Laura. An interesting variation is the natural weave in the foxtrot. The timing is slow and 6Qs, a foot placement on each quick. some dancers will say instead of the quicks "step swing up; and step swing out. This can give us more sway,but they also seem to change the timeing to sqqs,qqs.

"This can give us more sway,but they also seem to change the timeing to sqqs,qqs."

The middle of an ordinary foxtrot weave action counted all on quicks does not have any sway, because there is no head-to-toe swing. However if you change the action and timing to make a swing, then you could have sway; question is if it's still accurate to call it a weave?

Between step two and three(up)there is an upward swing and sway,that sway is held between step three and four and corrected when our weight is on (lf)step four,we then swing the right foot back to give us the rise into the feather finish from the heal of that foot(rf).

"Between step two and three(up)there is an upward swing and sway,that sway is held between step three and four and corrected when our weight is on (lf)step four,we then swing the right foot back to give us the rise into the feather finish from the heal of that foot(rf)."

You need to neutralize the sway at the end of step 3 so that step four is vertical. The reason for carrying sway from 2 into 3 is that the sway helps achieve the desired placement of the foot on step 3. True sway would not be compatible with the proper placement of step 4, though you could superimpose fake, decorative sway over the proper placement of step 4 without sway, or you could choose to dance a different figure which might make use of sway.

Step four of Natural weave is virtical. What does it mean "virtical" do we stop and lower? If we don't stop then how can it be virtical. Sorry but I am confused by this as in the slow foxtrot there is continuity.

Part of my problem on lowering in the slow foxtrot is that I don't like to take the time to do it because it feels that I am slowing the body down to much and not realy dancing at that moment,it also feels as though I have stopped the flow of the foxtrot. Mind you we do dance a pritty good foxtrot if a little rushed at times.

"Step four of Natural weave is virtical. What does it mean "virtical" do we stop and lower? If we don't stop then how can it be virtical. Sorry but I am confused by this as in the slow foxtrot there is continuity."

Not really step four of a natural weave as this figure doesn't include a pure weave action, as would constitute the bulk of an extended weave, or that you have on pair of steps of in the middle of a weave from promenade.

By vertical, the body is oriented vertically, moving horizontally, and the moving foot stays essentially under the shoulder. There is no incline of the whole body to reach the foot out from under the body, as is used on steps where swing creates a sway. Remember, unless the whole body is inclined, the moving foot has to stay under the body - you must never reach a foot by isolating it from your body. You parnter can only feel what your body is doing, so your foot placement must be predictable from your body action for a partner to be able to match it; also, many people who send their leg out in advance put it into their partner's space (in which they can feel what you are doing, but not in a usefull way).

John. I don't get this one at all. From an Open Impetus into a Natural Weave. I sometimes use a Q. on the first step and put the slow in as a Feather Finish like the Reverse Turn. The same sometimes on a Reverse Weave if it suites the situation.That would be if somebody was bearing down on me and I needed to leave pronto.

Don. You are going in from an open position, I am going in from a three step"closed position" different animal.

By virtical it means that the body's poise returns to virtical and not that we lower straight down without any forward or backward movement. This is a major mistake made by 90% of the teachers out there. They say "lower straight down" when they mean "keep the body virtical when passing through the lowering stage".