Dennis.Take a look at the advertising for the new disks ( four in a set) by Luca Barichi called the Bible. Not on groups, but on technique and excercises to improve. It is being able to itemise your step with the correct technique that will make a persons dancing as good as it is possible to get.

Correct me if i'm wrong (i'm sure someone will take the opportunity!)but these 'rules' about when to rise etc - aren't they referring to FOOT rise. I thought they were developed in an era when body rise (using the legs) had not been developed.
In any case, there is plenty of scope for artistic interpretation because only vague terms like "continue to rise" and "end of 3" are used, which can be interpreted liberally

This is a complex topic, but if I understand you correctly, the lift you are referring to is done from the bent knee position. The rib-cage stretch is also a lifting motion but done as a leading motion with side-to-side results.
Not sure when you posted this message so you may already have your answer and have gone on to bigger and better...

Something to remember. If I lower my upper body it will always beat my knees and I will be in a sitting position. So to go down my body stays up. To go up my body stays down.In other words the body stays where it is and is controlled by the knees. To continue. Looking at a video it is easy to determine at what angle the shin will be ( which is 45 degrees ) for an advanced dancer. You will also see the same angle between the raised heel and the floor. The best thing to do is go and look for yourself and see if you agree..

Knock knock, anyone home? Oh, I'm sorry you are still debating the "inane" and are forgetting to enjoy the "for real". Try resting the typing fingers before engaging the brain about something as silly as the body position and the angle of the shin. Sheesh, do you people realize how you are messing up these posts with this drivel? Get out on the floor and dance! Then come back and tell me what a great time you had exercizing and enjoying the company of people without complaining of the position of the shin or the body being up or down....Owendancer

Hi owen
We do indeed go out on the floor and have a great time. The exercise is great, and the social dancing bit is hugely enjoyable. But we also want to be called back to the final in competitions so there is a serious side. In any case, i enjoy chatting about dancing to my colleagues and friends. This is a discussion page

Hi quickstep
""So to go down my body stays up. To go up my body stays down.In other words the body stays where it is and is controlled by the knees"""
I don't entirely agree with this. the body doesn't stay where it is. The concept of "think UP when going down and think DOWN when going up" is, in my view, to prevent slumping the body down when going down, which is the easiest thing in the world to do. and also, presumably (but less obviously )to avoid straining upwards when going up, which looks unnatural

Phil. Those words of wisdom were spoken by Steven Hillier. Stay up to go down and stay down to go up. There was a demonstration to go with this. Keep your upper body still and sit down. Now sit down and let your upper body go down. Which do you think is correct. It can always be seen who is not correct. There bottom sticks out. Another way would be to think of an elevator in an elevator shaft. It goes up and it goes down but never losses it's shape.

"Those words of wisdom were spoken by Steven Hillier. "

Quickstep, next time you have a lesson with Stephen, you should ask him about your thoughts at the start of this thread on when the rise is supposed to begin.

I think you will be mildly suprised by the way the answer differs from what you believe.

I have viewed some of Luca's videos and others that explain technique. I find them very valueable.

My problem is trying to focus on to many technical items at the same time. We spent the majority of our lesson time on technique, but once the teacher recommended 2 technical changes in a particular dance, we would not let them recommend anymore at that time, because thinking about more than 2 was just to much for us.

In each dance they would review our dancing and recommend 1 or 2 technical improvements to work on and focus on when we danced. We would repeat this cycle over and over, hopefully improving all our dances over time.

We do the same thing with technique videos, we pick out 1 or 2 items to work on for awhile, rather than trying to immediately apply everything that they bring up.

I think technique is the foundation of dancing well, I just only can deal with so much at one time. I rather make 2 technical improvements in a dance over a month or two, rather than get frustrated trying to change to much.

I think it looks terrible when people do advanced Waltz/Foxtrot etc manuevers with terrible technique. I think doing basic moves with good technique looks much better, than fancy moves without good techique.