Thanks for the reply. I'm not sure how to implement your suggestion, but I will be thinking about it. I believe I'm pretty gradual in my rise and fall in the QS, but I just wanted to get an idea of whether the rise was higher than an ordinary standing position.

Jerry

Jerry. None of us mere mortals get high enough onto our toes. The last thing to worry about is how high, just get right up . In your minds eye imagine a couple whose heel hardly clears the floor. Now imagine a couple who are high on there toes. Who look the best.

Don I have a habit of coming out of the floor so your question as to who looks better depends on wether you first lower to get the rise and then do not try to rise but let the flight carry you up onto your toes. A good dancer will only be high up on the toes with some bend still in the knees if his flight puts him there. Many of us try to get the rise by pushing ourselfs up out of the floor. So the answer is yes you look good high up on your toes if you use the correct technique.

Dave - i absolutely agree with this. I've had a habit of trying to rise too much and in a slightly 'forced' way. I'm trying to cure it

Most people can (and often do) rise to a greater height than that from which they have the strength to execute a fully controlled lowering into a smooth driving step.

Actually, you've made mew think about this a bit more. The strength required would be ankle strength, so presumable if someone could walk around on their toes, there should be no problem executing a nicely controlled lowering? I must think more on it.

Catching the body weight as it rises from the swing is easier than holding in a risen position, which is easier than slowing the lowering to convert it to travel across the floor. In the first case you have to support only a fraction of the body weight, in the second case exactly the body weight, and in the third case more than the body weight.

Suomy, i don't agree. In the third case you're supporting less than the body weight. If you're supporting more, the body would have a net upward force, and actually leave the floor!!
It's only when stationary on the toes that the foot and toes experience full body weight (as my big toes keep reminding me!!)

"Suomy, i don't agree. In the third case you're supporting less than the body weight. If you're supporting more, the body would have a net upward force, and actually leave the floor!!"

The speed of lowering slows as your path changes over from fall to travel. To slow your body weight's downward motion, you have to apply a force against the floor greater than your body weight. Many people are not able to do this well enough to cleanly convert the fall from their peak of rise into travel, and instead are still falling as they arrive on the first step of the next figure. The man's step back into the spin turn is notorious, since it's easy to get very high in the first three of the natural.

Soumy. You have descibed it admirably. I will only say the key is as you say to swing up onto the toes and not force yourself up onto the toes. To do as you say takes perfect timing, arriving at the top in time with the music just at the moment you want to lower with gravity. Go up to come down,go in to come out.