Training Slide Connection in West Coast Swing | J'EM Training Advice

Amanda and I are training the Slide connection technique as taught by J'EM (Jakub and Emeline).
We were fortunate to attend their workshops this year at Swingsation where they shared some game-changing advice on partner communication. Their dance lessons were fantastic and this was our biggest take-away.
The way we dance West Coast Swing today (especially to lyrical music) it very different to how we danced last year. I can only see improvement going forward too, especially with how new we are to this style of dancing.
I'm dancing with Amanda @xcessivedancer on Instagram.
Follow me on Instagram / stevefitzlive
Follow Amanda on Instagram / xcessivedancer
Visit my website stevefitz.com/

[@WestlyEdell]

Great Video. Nice narration of the topic. Thanks

[@everestusgibbs3502]

Clear and helpful explanation. Thanks

[@SteveFitz]

You're welcome :)

[@Trenchant468]

J’em, yes? I’m not sure I understand here what constitutes a slide. I expect a slide to involve gliding your feet on the floor. Are they (J’em) redefining or adding another definition of a slide?

[@SteveFitz]

J'Em use the analogy of water moving through a Pipe, down a Slide or having the ultimate freedom of he Ocean and they use that analogy with the way you connect physically with each other (primarily hand holds, but could also be hip, back etc...). A Pipe directs water where it wants it to go and the water must follow the pipe. A slide has an open top where the water can move around within the slide, up and down the sides etc... and may change direction how it feels while still travelling down the slide. Ocean is where the water can do whatever it likes and move however it likes and has total freedom.
In Australia, we use the terminology;
'Active connection' - which would be Pipe - where the connection is stronger and the leader keeps an active connection all the way through a pattern which gives little opportunity for a follower to change something.
'Passive connection' - which would be Ocean - where the connection is extremely light so a follower may do anything they like.
For a lot of dancers, they use Active on the anchor, then once the movement is initiated they switch to Passive (on the 3&4) then back to Active on the anchor again.
Slides, is similar, but the follower would then communicate a change on the 3&4 where they may signal a change in the connection where they are changing something... then once they complete the change, they signal a change again to passive and the leader may become active and initiate/redirect then switch to passive and the follower might then go active and change something (rinse and repeat). Essentially, that's how J'Em get creative in their partnership where each of them allows the other to move and they play off each other over and over.
I hope that makes sense :)