IBM: Triple Steps

We are diving back into the Individual Body Mechanic of TIMING. It’s time (#Puns) to level up by adding a new element, the Triple Step.

This one is worth some extra attention. Be sure to take a song or five and practice dancing these on time! Triples will become one of the most important rhythms and communication methods for your future dance partners to speak this Body Language with you, so you want to make sure you can rock them no matter what music is playing.
A great resource for music to practice to is on Spotify. There are a ton of West Coast Swing playlists you can find and dance too. Some will even specify speed or musical style to help you focus your practice on exactly what you need.

My favorites are by ItsAllSwing who have WCS playlists arranged by tempo.

https://open.spotify.com/user/itsalls...

No excuses now! You gotta get up and put in the practice!

While you do that work, here are some important features for Triple Steps that you should stay focused on.

- A Triple Step means you, the dancer, takes three steps (weight shifts) over the course of two beats of Music
- A Triple Step is the rhythm of “change” for this form of swing dancing
- A Triple Step DOES NOT step in thirds! It primarily steps as a “quarterquarter-half” this means the first two steps are faster than the final step in a triple
- A Triple Step is the “verb” of the Westie Body Language, it is a mechanism of change we use to communicate new Action’s or Momentum’s within the partnership
- A Triple Step is easily felt/practiced by stepping to the (StompStomp-Clap) beat from the Queen anthem We Will Rock You
- A Triple Step happens on and between the whole numbers of the music in sets of 2 (1+2, 3+4, 5+6, 7+8) so this is how you will hear your teachers commonly count triple steps

Crazy stuff right!?! But so much fun and definitely worth the work to get comfortable with. As always it can get even more complicated, but this is a great place to start! I’m super excited for you to be learning this new Timing for West Coast Swing. For even more clarity I strongly suggest getting connected with a local community who can guide you with in person instruction and provide the joyous outlet of social dancing.

In the meantime my friends, practice hard, have fun, and stay on time!