Customer Reviews

The Ultimate West Coast Swing Reference Video [VHS]

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you don't know a thing about the WCS, I think this is a good tape. That being said, each time I watch it I want to puke more. Their attempts at humor just plain stink the first time, and after that they are just sickening. I just now had to turn this tape off and write this, I am so pisxed off. They are not funny in the first place, just stupid. How often does the idiot who wrote this script and directed it think I want to hear this crap? NEVER! I JUST WANT TO LEARN THE DANCE. The teaching part is fine, but it only is about 60% of the tape, when it should be 100%. It is too late to fix it now, but PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, in the future do not include a single line that is meant to be funny. You don't know what funny is, and even if you did, it would no longer be funny on the second watching.

I own about 35 swing dance videos, representing the work of a considerable number of teachers. These instructors are excellent: They clearly explain what a beginner (or more advanced dancer) need to know -- how to hold your partner, connection, how to move, how to lead your partner through the dance figures so that she knows what you want her to do. To dance well, you have to know the basics well, otherwise you'll inelegantly march your way through something which should feel and look graceful. These instructors meticulously explain where to place your feet, how to place them, what to do with your arms, physical posture, how to hold your partner, how to move to a swing rhythm. Although they move along quickly and show a good number of dance figures, they never do so by neglecting explaining each movement in detail. Steps are frequently shown from different angles and sometimes with the instructor's back turned to the camera (if you've ever taken dance lessons, you know how useful this is, since this is your perspective with regard to your own feet and body). This tape provides exquisitely good, detailed instruction -- perfect for the beginner and an excellent source for improving style for the intermetiate swing dancer. I've been learning swing (rock and roll, triple-swing, Lindy Hop) for 1 1/2 years and find this tape a wonderful introduction to West Coast swing. In fact, I've bought every other tape produced by these instructors, no matter what they dance (they also teach Swing Hustle and the Two-step). Exceptional teachers.

The teacher do not demonstrate West Coast Swing dance with clear distinct movements and style. They merely walk through the steps without any rhythm and techniques. You would not enjoy dancing West Coast Swing from the way you are taught on the tape.

The title "ultimate" west coast swing dance video is very misleading. This is not only a "beginner" video...it should be advertised as a video for people who have never done a dance step in their lives. The teachers are nice looking and very pleasant, but goodness...I kept having to fast forward the tape to find a "lesson" somewhere. By the end of the tape all I had learned was a couple of very simple steps...certainly not enough for me to start dancing! Good tape if it were advertised correctly, but definitely not the "ultimate."

This video was one of the best quality videos I have ever seen. The instructors Robert & Laureen did such a nice job going over the real basics of West Coast Swing. Many tapes show you just a little and then move on to advanced. Robert & Laureen stayed basic and at the end did an intermediate teach. I could follow them right on my tv and felt like I was ready to try it on a dance floor. Plus they are very funny and you feel ok if you make a mistake. I was given the video as a gift but will look for more of their tapes.

I was looking for a tape to augment the West Coast Swing dance lessons I was taking at a well-known studio in San Francisco. Typically, a studio will insist that a dance student enroll in a block of 4 class sessions in a particular discipline. After two months of hit-and-miss group instruction with my instructors and spotty attendance on my part, I still had gaps in my understanding of the most fundamental West Coast steps. I'm happy to report that this video completely covers all elements of that first month of classes. Make no mistake; All elements for leaders and followers, of the beginning lesson plan of West Coast Swing offered at a major studio in San Francisco are covered in this tape.
And frankly, judging by the quality of the video presentation,I was surprised at the completeness of the instruction offered here. The production values of the tape are lackluster at best. However, the instruction is clear, consise, elemental yet thorough. These instructors are advertised as World Champions, (in fact, production credits roll over a shot of a glittering, championship belt buckle), and the important elements of beginning West Coast are covered meticulously. You are given the timing of steps, the necessary co-ordination between step counts and hand cues, 6-count turns, 8-count whips and importantly, every move that constitutes that first month of WC Swing instruction at my local studio is thoroughly covered here. This tape is what it says it is: a focused reference to the necessary building blocks of this dance.

I often use videos to supplement my lessons, but so many videos are really just showcases for the instructor pair. After showing one basic pattern, they proceed to wander off into a routine that beginners can't follow. This is the first video I've found that broke every move down, for both men and women, and then put it all together. As well as being instructive, Robert and Laureen make this video enjoyable and fun.

I'm taking East Coast Swing Dancing Lessons, but recently my friend introduced me to West Coast Swing. I was somewhat interested so I bought Scooter Lee's "The Ultimate West Coast Swing Reference Video". I found the video to be excellent in teaching any beginner the dance steps and in particular, the tips on how to lead...which is quite important. However, the video is quite slow in the beginning. They don't really get into the thick of things (teaching you the West Coast moves) until 1/3 into the video. So what are they doing in the first 15 minutes or so? Teaching you the basic footwork. By the end of the video, they tell you that you are now ready to go out there and dance. To be honest with you...I don't think so. Not with the limited number of moves that you know. I'd be completely embarrassed to keep on doing the same 4-5 moves over and over again.

In summary: If you wanna know what West Coast Swing is like, this video is pretty good. If you expect to go on the dance floor and do West Coast Swing...realistically??? No. Maybe if you are a follower...you can get away with it...but not as a leader.

Here in the East and probably in most of the US, the WCS is a dance done to blues, soul, motown Al Green, Wilson Pickett, etc. (music with a beat and soulful sound). This video is off base. The istructors in their western outfits teach WCS as a country type dance with no emphasis on soul, rythym or blues (the heart of this dance). When not laughing, giggling or cracking corny jokes, they are competent in teaching something about the basic steps. Albeit in a bland, marching "do dah" style that may suit a country bar but will get you laughed at in a social dance or nightclub. Princeton, NJ.

It's always a disappointment when the instructors do not dance to an entire song on a visual tutorial. Robert & Laureen are great dancers. It would have been fun to see them dance an entire dance together. The instructions are easy & straight forward. They are fun teachers.
The first DVD was lost in the mail. I use Amazon a lot. The custumer service I received to replace the lost DVD was fantastic.