Hi, Tessa here. Since 2002, I've been writing advice articles for West Coast Swing from my perspective as a WCS Champion and 30 years as a professional teacher and coach. My mission is to help teachers #teachWCSsmarter and dancers #trainWCSsmarter, which we do thoroughly in our Swing Literacy training programs.
But these articles are my way of contributing some free, bite-sized education to the community to help inspire and motivate with practical, actionable advice for your teaching
.
Be sure to scroll down to load more (pause to allow more to load)
I highly encourage everyone to leverage these free resources by sharing them in your community groups and with friends you know who could use them. Enjoy!
It’s great to see students all over the world taking the initiative to practice on their own. Practice of personal movement skills is part of a balanced diet of partner dance learning and skill development, regardless of your ambition level. We are strong advocates of “homework”: once you learn your skills in your lesson, you need
Coming out of Sweet Side of Swing, I’m always full of warm fuzzies. I’m reinspired, revitalized, and refreshed. It’s a great way to kick off a new season: bonding with other like-minded, pedagogically invested Pros and creating cathartic epiphanies that in turn serve to bond the community. This event more than any other, puts me in
The complete 2015 Westie Wisdom collection! I’ve always been a collector of motivational quotes. Westie Wisdom Wednesdays was originally intended to populate the newly introduced WCS Rising Star Support Network on Facebook, which was created to propagate, support, and motivate the Rising Star movement. But why should Rising Stars have all the fun? Some of the images are native
The best articles you may have missed – you’re gonna wanna share these! It was one year ago that the agonizing wait was over – we finally got the keys to our shiny new website, a much larger than anticipated project due to the sheer volume of content. (If you haven’t yet, browse through the immense WCS
Ever had a mentor? I’m not talking just about somebody you admire and look up to. Let’s be specific: ever had someone who took you under their wing for free and made your goals their goals? Who stuck with you and guided you through rough waters? The rich development experience of a mentorship is one
Ever wondered what a physiotherapist’s take on West Coast Swing would be? It’s not easy to find one that really understands the nature of social dancing and the specific actions involved in WCS. But we’ve got one! Meet Ruth Norgaard…we asked Ruth some questions about common WCS errors that lead to injury and how to avoid them. Here are her responses!
Are your music choices sabotaging your efforts to promote and develop West Coast Swing?The wide range of music we can dance West Coast Swing to attracts a variety of demographics across generations, cultures, and tastes. But for anyone who plays WCS music, in trying to promote and cater to certain audiences, it is important to
You may or may not be a dance teacher, but you might be someone who people look up to in your local dance community. Someone who rallies the troops, who encourages the newbies, who stays late to help out, who’s full of ideas and desire to build and grow their community so they have more
As creators of the Swing Literacy Development Method, we train teachers on a regular basis, and get asked all the time, “What do I need to do to start teaching?”. This question is quickly qualified with assuring statements like “I know I’m not advanced level yet, but there’s no one else in my town who