Waltz. Foxtrot if you like. Try Waltz Solo. Put your hands by your side fingers probing into the thigh muscles. Just do the first 3 of a Natural and feel which muscles are working. Come together on 3 and stay there. Again feel which muscles are in control. Make sure you are using them all through your dancing.
Wear a tie. put your right arm in the correct ballroom position. Grasp the end of the tie with your right hand and keep it taught. Now try a Reverse Turn in the Waltz. Is the tie still taught, or has your body come around and left your right arm behind.
This guy just could not stop looking at the floor. So they put one of those neck braces on that is used for whiplash injuries. That cured it.
Another just could not keep his head looking to the left. He very often after a turn, finished looking into his partners ear. A bootlace around the shoulder with the end in the mouth saw an immediate improvement.
It all sounds a bit stupid but it does get results, especially the one with the tie. Happy New Year To You All.

Don - it doesn't sound stupid at all. 'Props' like this are great. Bootlace in the mouth - never thought of that - might try it meself.
not sure about the tie one. Couldn't you have your arm falling behind on the turn, yet still have it taut? Will try this out myself.
Anyone any other ideas? I had (maybe still have) a problem with letting my left hand get too high. I tied some string from my wrist to a loop on the belt of my trousers. It was ok, but if i did any significant sway, my arm was pulled out of alignment with my shoulders. Nevertheless, it was helpful and has at least reduced the problem.
Any ideas for a prop to keep the two upper bodies well separated and not moving in towards each other on turning steps?

Phil. Arm being pulled out of alignament. The whole idea of using a prop , your one, is to make sure that in relation to your body it doesn't move
The right arm with the tie is to keep the arm in one place. Another way but not practicle is in ballroom position, would be to set the whole of your arm in plaster. When your body turns I'm sure that the arm would go first. This will most likely bring forth an argument. But I will quote John Wood who says don't be stingy with your arms. When you think about it the arms are in front of the body. So I would ask which goes first the arms or the body. A while back I was wrongly told that my left arm in particular was just ba decoration and might as well be cut off. Then I came across Wood's tape which put me on the right path. And my present teachers teach that the arms move ahead of the body and to feel that I am literaly placing my partner where I want her to be. Remember . Felt but not seen.

Well, this is interesting. I've been taught for a long time not to lead with my arms. I know you're not actually saying this, Don - you're talking feelings not actuality (felt not seen, as you put it very well), but i've been trying to kick the habit and lead with my hips and body and not even think about using my arms.
Anyone any views on this?
And any ideas about props - which is where this started?

Don .We dance in one piece. We place the lady on her heal or into a position with the whole body. It may feel that we cradle the lady into a position but our pelvis has to be under our spine. We let the arm breath (right hand moves further away from the front of our body). We can also use the weight of the arms to help with sways and body rotations ,but not independant of the rest of the spine. The Lady want's a solid one piece frame and also one that is relaxed but has tone.

We also lead th lady with the whole body not just the arms, so I don't see how we can even think of the arms going first.

Actually the most advanced dancers do have a miniscule preview action in their arms that precedes the body action transmitted through the arms. When I say miniscule, I mean it - you would never see it. Probably bettter for most of us to leave it out as if we did it we would be leading with our arms.

I think this action is more of a slight lowering and forword action of the shoulders. It relaxes the muscle at the base of the neck removing any tension felt there and streatches the neck and spine given a nice presentation into the first step.

Phil. It is well worth taking a serious look at the position of the right elbow in relation to your body on step 2 of a Reverse Turn Waltz. We all know where it was when we started. That is the elbow in front of the body. ( How any body can say that the arm doesn't arrive first, can't be in the correct poition when they started ). On step two, this is the big common mistake. The body starts to get in front of the arm. The elbow is no longer in the front of the body. This is why as a prop you can use the tie thing by setting the distance and keeping the tie tight.I was shown this one with a tea towel stuck down my front top button. That was even harder to keep it tight without pulling the towel out.
Imagination. You have a four paned window about 16 inches x 16 inches. Two of the panes of glass are missing. The one to your right has glass in it The one opposite has no glass. the next one has. We are now back to the beginning. The window is put over your head onto the shoulders. Your partner is in her position . When we move or turn it is impossible to move into the square to our right or our left. Our partner the same. When we turn the whole unit turns. Crazy but it does tell a storey. So Phil maybe some person in the near future will see a tall gentleman running up hill backwards with a window over their head.

Don. You are making a big issue out of nothing. If you dance with your frame your elbows will remain in the same place throughout the dance.