My husband & I are taking East Coast Swing Classes. The online streaming videos have been most helpful for reviewing steps we have learned. Unfortunately, there isn't one for the Octapus. We learned it tonight & since coming home have discovered we cannot remember how all the twists & turns go. Is anyone able to describe the Octapus to me please?

Sorry, I've never heard of such a sep in EC Swing. Funny thing about American style, though... There are so many different "official" syllabi, it's really impossible to know every step.

Still, I'm well acquainted with 4 of the most commonly used ones, and it doesn't ring a bell. So I'm going to go out on a limb here and speculate that the "Octopus" is either a regional naming convention, or perhaps even something your teacher just invented on his own. Often in instances like these, it's only the name itself that's localized, as the pattern itself might be quite common.

The next time you attend class, you might ask your teacher if he minds if you film the pattern with your digital camera or smart phone. Then upload it to YouTube so the folks on this forum can take a look. We might have some suggestions of more commonly used names. And as an added bonus, you'll have the pattern recorded to help you remember later.

Regards,
Jonathan