Anchor Step
2 (the &-a triple that ends a pattern)
Foundation
A triple step in place at the end of almost every pattern, with your weight settled back and the connection stretched between you.
Why it matters. This is the most important thing in West Coast Swing. The anchor is what creates the stretch that launches the next pattern, and it's what makes the dance look elastic instead of bouncy.
Common mistake. Stay back. New dancers rush forward off the anchor and kill the connection before the next move starts.
Sugar Push
6
Beginner
The follower travels toward the leader, meets a gentle compression, and gets sent back out to anchor.
Why it matters. The first pattern most people learn. It teaches compression, the pressure between your hands, which is half of the WCS connection.
Common mistake. Meet the compression, don't shove it. It feels like leaning on a spring.
Left Side Pass
6
Beginner
The leader moves out of the slot and the follower travels down it, passing the leader's left side.
Why it matters. Your introduction to the slot, the narrow lane the whole dance lives in. Everything travels along that line.
Common mistake. Followers, walk down the slot rather than curving around your partner. The slot is a straight line.
Right Side Pass
6
Beginner
The mirror of the left side pass. The follower travels down the leader's right side.
Why it matters. Now you can send a follower down either side of the slot, which is most of basic leading.
Common mistake. Leaders, clear the slot early so your partner has somewhere to go.
Underarm Turn
6
Beginner
A right side pass with a turn added under the raised arms as the follower travels down the slot.
Why it matters. The first taste of turning while still travelling, which is the base of a huge amount of later vocabulary.
Common mistake. Turn as you travel, not instead of travelling. Keep moving down the slot.
Tuck Turn
6
Beginner
A sugar push where the leader redirects the compression into a turn before sending the follower back out.
Why it matters. Compression becomes rotation. That idea sits under a lot of intermediate material.
Common mistake. The tuck is preparation. Without compression first, the turn has nothing to spin off.
Whip
8
Early intermediate
An eight-count pattern where the follower comes in, rotates around the leader, and is sent back down the slot.
Why it matters. The first pattern longer than six counts, and the gateway to intermediate WCS. Whips have hundreds of variations.
Common mistake. Don't rush it. The extra two counts give the rotation room. Cramming it into six is the usual beginner mistake.
Starter Step
2 or 4
Foundation
A small step or rock done before the first real pattern, to find the music together and set the connection.
Why it matters. It puts you and your partner on the same beat before anything complicated happens.
Common mistake. Use it. Start a song cold and the pattern falls apart inside eight counts.
