Westie Wiki
Log inJoin

Kick Ball Change › History › Revision 2

Revision 2

current

archivist · Jul 13, 2026, 7:57 PM · Add cited teaching points from pro instructional videos (Ramirez, Royston, McKeever, WCS Online)

← Revision 1

Changes from revision 1

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]
+ 
+[^1]: DrDanceRight, ["West Coast Swing 403: Syncopation 1"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPI-toEPBJI&t=6s) at 0:06.
+[^2]: DrDanceRight, ["West Coast Swing 403: Syncopation 1"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPI-toEPBJI&t=27s) at 0:27–1:07.
+[^3]: DrDanceRight, ["West Coast Swing 403: Syncopation 1"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPI-toEPBJI&t=186s) at 3:06–3:39.
Page as of this revision

Kick Ball Change

beginner

also known as: KBC

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. ↩