Most people can (and often do) rise to a greater height than that from which they have the strength to execute a fully controlled lowering into a smooth driving step.

Actually, you've made mew think about this a bit more. The strength required would be ankle strength, so presumable if someone could walk around on their toes, there should be no problem executing a nicely controlled lowering? I must think more on it.

Catching the body weight as it rises from the swing is easier than holding in a risen position, which is easier than slowing the lowering to convert it to travel across the floor. In the first case you have to support only a fraction of the body weight, in the second case exactly the body weight, and in the third case more than the body weight.

Suomy, i don't agree. In the third case you're supporting less than the body weight. If you're supporting more, the body would have a net upward force, and actually leave the floor!!
It's only when stationary on the toes that the foot and toes experience full body weight (as my big toes keep reminding me!!)

"Suomy, i don't agree. In the third case you're supporting less than the body weight. If you're supporting more, the body would have a net upward force, and actually leave the floor!!"

The speed of lowering slows as your path changes over from fall to travel. To slow your body weight's downward motion, you have to apply a force against the floor greater than your body weight. Many people are not able to do this well enough to cleanly convert the fall from their peak of rise into travel, and instead are still falling as they arrive on the first step of the next figure. The man's step back into the spin turn is notorious, since it's easy to get very high in the first three of the natural.

Soumy. You have descibed it admirably. I will only say the key is as you say to swing up onto the toes and not force yourself up onto the toes. To do as you say takes perfect timing, arriving at the top in time with the music just at the moment you want to lower with gravity. Go up to come down,go in to come out.

Dave. You must on lowering allow time to Flex your knee which enables a body to power into the new step.Which after the 2nd quick of a Feather is the first of the Reverse. It is happening all through the dance. You should be able to pick the steps that need to flex. It isn't the 1st quick of the Feather. Neither is it the 1st quick of the Reverse. But it is on the 2nd quick in both. If not how could anyone rise at the end of the 1st step and the end of the 4th step if we are still at the same level and have lowered only through the feet. Don't anybody try to tell me that when we do lower we don't lower right through the feet and the knees.

Looking in. I don't think any one is saying that you don't lower right through the feet and knees,they are just saying that as you do so that you are also moving foward and the more you lower the more forward you must go. Thats why I don't agree that you have to slow the body down when lowering on the third step of the NT in the Waltz.

"I don't think any one is saying that you don't lower right through the feet and knees,they are just saying that as you do so that you are also moving foward and the more you lower the more forward you must go. Thats why I don't agree that you have to slow the body down when lowering on the third step of the NT in the Waltz."

You have to slow the body's vertical movement as you speed it's horizontal movement.

Yes that makes sense in the waltz with a steep rise , but in the fox feather we are moving more horizontaly so we should not have to slow down to much when lowering on the RF if we time the arrival on that foot nearer to the one than the four.