students say in lessons. I don’t blame them for ignorance and I’m not disappointed in them in any way. But sometimes they report “facts” about the WCS scene that they have heard from their peers (and sometimes unfortunately from a teacher) that are […]
The best articles you may have missed – you’re gonna wanna share these! The Coach’s Corner blog allows us to discuss common topics our students asked, published in a format that dancers worldwide could learn from and respond to. We enjoy “talking shop”, but for the blog, I draw the line at skill development: physical […]
Hey. You look a little stressed… a little adrift. Maybe it’s time we sat down and had a chat. Pull up a comfy chair, order your favourite hot beverage, and get cozy. Let’s get you feeling anchored. This time of year can be emotionally draining, even pulverizing for some. While I don’t proclaim to be an […]
It’s US Open season! This means many competitors are hard at work preparing their choreography, and are turning their attention (if they haven’t already) to planning their costumes. There are dozens of factors to consider when choosing/creating a costume, it’s easy to miss some. But the reality is that little details make a BIG difference. […]
We all solicit, teach, encourage, and promote WCS to newbies all the time in an effort to grow our community. But the first rule of marketing is “know your customer”. How can we hope to attract and retain new Westies unless we step into their shoes and figure out what concerns they have, what orientation […]
West Coast Swing lives online, and if you don’t know how to operate your social media tools, you risk missing opportunities or being left out of the loop entirely. Even if you are savvy with Facebook, you may not realize how some of the features are restricting you if you don’t take control of them. […]
