Everyone who enjoys dancing West Coast Swing needs to have these two popular patterns in their repertoire. Both patterns are easy to learn but allow the partners plenty of room for styling and personalization. Remember that West Coast Swing is a "slotted" dance. Think of this "dance slot" as an imaginary rectangle or "plank" on the dance floor. The Lady moves back and forth in the "slot" with respect to the Gentleman who is more or less stationary. The Man generally stays in the slot as well, leaving it only when he needs to give way for his partner to pass him.
For both the West Coast Underarm Turn and the Side Pass, the Lady's footwork remains the same. The Gentleman in his footwork will either step out of the "slot" to his left, for the Underarm Turn, or step out of the "slot" to his right, for the Side Pass. Video 1 shows the basic footwork for the Lady first, then shows the footwork for the Gentleman and how it differs in each of the two patterns. Video 2 shows both of these West Coast patterns done to music.
