A friend of mine recently asked me about a move he had just been taught. His instructor called it an "Advanced Box". Steps 1,2,3 are that of a left turn, but on 3, the feet are together and the couple are in Promenade facing BLOD. There is a weight change on all 3 steps. During steps 4,5,6 the man steps as he would in a left turning box, but on step 4 the lady has to swivel her left foot in between the man's feet and then steps 5 and 6 are like that of a left turning box. My question: is there another name for this step? Thank you.

According to the Smooth Syllabus guidelines outlined by NDCA, you can also call it a Fallaway Reverse Turn with a Slip Pivot.

It is most definatly a fallaway. Sounds like the fallaway and box from the american waltz bronze syllabus.

Fallaway reverse and slip pivot, International Ballroom Gold level

I don't think this is Fallaway Reverse and Slip Pivot because you say the feet are together on step 3; that's not the way we were taught the figure by at least two professional instructors. It sounds more like steps 1-6 of a Bronze Fred Astaire figure called "Fallaway and Rock" (I'm not sure if it's still in the FA syllabus).

As we were taught the figure, years ago:
Steps 1-3 Bronze Twinkle
Steps 4-6 Step 4 is a Slip Pivot (though the instructor may not mention it at that level), steps 5 & 6 essentially finish the box, though we were not taught to close the feet on 6. We learned to end this part ready for the next 3 steps.
Steps 7-9 Left turning rock turn (about 1/2 L) with the feet held in CBMP
Steps 10-12 Steps 4-6 of a left box turning 1/4 L

You can find the details of a Slip Pivot in a lot of reference works.

Fred Astaire Fallaway and Rock was my guess too, although my interpretation of the figure is slightly different:

Steps 1-3 are very simply the first 3 steps of a closed bronze box, taking 1/4 turn to left to end with man backing diagonal wall. The way Sageon and nloftofan1 describe it, step 3 is already turned to fallaway position (feet nonetheless closed), but I feel it's stronger not to open up quite that early. It's also much easier to describe.

Steps 4-6 are a simple Slip Pivot, which in our syllabus is full silver step #41 in waltz (link here: https://www.ballroomdancers.com/Dances/info.asp?sid=793).

Step 4 is not actually the slip pivot action itself; It is a step side & slightly back for both man and lady, turning to fallaway position (if they're not already in fallaway). 5-6 is the slip pivot, man LF back & across in fallaway, then RF slipping back in CBMP and pivoting to the left on the foot with LF held in CBMP. Lady meanwhile steps RF back & across in fallaway, slipping the LF forward in CBMP to transition back to closed position, and pivoting on the LF with RF held in CBMP. It ends with man facing LOD, the couple having turned a total of 5/8 over the 3 steps.

In our syllabus, the slip pivot consists of just those 3 steps, giving you some flexibility to mix and match whatever you like as precedes and follows. For example, you could precede with 1-3 of a Left Box Turn (bronze), 4-6 of a Right Box Turn, or a LF Side Hesitation or Side Whisk. You could follow with just about any reverse figure such as a Left Box, Left Cross Turn, etc, or a progressive figure such as a Closed Change, Passing Change, just about any kind of Twinkle, etc.

The old Fred Astaire pattern was, as nloftofan1 mentioned, followed by a Left-Turning Rock, a sort of undercooked Reverse Pivot taken to a straight count of 1,2,3, which leaves the man backing LOD with his RF free to finish a Box. One of our Waltz variations of the week (link here: https://www.ballroomdancers.com/Dances/info.asp?sid=1060) is a spin-off of this figure, but instead of completing all 3 counts of the Left-Turning Rock, you dance 1-2, then the man turns away and finishes the third step in promenade position -- almost like an Open Telemark without the lady's heel turn. This variation is about as close to the full Fred Astaire pattern as you're going to see online. As you might imagine, we chose to wait until step 4 to turn to fallaway.

Regards,
Jonathan Atkinson
www.ballroomdancers.com

The slip pivot as I described it is one step. From the USISTD American Style Ballroom Silver Syllabus (described the same way in at least one other book I have): "Slip Pivot: Is taken from Fallaway Position and consists of one step which turns left. The Man steps 'RF back in CBMP LF held in CBMP', slipping Lady to step 'LF forward in CBMP RF held in CBMP' to end in Closed Position. This is when the actual Pivot occurs. The moving leg is in CBMP and the free leg is always held in CBMP."

I'm really not trying to get into a debate with experts about technical stuff. This definition meshes with another part of the figure, as I was taught it. When I was first introduced to the figure during the Neolithic era, and wrote down my understanding of what the instructor said (I was pretty much a beginner then), steps 1-3 are just the first half of a box. [I just checked my old notes: "1/2 box turning 1/4 L into Promenade (Fallaway)"]

Much more recently, another professional instructor started off the figure with a Bronze Twinkle. Since (according to the USISTD definition of Slip Pivot) step 4 starts in PP (Fallaway), step 3 needs to end in PP (Fallaway). Whether you call steps 1-3 a twinkle or not is unimportant. The simple (possibly incorrect) view I have of a Bronze Twinkle is that it's 1-3 of a box turning the lady into PP at the end.

I also know (from experience) that different instructors sometimes teach a particular element or figure differently. Conclusion: There's no single "right" way to do something in dancing.

After looking at my old notes (descriptions of dance figures) more carefully, I agree with Jonathan about steps 4-6 of Fallaway and Rock. (It's been a long time since I actually danced the figure.) My instructor didn't actually call it a slip pivot, but the description puts the slip pivot (one step, according to the definition I got from the USISTD book) on step 6, not step 4: steps 4-6 for the man are side, back, back, turning 1/4 L on step 6 with L foot held in CBMP. However, our instructor did have us go into fallaway on step 3.