Kick Ball Change

A syncopation unit — kick, then a quick ball-change weight transfer — borrowed from vernacular jazz and used constantly in WCS as anchor-step play, filler during extensions, and leader footwork during whips.

Not a pattern on its own, but documented here because it's among the first footwork variations taught, and because "throw a kick ball change on your anchor" is the classic first step into improvised footwork.

Common notes

• Syncopations like this are neither led nor followed — either partner (or both) can dance one on their own while the other keeps regular rhythm.¹
• Technique from DrDanceRight: the full unit is "kick, ball, foot flat," and the kick stays compact — kicked down and up with a little snap in the knee, not out.²
• Keep the top still while the feet play — "the mark of a better dancer is to always keep the top very still." In practice the follower often joins in on the second repetition, once she's seen the leader do it.³

Footnotes

1. DrDanceRight, "West Coast Swing 403: Syncopation 1" at 0:06. ↩

2. DrDanceRight, "West Coast Swing 403: Syncopation 1" at 0:27–1:07. ↩

3. DrDanceRight, "West Coast Swing 403: Syncopation 1" at 3:06–3:39. ↩