West Coast Swing Count: 6-Count and 8-Count Patterns Explained

Short answer

West Coast swing is danced in six-count and eight-count patterns. The six-count is counted 1 2 3&4 5&6, and the eight-count whip is counted 1 2 3&4 5 6 7&8. Both finish with an anchor step, on 5&6 in the six and on 7&8 in the eight.

According to Wikipedia, the traditional figures are six-count and eight-count versions of four basics: the starter step, the side pass, the sugar push (also called the push break) and the whip. So if you can count those two lines, you can count most of what you will meet in class.

How the 6-count works

The shape is simple. Beats 1 and 2 are walking steps, 3&4 is a triple step, and 5&6 is the anchor step, which is a triple step too.

Count the "&" as a half beat: it falls between the 3 and the 4, and between the 5 and the 6. Say "one, two, three-and-four, five-and-six" and you have the rhythm.

The step count surprises people. Wikipedia describes the six-count pattern as eight steps in six beats of music: two walks, then two triple steps with three steps each. Eight steps, six counts: the extra steps live in the "&"s.

The sugar push, the side pass and the starter step are all six-count figures. They travel differently along the slot, but the count underneath is the same.

The anchor step on 5&6

The anchor is the ending of the pattern. According to Wikipedia's Anchor Step page, its standard rhythm is "1-and-2", which becomes "5-and-6" in a six-beat move. It is the ending step of nearly all main West Coast swing moves.

The footwork goes back, replace, back, danced almost in place. The leader steps right, left, right, and the follower steps left, right, left.

A common slip is to count the anchor as 5, 6 with a pause. It's a full triple step: three steps in the last two beats.

The 8-count: the whip

The whip is the eight-count basic. Wikipedia gives its footwork as step, step, triple-step, step, step, triple-step, and notes that it extends the six-count pattern with a pair of walking steps. Written as a count, that is 1 2 3&4 5 6 7&8.

Set it beside the six-count and the idea is clear. The first four counts are the same. The whip then adds walks on 5 and 6 and moves the anchor to 7&8. The anchor does not change; it just lands later.

If eights are new to you, what an 8-count is in dance covers the basics. In both the six and the eight, you are counting beats, and the "&" is only the half beat between two of them.

Count Studio has both patterns in its count library: West Coast swing 6-count and West Coast swing 8-count.

Where you'll hear it

West Coast swing is a slotted dance, and the same counts carry across a wide range of music. According to Wikipedia, it is danced to blues, rock and roll, country, pop, hip-hop, smooth jazz, R&B and funk.

On tempo, the United Country Western Dance Council rules for 2014 to 2016 gave a range of 102 to 114 bpm with 108 preferred, according to Wikipedia. Count Studio's West Coast swing counts cover 80 to 130 bpm, so you can slow a pattern right down to learn it.

The swing feel sits in how you take the triple steps, not in a different count. The numbers stay the same at any tempo. For more on this family, see our swing counts.

Common mistakes

• Rushing the "&". The "&" is a half beat. If you hurry it, the triple step turns into three equal steps.
• Counting the anchor as 5, 6. It is 5&6, three steps. The same goes for 7&8 in the whip.
• Hearing the whip as two fours. It is 1 2 3&4, then 5 6 7&8. The anchor marks the end, and that is where you reset.
• Losing the 1 after a six. Music in 4/4 is phrased in fours and eights, and a six-count pattern is shorter than a bar pair. Two sixes do not line up with one eight, so keep listening for the 1 of the next phrase rather than trusting the pattern alone. How to find the 1 in music shows how.

Practise it

Start with the six. Clap the beat and say "1 2 3-and-4 5-and-6" out loud, then step it in place: walk, walk, triple, anchor. Repeat it ten times with no music.

Then add the whip. Say "1 2 3-and-4, 5 6, 7-and-8" and notice that only the middle changes. Switch between six and eight every other time so you hear the difference.

Then put a song on and dance a six, then an eight, then two sixes. Notice where the anchor lands against the music each time. When the pattern stops matching the phrase, that is the moment to listen for the next 1 instead of forcing the count.

Keep the first passes slow. At a slower tempo the "&" is easy to hear, and you can feel the back, replace, back of the anchor before you speed up. Once the anchor feels automatic, the rest of the count follows from it.

Count Studio is a counter for dancers, and it ships both counts above in its library. It is coming November 27 to iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch.

Bottom line

Six-count patterns are 1 2 3&4 5&6, and the whip is 1 2 3&4 5 6 7&8. In both, the anchor step closes the pattern, so find it and you know where you are.