Continuous Whip

A whip whose middle is extended by repeating the coil: instead of releasing the follower down the slot on 5–6, the leader keeps the follower rotating around the post for an extra 2 (or more) counts before the exit.

Counted as a 10- or 12-count figure depending on how many extensions are danced. Continuous whips are a workhorse of musicality dancing — the extra counts let you sit inside a musical phrase and exit exactly on the hit. They demand genuinely good posts from the leader and patient, centered rotation from the follower.

Common notes

• The whole trick lives on count 4: Brian B teaches it as the leader holding the follower's weight and pivoting them on that foot while sneaking his own foot across into a spot where he can catch the weight — put the foot in the wrong place and the catch (and the timing) falls apart.¹
• The matching follower skill is a clean pivot on the ball of one foot with the weight staying forward over it — if the follower isn't comfortable pivoting, the extension can't be led smoothly.²
• On length: around 12 counts is a good maximum — "if you extend it longer than that you probably forgot how to come out of it."³