The foot lowers to flat fairly quickly, but not so fast as those who insist on artificially slapping it down.

I guess I should have said flik and not flap. Or is it plip flop. I think the point is that many of us don't dance a good heal lead. At one time footwork to me was not danceing a toe when it should be a heal. Since I rarely did that I assumed my footwork was good. Now I know differently and understand the impotance of how we use and place the feet.

"I guess I should have said flik and not flap. Or is it plip flop. I think the point is that many of us don't dance a good heal lead. At one time footwork to me was not danceing a toe when it should be a heal. Since I rarely did that I assumed my footwork was good. Now I know differently and understand the impotance of how we use and place the feet."

The intermediate dancer worries about foot shape. But the advanced dancer worries about the body action that will naturally create the official foot shapes. They shoulnd't be explicit goals, rather if you dance the figure with the proper body actions you will incidentally have your feet in those positions - they are a quick way of checking.

Avoid the temptation to teach to the test with regard to footwork - many students take very exaggerated heel leads by failing to propel the body ahead of the foot. It would really be better that they sent the body even if they stepped on the ball of foot with no heel lead at all, but sooner or later sending the body would have their heel landing first.

Suomynona. Can't agree that the body dictates to the feet. Maybe long ago but not with the way it is being taught today. The feet take the body by already pointing in the new direction.Take an Open Impetus Turn. The man's right shoulder may be pointing diag to wall but the feet are already pointing to the new alignament the technique being that all that is now necessary is to move the body onto the feet. Ladies Whisk is another example. Open Telemark also. Those days of one feet pointing north and the other south never was correct. To get onto something more advanced. Take the 7th step of a Turning Lock. ( that's the one coming from an Overturned Spin Turn )Even though the man is facing against LOD, his right foot which is the 7th step points diag to the centre behind him, which makes the Lock a breeze and the feet will finish on the new alignament. All that is necessary is to bring the body over the feet. The moral behind this little story is feet first. This isn't anything new , take a look at the charts. Its been there since the day dot.

"Can't agree that the body dictates to the feet. Maybe long ago but not with the way it is being taught today. The feet take the body by already pointing in the new direction."

You seem to have misundertood the principle of the body leading the feet.

It is not the direction in which the body is facing that guides the placement of the feet, but rather the direction in which the body is moving.

This is not inconsistent with your observation that the feet often show an alignment before the orientation of the body does.

Of course the direction in which the body is moving is created or sustained by the action of the standing leg. The key to remember is that with only a few exceptions, the moving leg never chooses a direction - the standing leg does that by sending the body, the moving leg starts going in that direction as well, catches up, and lands at the position determined by the position of the body plus any projection due to whole-body sway.

Onlooker .That what I meant by the placement of the feet. Take for example the fallaway slip pivot the feet are both pointing the same way on the fallaway. You would find it hard to do if you tried to do it with just the body. This is the huge difference between the pros and the adverage dancer. It makes the turns so much easier to dance.

DAve
Believe me, i never intended to insult you, and i apologise if i did.
I do think about what i write here, and i do prctise what i preach. When i walk, i don't slap my foot flat immediately my heel strikes. It's a controlled action. When i dance, i try to move much more smoothly than when i'm walking, so there is quite a softening of the knee before my foot is flat.

IT's O.K. Phil, I'm just envy you having all that irish whisky to drink and be able to breath in all that fresh sea air. Yes it does seem to give a softer movement into the next step.

You are extremly right.
Looking video with slow motion is te best way to learn en try to do so like the profs do.
In the reverse turn of de foxtrot look at the 4th step Right Feet is backwarks en the feet is placed met the toe turned in with nearly a flat feet then de heel is lowered and you now have to wait for your partner.
With her fwd swing up it is a peace of cake to dance step 5 & 6 correctly.
Don'n turn to much only place the feet.
The lady will do the rest.

Guest from Holland. Thank you for your impute I hope you continue to give your valuable knowledge that I will use and I am sure others. We always seem to forget that we have a partner.