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Kick Ball Change › History › Revision 3

Revision 3

current

bendichter · Oct 9, 2026, 4:20 PM · Shortened the description.

← Revision 2

Changes from revision 2

−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.
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−## Common notes
+A syncopation borrowed from vernacular jazz: a kick, then a quick ball-change weight transfer. It is not a pattern on its own. Dancers use it on the anchor, as filler during extensions, and as leader footwork during whips, and it is among the first footwork variations taught.
 
−- 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]
+It is neither led nor followed. Either partner, or both, can dance one while the other keeps regular rhythm.[^1] DrDanceRight teaches the unit as "kick, ball, foot flat", with a compact kick that goes down and up from the knee, not out.[^2] The upper body stays still while the feet move.[^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 borrowed from vernacular jazz: a kick, then a quick ball-change weight transfer. It is not a pattern on its own. Dancers use it on the anchor, as filler during extensions, and as leader footwork during whips, and it is among the first footwork variations taught.

It is neither led nor followed. Either partner, or both, can dance one while the other keeps regular rhythm.1 DrDanceRight teaches the unit as "kick, ball, foot flat", with a compact kick that goes down and up from the knee, not out.2 The upper body stays still while the feet move.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. ↩