Not really...if you view the footwork (especially Ladies) at ANY Comp you will see that the right side of their sandel (and often times their heel) is completely OFF THE GROUND on the "&" count. Perhpaps we are talking about the "& a" count?

Have you ever danced at a major comp? Just curious...?

what does this have to do with the heel being on the floor or not?

OH, I got it now. the second :ball flat, ball flat , ball flat , is correct.
In the clip : differences chasse between chacha and jive, by Bryan , and karen.
She talk 4 major differences as follows:
cha cha // jive
1 flat action / / slightly bounce
2. 1/2 1/2 1 // 3/4 1/4 1
3 BF BF BF // BF B BF
4 hip moves with leg.( chacha)
delayed hip action .( jive)


ylchen

Yichen. Why dont you go to the clips on this site. You will find the Chasse is not as it used to be. You can forget about the book. First there is no hip movement to the man's right. The hip moves to the left on one thats four and hip. Look at the position of the knee. With the feet coming together with the knee bent the knee will be forward of the body. That's where the push to the side comes from.
To those who wrote in why not first look at the clips. Then have a discusion on what you see or think you see.

I went danceuniverse.TV. There are a lot of clips with top dancers. They emphasized the basic . If they are wrong , there must be debating.
I found they have more clear concept about the movment , body weight distribution.
Correct relationship between body and moving foot is quite difficult to me if my goal is to dance continuity and to be natural. Dancing with my coach, I feel easier becuase he is really good , but I don't think I have mastered this skill , I need more time to train my muscular memory.
ylchen

Ok, to start I've been teaching for over 7 years. I always teach ball flat, ball flat, ball flat. You need to go flat so your knee can straighten and the hip can move correctly. I watched the video and it does not appear that she places her heel down (which Ifeel is incorrect), but these videos are there to help you get a better idea of the step not as a complete replacement for an instructor. Tapes are great for patterns but technique should be learned one on one.

Watch very carefully and you will see that she gets her right heel down on the chasse to her left, but doesn't quite get her left heel down on her chasse to the right.

A 'do as I say not as I do' moment.

Jive of course is different - jive, unlike cha is still to some degree a body swing dance (in the same sense that quickstep is one) and the swinging action means that a very (very) slight foot rise is retained in its mid-chasse closure.

jj2500. The books say BF BF BF. The competition dancers do BF B BF. See also Slavik's disk. So to do a Medal or to take a teaching examination we have two different ways of doing the same step.There are steps in Modern where the same thing is happening. With myself I was asked to do a Closed Telemark into an Oversway. So I did of course on the second step a T. no lower, To be told that is not the way to go. Make the second step a TH and very flat. also to take my first step more to the center than on a diagnal. I questioned this as not conforming with the standard technique, To be told we are competition dancers, we can do what we like as long as the judges are marking us and it feels good. Incidently it stops a person falling into the Oversway which can happen if one comes from a high position. So there we are. Medal and Social Dancing v. Competition Dancing. Which makes me a Jekyle and Hyde . A Medal Social Dancer one day and a Competition Dancer the next. Regards Don

"There are steps in Modern where the same thing is happening. With myself I was asked to do a Closed Telemark into an Oversway. So I did of course on the second step a T. no lower, To be told that is not the way to go. Make the second step a TH and very flat. also to take my first step more to the center than on a diagnal. I questioned this as not conforming with the standard technique"

False claim, Don.

There's no official written description of the oversway or telemark-oversway combination for the swing dances for this method to contradict. The complete telemark that is in the book is a different figure, and it's footwork will not apply to the telemark-oversway combination. If there were an official description of this combination, it would have the man dancing HT-TH, just as is seen in the similar situation on the other side with the foxtrot natural twist turn.

As for the first step to the center... that's the habit of someone who doesn't understand CBM as applied to reverse actions - a very common mistake amongst teachers.

Anonymous. You must read what is written. We as competition dancers can do whatever we like as long as we stay in modern, in contact with our partner. Footwork changes very littl, if at all from the Basic Technique. But I can do the nearest thing to a Closed Telemark into an Oversway a Throwaway Oversway. or a Lunge to the left just to mention three.