📖 Terminology Quiz

Starter Step

A 2-count in-place weight transfer used to begin a pattern or fill musical space.

Sugar Push

A 6-count closed-position pattern where the leader pushes the follower back along the slot.

Left Side Pass

A 6-count passing pattern where the follower travels past the leader's left side.

Right Side Pass

A 6-count passing pattern where the follower travels past the leader's right side.

Whip

An 8-count slotted pattern where the leader redirects the follower back the way they came with a whipping motion.

Tuck Turn

A 6-count turn pattern where the leader 'tucks' the follower into a spin.

Underarm Turn

A 6-count pattern with a right-side pass combined with a turn under the leader's arm.

Overhead

An aerial or dip variation where the follower is lifted or inverted overhead.

Coaster Step

A 3-step footwork pattern (back-together-forward) used in WCS triple timing.

Basket Whip

A whip variation where both partners face the same direction at the midpoint, creating a basket arm position.

Texas Tommy

A pattern where the follower's arm is extended behind their back before a turn, creating a dramatic stretch.

Boogie Walk

A footwork styling element using alternating heel-toe walks with hip emphasis.

The Slot

The imaginary straight line along which followers travel back and forth in West Coast Swing.

Compression

The elastic tension created when two partners push into each other through a shared point of connection.

Extension

The elastic tension created when two partners pull away from each other through a shared point of connection.

Anchor Step

The closing 2-count (5&6) footwork that establishes a weighted, elastic connection at the end of a pattern.

Elasticity

The quality of connection that mimics a rubber band — partners stretch and rebound without breaking contact.

Delayed Timing

A stylistic choice to hold weight slightly behind the beat, creating a laid-back, musical feel.

Triple Timing

Footwork that fits three steps into two beats (step-ball-change), the standard WCS timing.

Single Timing

Footwork with one step per beat, often used in slower tempos or as styling variation.

Walk-Walk

Two single-weight steps, typically on counts 1-2 in most 6-count patterns.

Hijack

When a follower takes initiative to redirect or reinterpret a leader's pattern.

Point of Contact

The specific place on each partner's body through which lead and follow signals travel.

Counter-balance

A shared lean where both partners offset their weight against each other to create dynamic tension.

Musicality

The dancer's ability to interpret and express the music's rhythm, melody, dynamics, and phrasing through movement.

Plié

A bending of the knees while keeping the back straight, fundamental to all jumps and landing technique.

Relevé

A rise onto the balls of the feet or tips of the toes.

Tendu

A brushing of the foot along the floor until only the tip of the toe remains touching.

Dégagé

A brushing movement like a tendu but the foot leaves the floor slightly, pointed in the air.

Arabesque

A position where one leg is extended behind the body, parallel to or above the floor, with a straight or arched back.

Attitude

A position similar to arabesque but with the extended leg bent at approximately 90 degrees.

Passé

A position where the pointed foot touches the inside of the standing knee.

Pirouette

A controlled spin on one leg, turning either toward (en dedans) or away from (en dehors) the standing leg.

Grand Battement

A large, powerful kick of the working leg to hip height or above while maintaining a stable supporting leg.

Port de Bras

The carriage of the arms; exercises focused on the movement and positioning of the arms.

En Croix

A movement pattern performed in the shape of a cross: front, side, back, side.

Fondu

A melting movement where both knees bend simultaneously, the standing leg as a plié and the working leg as a développé from a cou-de-pied.

Sauté

A jump from two feet landing on two feet, performed in first or second position.

Chassé

A sliding step where one foot chases the other, feet momentarily together in the air.

Jazz Square

A 4-count footwork pattern tracing a square on the floor: cross, back, side, forward.

Ball Change

A quick 2-step weight transfer starting on the ball of one foot, used to shift weight rapidly.

Kick Ball Change

A kick followed immediately by a ball change — common jazz and swing styling accent.

Isolation

The ability to move one part of the body (head, shoulders, hips, ribcage) independently from the rest.

Swingout

The signature 8-count Lindy Hop pattern where partners break from closed position, travel out, and reconnect.

Charleston

A high-energy 8-count foundational dance that preceded and influenced Lindy Hop, characterized by kicking footwork.

Lindy Circle

A rotation of the entire partnership around a shared center point, as opposed to linear slot movement.

Tandem Charleston

A Charleston variation where both partners face the same direction, one behind the other.

Side-by-Side Charleston

A Charleston variation where both partners stand side by side, often mirroring each other's footwork.

Tuck-In Turn

A Lindy Hop variation where the follower is guided into a turn close to the leader's body.

Send-Out

A redirecting move that sends the follower away from the leader into open position or traveling movement.

Suzie Q

A Jazz footwork step involving crossing one foot behind the other with a swivel of the hips.

Shorty George

A crouching, bent-knee walk step named after George 'Shorty George' Snowden, one of Lindy Hop's originators.

Breakaway

A moment in Lindy Hop where partners release their connection and improvise independently before reconnecting.

Downbeat

The first and strongest beat of a measure; the beat a conductor's baton moves downward on.

Upbeat

The last beat before a new measure; often the 'and' before beat 1, also called the pickup beat.

Syncopation

Rhythmic emphasis placed on weak beats or off-beats, creating a sense of surprise or groove against the steady pulse.

Phrasing

The grouping of beats into musical sentences, typically 8 counts, that rise and fall in energy or tension.

Tempo

The speed of the music, typically measured in beats per minute (BPM).

Groove

The rhythmic feel of a piece of music that makes you want to move; the interplay between rhythm section instruments.

Call and Response

A musical conversation where one phrase (the call) is answered by a second phrase (the response).

Break

A sudden stop or accent in the music where dancers can punctuate with a stylistic moment.

Tag

A short extra phrase added at the end of a musical section, typically 2 or 4 counts.

Bridge

A contrasting section in song form that breaks the pattern of verse and chorus, often modulating to a new key or feel.

Vamp

A repeated chord progression or rhythmic pattern played while waiting for a cue or soloist.

Riff

A short, repeated melodic or rhythmic figure, especially in jazz and blues.

Swing Feel

A rhythmic interpretation where eighth notes are played unevenly (long-short) rather than straight, creating a bouncy, propulsive feel.

Accent

An emphasis placed on a specific beat or note to create rhythmic interest or signal a musical event.

4/4 Time

The most common time signature: 4 beats per measure with a quarter note receiving one beat. Standard for most swing and pop music.

3/4 Time

Waltz time: 3 beats per measure, with a strong emphasis on beat 1. Creates a lilting, flowing feel.

6/8 Time

6 eighth-note beats per measure, typically felt in 2 larger groupings of 3. Creates a triplet-based rolling feel.

2/4 Time

2 beats per measure with a quarter note receiving one beat. Creates a march-like feel, often used in early jazz.

Cut Time (2/2)

Also written as a C with a vertical line; 2 half-note beats per measure. Feels faster and lighter than 4/4 even at the same BPM.

5/4 Time

An asymmetric time signature with 5 beats per measure, creating an uneven, propulsive feel. Rare in swing, common in modern jazz.

Center of Gravity

The point in the body (roughly the pelvis/core) around which weight and balance are organized during movement.

Floor Craft

A dancer's awareness of and navigation through a crowded social dance floor, avoiding collisions while maintaining the dance.

Frame

The shape and tension of a dancer's arms and torso that forms the structure through which lead-follow communication travels.

Spotting

A turning technique where the dancer fixes their gaze on a single point, whipping the head around last to reduce dizziness.