left hand, opening up the space between the couple. As he does that, he puts his left foot behind his right on count 5, stepping only on the ball of the foot and “rocking” back on it. His partner does the same move with her right foot. At this point, both of them will have their hips more in line with each other than facing each other. On count 6 both leader and follower simply step on the other foot in place and come in close together again. Between the two steps, you should feel as if you’ve rocked back and forth.
The Eight-Count Basic
“Until you have learned an eight-count step, you really aren’t dancing swing,” says Dance Manhattan’s Teddy Kern. “Because the music we’re dancing to is written in four-four time, it’s the eight-count in which you use up a whole phrase of music. It’s fundamentally important. When you dance an eight-count, you go, ‘Oh, wow, that’s where the music is.’” To do the eight-count, on counts 1 and 2 take a rock step. On 3 and 4, a triple step. You single-step on 5 and again on 6 in what’s called a walking step. And then on the last two counts, do a second triple step. (You can also choose to do the eight-count with the rock step coming at the end of the phrase). The eight-count can be done in numerous variations, with one of the most common involving doing a circle, beginning and ending in closed position. (Much of the Lindy, in fact, is done in circles. The dance is done, as dancers say, to all four walls.) Other eight-count variations include moving from open to closed position or beginning and ending in open position. The swing-outs come in the middle of these phrases on count 5. That’s when the leader releases or sends out his partner, allowing one or both of them to do an improvisational step.
Advice for Leaders
Sure, you’re the one in charge, but leading isn’t about going off on some kind of power trip. In fact, it’s your job to make the dance the most wonderful experience possible for your partner. And that puts a lot of responsibility on your shoulders.
1. Reach Out and Touch Your Partner. You’d be surprised how many guys in their first class are as shy as ten-year-olds about putting their hands on a woman. “I say, ‘Okay, now you’re going to have to put your arms around the ladies,’” says Manning. “And they’re reluctant you know. I say, ‘Fellas, touch the girl. She won’t mind.’” Some men, at first, don’t realize how clean, fun, and above all, safe touching in a social dance situation can be. “It’s not like it’s a come-on between you and your partner, though sometimes that happens,” says Dance Manhattan cofounder Elena Iannucci. “It’s dance intimacy.” Adds Lee Moore of the Flyin’ Lindy Hoppers, who often dances with his sister-in-law Tammy Finocchiaro, “It’s a contact sport. There’s not a part of her I don’t know.”
2. Think Ahead. Because you decide what you and your partner are doing, you always have to be planning the next move. How do you choose which comes next? Let the music inspire you. Listen to the beat, the phrasing, and especially the feeling of the song. Also, you need to dance at the level of your partner. Don’t throw a slew of variations at a girl you’ve just met. Start simply and then begin to challenge her and see how far you can go together.
3. Communicate Clearly with a Strong Lead. Once you make that split-second decision on what move you’re going to do, you then have to inform your partner. The way you tell her, however, is with actions, not words. Most steps have specific signals associated with them, known as leads. These precise signals are generally simple pushes, pulls, and touches. For instance, in one simple move starting in closed, you simply put your hand at your partner’s waist and gently push her out into open position, just before the beat on which you want her to move. (For an idea of how all this works, you might want to watch a leader on the dance floor, but
The Eight-Count Basic
“Until you have learned an eight-count step, you really aren’t dancing swing,” says Dance Manhattan’s Teddy Kern. “Because the music we’re dancing to is written in four-four time, it’s the eight-count in which you use up a whole phrase of music. It’s fundamentally important. When you dance an eight-count, you go, ‘Oh, wow, that’s where the music is.’” To do the eight-count, on counts 1 and 2 take a rock step. On 3 and 4, a triple step. You single-step on 5 and again on 6 in what’s called a walking step. And then on the last two counts, do a second triple step. (You can also choose to do the eight-count with the rock step coming at the end of the phrase). The eight-count can be done in numerous variations, with one of the most common involving doing a circle, beginning and ending in closed position. (Much of the Lindy, in fact, is done in circles. The dance is done, as dancers say, to all four walls.) Other eight-count variations include moving from open to closed position or beginning and ending in open position. The swing-outs come in the middle of these phrases on count 5. That’s when the leader releases or sends out his partner, allowing one or both of them to do an improvisational step.
Advice for Leaders
Sure, you’re the one in charge, but leading isn’t about going off on some kind of power trip. In fact, it’s your job to make the dance the most wonderful experience possible for your partner. And that puts a lot of responsibility on your shoulders.
1. Reach Out and Touch Your Partner. You’d be surprised how many guys in their first class are as shy as ten-year-olds about putting their hands on a woman. “I say, ‘Okay, now you’re going to have to put your arms around the ladies,’” says Manning. “And they’re reluctant you know. I say, ‘Fellas, touch the girl. She won’t mind.’” Some men, at first, don’t realize how clean, fun, and above all, safe touching in a social dance situation can be. “It’s not like it’s a come-on between you and your partner, though sometimes that happens,” says Dance Manhattan cofounder Elena Iannucci. “It’s dance intimacy.” Adds Lee Moore of the Flyin’ Lindy Hoppers, who often dances with his sister-in-law Tammy Finocchiaro, “It’s a contact sport. There’s not a part of her I don’t know.”
2. Think Ahead. Because you decide what you and your partner are doing, you always have to be planning the next move. How do you choose which comes next? Let the music inspire you. Listen to the beat, the phrasing, and especially the feeling of the song. Also, you need to dance at the level of your partner. Don’t throw a slew of variations at a girl you’ve just met. Start simply and then begin to challenge her and see how far you can go together.
3. Communicate Clearly with a Strong Lead. Once you make that split-second decision on what move you’re going to do, you then have to inform your partner. The way you tell her, however, is with actions, not words. Most steps have specific signals associated with them, known as leads. These precise signals are generally simple pushes, pulls, and touches. For instance, in one simple move starting in closed, you simply put your hand at your partner’s waist and gently push her out into open position, just before the beat on which you want her to move. (For an idea of how all this works, you might want to watch a leader on the dance floor, but
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