This is a continuation of the thread entitled "Posture and Contact..."
CLICK HERE to view.

WARNING
The following message is not for the faint of heart. It contains graphic images of actual world
finalists of English heritage and training, dancing a basic walking action and showing the moving
leg extending ahead of the body. Certain images are so extreme, they illustrate mid-stride with the
legs extended equally away from the body. Be warned: Vertical pelvises abound. Parental discretion
is advised.

Image #1: Basic walking action sequence. This is actually the forward step on man's LF leading
into a 3-step. The movement is left-to-right.



You'll note that at mid-stride, somewhere around frame 6 or 7, the man's leg is extended well
ahead of the body, and likewise the lady's leg is extended back. As you can plainly see, the
lady's pelvis is vertical and her lower back is not arched. They maintain perfect body contact.

You should also notice that the legs divide equally over frames 1-6, then retract almost equally
over frames 8-10.

Images #2&3: Mid-stride position. Image on the left is in promenade position. Image on the right
is in closed position, and appears to be step 6 of a Reverse Wave.



Once again, we can see that the legs are extended ahead of the body in both photos. We can't see
how far the back leg is extended behind the body in the promenade photo, but the movement is quite
obviously forward and the front leg is well ahead of the body. The lady's pelvis is most visible,
and clearly unaffected by the leg extension.

In the photo of the wave, we see a nice basic mid-stride position. Actually, I suspect the
photographer didn't catch the fullest extent of the stride, but it's good enough at any rate.
The moving leg of both dancers is extended ahead of the body. And although the lady's leg extends
forward, you can see that it has not caused the man to arch his lower back. As a matter of fact,
his back is remarkably straight from shoulder to the top of his thigh... the mark of a true
champion. This is a beautiful Wave, and a perfect example of mid-stride. The legs are extended
equally away from the body.

BE ADVISED: These types of images are extremely common. Photos of English finalists and
champions in mid-stride position can be found all over the internet. Pick a name -- Hilton,
Barricci, Howson & Bolton, Wood & Lewis, Hawkins & Newberry -- a quick Google search will produce
dozens of images of all of the above, in all of their British-ly trained glory, showing legs
extended equally (or extending, if you happen to catch a video clip).

Don't be surprised if you happen to observe this phenomenon occurring in other countries as well.
Apparently nobody is safe... Germans, Americans, Italians, Canadians, French... leg division
appears to be afflicting champion ballroom dancers the world over. Isn't there anything that can
be done???

Until we find a cure...

Playfully,
Jonathan