continuous whip

• Do a regular whip, then on 3& you should be in a [starter] position with your left foot free to step across on 4.
• On 4 step across with your foot pointing at 9 o’clock, not 12 o’clock,
• so on 5 you can use your right foot to propel yourself on a 0.5 clockwise turn so your body, face, and feet face 3 o’clock.
  • It is very important to perform steps 4 and 5 as a single, fluid motion.
• Then keep stepping across, as if repeating steps 4 and 5, alternating between facing 9 o’clock and 3 o’clock.
  • Make sure that you are not making an orbiting motion.
• You should be stepping across the slot, and the follower should be moving up and down the slot, kind of like the + sign, as opposed to orbiting around the slot, like a circle O. As you are stepping across the slot, make sure there is tension on the 4 such that the tension directs the follower to move across the slot, not around the slot.
• Also, on 4 both will be very closed together whereas on 5 there should be a little bit of a stretch as the tension builds up before the next 4 and 5.
• To finish the pattern, stop creating tension on step 5 while the follower is in closed position, and slowly release the follower’s left shoulder blade into open position as you step across the slot on 6 so your body and feet can point either 12 o’clock or 6 o’clock depending on how many turns you did.
• Then 7&8 are a regular anchor step.
• End in an open position.

Note that the repetition ends on the odd beat 5 because the settling happens on the even beat 6.

One of the main uses of the continuous whip is to add 2-beat increments so that you are more easily able to predict or approach the 8th beat in the song.