West Coast Swing – Tangential Momentum

How we apply our lead can have great influence on our partner’s balance.  The proper application of Tangential Momentum in your lead will increase your partner communication and help her maintain balance.

I recently traveled to Dallas on business and while there, I was able to schedule a lesson with Beata (like the car Miata with a B) Howe.    She is a three time US Open Swing Champion and an excellent teacher. Click Here for more information on her website.

Anytime I travel, I look for a West Coast Swing instructor that is considered the best in the area.   Each time I do this, I come away humbled by how much I don’t know about this dance.  This trip was no exception.

We reviewed many things, including fine tuning connection and hand hold as well as frame.   What is great about each lesson is the gold nugget I always come away with.  In this case there were several, but tangential momentum really stood above the rest.

Tangential Momentum is the application of force across the plane of motion.

A great example of this is spinning a basketball on your finger.   When the ball is spinning, force must be consistently applied to keep it going.  If you apply this force incorrectly, then you lose control of the ball, but if you apply force on the tangent or parallel to the spin, then the ball keeps going and you do not effect the balance.

In West Coast Swing, this means that we should always apply force parallel to the slot.

In the context of our lead and follow, we are talking about energy transfer,  creating leverage and compression, not hauling someone around on the dance floor so keep in mind that force is simply a word to represent the application of energy such as in a tuck turn.  We would apply force/compression to transfer the followers forward energy to backward and turning energy to create the tuck and turn.

Now, let’s get back to the subject.   A good example and where she got me was on left side passes with outside turns.   It is a common tendency to start the outside turn by applying force out and around your partner in an attempt to drive the turn all the way around.   What should happen though is quite different and has a surprising affect.    As you lead the pass, rather than applying force across the slot, pushing outside and throwing your partner off balance, apply the force in the parallel or tangent to the slot.  This means you are actually driving toward her right side in the direction she is coming from, opposite her direction of travel.   No, you won’t stop her since you are not in her line of travel, she will continue forward but the reverse force will cause her to spin to the outside.  This will all happen with no negative result on her balance.

So to apply force in turns, we should consistently pull inside turns and drive outside turns.   Again, pull and drive are not meant to describe lead, but to indicate direction of lead and how to lead it. If this is confusing, then talk to me or find someone to show you what this feels like.    One more time… Don’t push or pull your partner!!!!

One thing to note here.  When applying force it is not so much forcing back down the slot as it is just enough to stop that side of her body, effectively applying breaks to only one side.    Did you ever ride a Big Wheel as a kid?  Am I dating myself here?  Well, if you have, you know what happens when you stop one wheel.   It will spin and so will she.

Since my lesson with Beata, I have paid close attention to this and have found it to be an absolute rule one hundred percent of the time.

So,  give it a try.  Did it work for you?

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Tagged as: Beata Howe, Dallas, Tangetial Momentum, West Coast Swing