Some people will talk about tempo. They may insist that West Coast Swing tempos must be at least 115 beats per minute (bpm), or that they be in some specific range. While that may have been true at some time or in some places, we’ve been dancing lately to a wide range of tempos – all the way from Night Club 2 Step to Lindy...

Judging from the songs that our more-responsive DJs are playing, we seem to prefer that most songs be in the 95 to 120 bpm range. It is, of course, still good pracrice to occasionally dance West Coast Swing to music that is as slow as 60-80 bpm and as fast as 140 bpm or so. The fast ones make you focus on control and economy of motion; the slow ones allow (and force) you to concentrate on styling, posture, etc.

Another area that is bound to come up in these discussions is musical genre. For some people, if it ain't blues, it ain’t West Coast Swing. But as a whole, we enjoy dancing to songs that are considered pop, hip hop, R&B, rock, country, jazz (or, in some opinions, instrumental pop), and a variety of other classifications.

In fact, the variety of the music we like, the number of different categories, the growing number and changing nature of the category definitions, and the fact that many songs and artists fit quite nicely into several different genres all tend to make the genre discussions continue without resolution until the last participant is exhausted - or dead. If you think or talk about musical genres long enough, you’re bound to adopt the position that many people take with respect to painting and sculpture: “I don’t know much about art, but I know what I like.” The alternative is adapting to rubber walls and floors...

So much for tempo and type of music. What’s left? Several things.

Basic swing rhythm is usually considered a must for a good West Coast Swing song. This simply means markedly more emphasis on the upbeats (beats 2 and 4 of each measure) than on the downbeats (beats 1 and 3). If there isn’t enough difference, the song is a Hustle (or a Tango or a Quickstep or even a March) – not a West Coast Swing.

But we shouldn’t be too absolute in categorizing, either. Many of the currently popular West Coast Swing songs also make excellent hustles; some

The energy level of a song is also an interesting factor to consider. It comes from all the elements of song: the tempo, the lyrics, the vocals, the instrumentation, the arrangement, and the nuances of performance (as well as the editing, of course). Even the sound system is a contributor (have you ever noticed that a particular song sounds different in your car than it does at home or at a dance venue?).

There is no doubt about it. We like to dance to both high-energy, up-tempo songs and slower, smoother, mellow tunes. The former are the usual choice for single-song competitions and always included in multi-song comps.

The energy level of a song can affect the intuitively perceived tempo of a song.. A high energy level can make a song seem faster. Conversely, a low energy level – “mellowness” – can leave us out of breath after what seemed to be a slow song (New slogan: “The metronome never lies.”? Probably not.).

One important element that is often missed in discussions of West Coast Swing music is the energy level at the beginning of a song. If a song has too little attractive “pull” in the first 30 seconds (energy being a major factor here), fewer people will fly out onto the dance floor, and the DJs will be less likely to play it.

This leaves us with the absolutely most important component in a great West Coast Swing tune: complexity of rhythm.

West Coast Swing dancers like to include features that come from performance dance – like variations in the size and speed of motions (to maximize contrast and thereby rivet viewer attention) and visually matching highlights in the music. As we progress along the path of learning West Coast Swing, we focus more on musical interpretation than we do on correctness. We enjoy watching our Champions because of their unique ways of matching movement to music, rather than for their correct execution of a series of defined figures (patterns).

The foundation upon which this musical interpretation rides is rhythmic complexity. It allows us – and even begs us – to be creative in our dancing.

A later installment will continue on this topic. Have a comment? Let me know.