whats the basic for west coast including counts?

Fred: Basic for WC is USUALLY 6 counts and is 1 2 3&4 5&6. Man starts going backward on count 1 with Left foot then backward again on count 2 with Right foot then performs what is called an anchor step or triple step with L R L (3&4) and again with R L R (5&6). The anchor steps are done pretty much in place except that on the first one, 3&4, you want to push slightly back towards where you started (fwd) so as to avoid traveling backwards the whole dance.

West Coast Swing is a fun and spontaneous dance. All you need is a few basic patterns and use your creativity to make up or play with this dance. Most try to do all these cookie cutter pattens which look silly and programed. The best WCS dancer improvise and borrow patterns and moves from other dances. One of the biggest problems is the lack of good male WCS dancers that can improvise and encourage or let their lady partner play with the dance.

I danced with a lady that does hip hop dancing and had never done WCS--she had never done a basic. She could follow some of the things that I was leading.
After the dance I told her she was going to be the best WCS dancer in our area--just learn some basics and do what you do and dance with some guys that will let you play with all your built in or natural moves. Six months later I feel that she is far better than a seasoned competitive teacher that looks programmed with her choreography. WCS is a natural dance for jazz, hip hop, maybe ballet, or latin dancers. I hope to dance often with this lady and maybe even do some type of event with her.

I have about 7 or 8 ladies that I love dancing WCS with that have the ability to improvise and play with this dance.

WCS and Hustle are two social dances in our area that are becoming popular and being mixed in with ballroom dancing.
Both dances are cheap to learn by just taking classes and have an appeal for younger dancers. Both are good introduction dances for beginners and plant a seed for more serious ballroom, latin or whatever.

when I first started to learn the different ballroom dance, I knew I was going to enjoy dancing latin until I learn the West Coast Swing and the Hustle. The more intricate the step or combination, the more exciting. Of all, the West Coast Swing and the Hustle are my favorite.