Hi,
The third step of the gent's Feather Step.
It is a general rule that ‘Lowering' from a rise on to the heel of the supporting foot occurs as the moving foot is passing the supporting foot. This is a sound theory but, it should be noted however, that as there are certain degrees of timing which affect the quickness of the rise on certain steps there is also a difference of timing, or quickness, in lowering on certain steps. These exceptions to the general rule (lowering as the moving foot passes the supporting foot), occur usually on all forward progressive steps where Rise and Fall is used and again frequently on the same figures on which the quicker rise was taken on the first step. The explanation for this quicker lowering is that the body when progressing forward in a series of Slow and Quick Open Steps moves on to, and over, the supporting foot more quickly than it would in a series of walking steps (or Slow Steps) or from a closed or stationary position (as the Chasse in Quickstep or the Waltz closes on 3.) The Feather Step. On the third step the right heel lowers as the moving LF is approximately its own length from the heel of the supporting RF. Over to you, Anon!

lluv2 Dance. If you look in your technique book, if it is the same as mine it doesn't give a description of where the left foot should be as the right heel lowers on step three. Not at the beginning of the book where there are foreward walks and backward walks described in detail. I've written this a dozen times. Look at your instruction tapes or tapes of a International competition and you will see that the mans left foot is at a full extension behind just begining to move as the right heel touches the floor. Don't forget we are not looking at heel leads one following the other down the floor.We are looking at the third step, the second quick in a Feather Step. You can go one further here and have a look at the Reverse Turn step 6. Whist we are stuffing around up. The competition dancer has been and gone taking this step more foreward than across the body. Just curve the fourth step slightly you will see what I mean. This incidentally isn't anything new.

Happy New Year to all.
Hi Don,
I was under the impression you lived in the South of England, London area. To answer your query: The description of the walks in all technical books are given from a normal (without rise) position. I stated that when lowering from a rise i.e. 3 of a gent's feather, the LF will be approximately ... (please read the post). When the foot is first placed to the floor and lowers to the ball of foot the body weight is equally divided between the RF and the LF. When the the heel first touches the floor it is only with light pressure. It's only when the dancer prepares to take the next step that full pressure is placed on to the RF. If it's possible to see the video frame when the right heel starts to leave the floor I would be very interested to know where the LF is in preparation for step 4.

IIuv2dance. For many years I lived in Wembley and trained at the Majestic Ballroom above the cinema among other places. What a pity it is now a store room. Anyway I think I agree with what you say in the main. I will copy this straight from my technique book. This where a misunderstanding occurs. Backward Step Lady. Take the weight on the right foot, swing the left foot back from the hips. As the left foot passes, the ball of the right foot will be gradually released from the floor. At the full extent of the stride lower to the ball of the left foot. (( Not the heel)). This only lowers to the floor as the right foot passes. Prior to that it states that the heel of the left is off the floor as is the toe of the right foot. The weight is suspended between the front and back. That's fair enough, we don't prematurely lower. Now go to the mans step. At the full extent of the stride the the ball of the left foot and the heel of the right foot will be touching the floor. ((Lower the right toe immediately )). Also at the full extent of the stride the weight is evenly divided..So where is the moving foot at the time the supporting foot lowers.??. It is my belief that some male teachers having learnt the mens steps think the ladies are the dead opposite. And some lady teachers having learnt the ladies steps take it for granted that the mens must be a mirror image, which they are not. A bit from a former British Champion. Lady, if the heel of the back foot is prematurely lowered the front knee will straighten, the toe will pop up and the weight is now away from the man falling backwards. He and his partner took the trouble to demonstrate this, and went on to say that the moving foot is now trapped and the hip will be lifted to allow it to pass. Unless of course you straighten the supporting knee and raise the instep of the moving foot to something that resembles a Latin foot position.

Note that in that description of the

lluv2dance. I'm still with the late Len Scrivener who wrote that the technque book is wrong when it said rise at the end of one up for two amd three lowering at the end of three. He said we are on the way down at the end of step two onto three. Which falls in perfectly for me when I was told that todays dancer has three levels of rise in Modern Ballroom International Style. In Foxtrot we only use two for obvious reasons, it is a linear dance with no vertical lowering. If one is up on the end of three trying to lower the first step of the Reverse is going to suffer.Just ask the ladies how difficult it can be to perform a neat Heel Turn. One lady I know who has a great sense of humour said. It sometimes feels like a psychotic horse fleeing from a burning stable, and coming straight at them.

Perhaps the book rise & fall takes only foot and knee positions into account, but ignores the altitude changes produced by leg division. So the highest altitude in a feather is when the legs pass at the end of step 2, but both dancers need to continue pushing up until close to the end of step 3.

One detail on the foot timing: the written technique does not say that the heel lowers only as the foot passes for the next step, rather it says that the heel must lower before the foot passes - so it's not inconsistent with the heel down before collection that many teach.

Correct lowering mainly Foxtrot for the lady. The description now being used by todays dancers is. When the moving foot is under the body then is the time to lower.

The moving foot is always under the body in the swing dances.

As written on this site. There are three levels of rise. In Foxtrot we use only two. Pushing up after the heel turn you will come to a slight stop which is not correct. If you find yourself behind the beat there the cure is above.