Eyfoi. First let me say I am not an expert. I have been dancing a lot longer than you ,but just like you I am still learning. The Nateral Turn. what I am saying is that if you split the first beat(one) into two parts on the first part the heal hits the floor(walking) on the second part( or the end of one)the left knee(not the whole leg,the lower leg has still to come through} will be along side (or passing ,since the knee does not stop moving} the RF which is now our new standing leg(supports our full weight). Some will say our weight arrives over the new standing leg(RF) one the whole beat. Others will say we dance on the back of the beat,so I will leave it to the experts to decide. I hope this information makes sence to you. Happy Dancing Dave.

Eyfoi, you probably aren't going to like this but you are unlikely to get a good answer to your question because you are asking the wrong question. It's one I asked many times too, so you're not alone in that. Eventually you realize that the important point is the cycle of push and drift, rise and fall in the body. When that starts to match the music, you stop thinking about the timing of the feet at all. Because that's the case, few who really do the dance well will be in a position to answer a question about the timing of the feet compared to the musical beats - because it's simply not important, it's a resulting charactertistic not a driving one. Yes, you could analyze their performance and figure out what their foot timing is, but it's not a route to learning to dance like them.

Suomy. Could you elaborate on the Cycle of Push and Drift. Do we try tok do this in every bar of music or just on specific steps. Do we get the body moving faster on the first two beats so we can drift on the third?

Think of the drift from the third as what creates the timing of the first two steps - instead of 123, think 312.

Thanks . I will try that. Would that not be drifting on the down phrase,Between 3 and 1?

What do you consider to be the THREE (drift)when counting 312. The three on completing the rise as we draw the free foot along side and change weight. Or the 3& as we lower. OR when the feet are passing such as in a passing natural?

Got It. The first step is Three. We say three because it takes longer to say three than one. so we are gathering more power on the first step so that we can cruise through the next two steps.

I am a social dancer from North Europe and my big interest are the slow and quick steps. I have tried to learn those and have found the following.

Step is defined to be “A change of weight from one foot to the other”. Alex Moore, Step: “..., the time value of the step is not completed until the moving foot is drawn up to the foot supporting the weight, ready to commerce another step.” I think that at this point begins the next step. The slow step begins at the beginning of the beat 1 by pushing the body forward with supporting foot accelerating the moving parts of the body. Acceleration balances the momentum avoiding the moving foot drop on the floor. The pushing and acceleration lasts during the beat 1 and the foots apart. At the beginning and during the beat 2 the old supporting foot begins move forward and the speed of the body declares until the moving foot is passing the supporting foot and the pushing and acceleration again can start the next slow or quick step.

First quick step begins by pushing with the standing foot the body for- and upwards at the beginning and during the first half of the beat 3. Body weight continues on high to the end of beat 3. During the beat 4 and second quick body weight lowers on the same foot witch pushed upwards. The other foot only softens and balances the Q-Q step. At the end of the beat 4 the moving foot is passing the standing foot ready to accelerate at the beginning of the next beat.

I am still with both John Wood and Richard Gleave who count the Waltz in half beats which is 1 & 2 & 3 & .The feet closing on 2 &. To use the 3& correctly we need to lower on the & but don't get stuck with the feet together for the person going backwards. On the 3 & you will lower and timed correctly the LF. will already be extending ready for 1. It stands to reason that if the lady takes over as she is supposed to ,she would push you onto the step if your feet are together at this time, and that's not right.

"we need to lower on the & but don't get stuck with the feet together for the person going backwards."
If you lower with the correct action you cannot get stuck with your feet together, no matter what timing you have relative to the music. The feet are only closed on the rise, as you lower the new moving foot is already extended backwards from the knee down. Then as your weight moves through and off the heel of your standing foot, the thighs seperate as well sending the foot further. To get stuck you would have to lower with your feet still closed, a fundamental technical error. This is for going backwards. For going forwards you lower with the feet much closer to being closed, because our knee cannot flex forwards to send the lower leg forward in advance of a knee still safely under our body in the way that it can send it backwards of the knee when preparing to move back.

As a result of this, a lowering action is always biased in the direction in which the next step will move. In a basic possibly stationary beginner waltz you could choose to move forwards or backwards after each foot closure step, but you must make that decision by the time you commence the lowering, as the lowering will be different depending on the subsequent direction.