I've been thinking about this more, and there are variuos types of neutralizations which should and should not occur.
1) Neutralization of sway. Usually this happens once per swing cycle somewhere between the middle of step 3 and the very early part of the next step 1.
2) Neutralization of the rotational orientation of various body parts. Natural and Reverse actions each have a unique order in which the various body parts execute the turn, and it's a different order for the two directions. Plus of course they are different directions. While there will be a point in each nominal 3-step cycle where the body parts come closes to being aligned, they won't completely get there as long as the direction of turn stays the same. Tthere is a kind of more complete rotational neutralization which happens when changing direction of turn, but does not happen between two turns which have the same biases - two reverses or two naturals.
3) Neutralization of the hold. As long as you are dancing international modern, there is a sort of left-ness in the hold which must persist at all times - even in wing position, counterpromenade, whatever. This is expressed not only in the relative positions of the bodies but also in their internal stretches. It should never neutralize unless you are dancing something like American smooth and going to some sort of a mirrored hold.
In the case of what should be held across the middle of the foxtrot, the sway will neutralize (though the exact timing may be a matter of preference) but neither the biases of reverse rotation or the left offset hold should be lost. Many dancers do loose these aspects at that point, and teachers make various suggests to counteract that, which may not be strictly accurate in their wording but are appropriate in their general intent.
