That position of the lady's left hand on the outside of the arm is most certainly a mistake - a common one in vogue today, but quite likely not encouraged by these couples coaches.

Anonymous. There are so many photos of this very recent competition. There are many showing the position of the ladies left hand.. I don't see any that are the way I was first taught.

If all your friends jumped off a cliff, would you jump too?

Having the lady's hand wrapped aroudn the man's arm produces a somewhat troublesome dynamic to the hold - instead of elegantly resting in her place, she is holding onto him. With time I expect most couples - even those currently at the top of the world ranks - will outgrow this. But maybe not until the peace of retirement and the concentration on teaching and judging causes them to re-evaluate everything they have done so far.

Anonymous. No disrespect intended. But you really are trying to hang onto the past which is not a good thing, you are not alone there. I think I make sense if I say that to teach as it was taught even ten years ago. Will be usless unless all are dancing that way. To put some couple into the competition field and not have them dancing as all the others are just wont work. Social classes fine. Thats all most of them want and will do. That's where it stops. As you know about twenty years ago to bend the knees anything past just very slightly wasn't even spoken about. Then there came a change in the stance where the lady was put more to the mans side which ment there had to be other changes made. If you think back to an earlier day. In a lesson the lady was a spectator most of the time. I can remember being told in the Quickstep on a Cross Chasse to physicly put the lady to my right side. They were told at that time to just follow.Not anymore. The lady now dances her own steps in her own space.
Rambling on a bit here, The same applies to Latin. It was an absolute joy to dance with a very experienced girl in the Rumba . The slightest of leads was all that was needed. The main thing was she knew the timing with the music to perfection. I didn't have to push or haul her around like in those good old days. The moral of this story is to quote Steven Hawking the mathematician who says that time travells in one direction only. He calls it the Arrow of Time.

Phil. I will have to contradict you here. You said In the recent Internationals Professional finals there were several finalist that didn't have the thumbs up. There was one out of six who didn't have the thumb up. In the Amatures there were none. See www.dancesportinfo.net

"To put some couple into the competition field and not have them dancing as all the others are just wont work."

Such a couple is usually placed last... or first.

It all depends on the nature of the difference!

In the case of the lady's left hand be wrapped to the outside of the arm, I maintain that this is a negative side effect of something good that they are trying to achieve. In time, they will learn to achieve the good element (more offset in the heads so to speak) without this mispositioned hand. In the meantime, we have two steps forward in breadth and one step back in the elegance of the hold.

Anonumous. The ladies hand is not wrapped around the man's upper arm.There should be no bearing down. I know you didn't say bearing down. But the way you used your words would give that impression. Just think about this. I believe I am right in saying that you have agreed that the lady is more to her left than a few years ago.. Didn't you use the word offset. Doesn't it stand to reason that in that case there has to be a change of position, for the ladies left hand. Where else can it go. Anybody who has seen the pictures from the International will also see the change in shape of the ladies right arm. Its pretty straight. This is all brought about by the lady standing more to the man's right side. More to the man's right side than they did in those olden days.

"I believe I am right in saying that you have agreed that the lady is more to her left than a few years ago.. Didn't you use the word offset. Doesn't it stand to reason that in that case there has to be a change of position, for the ladies left hand. Where else can it go."

More in front of her own body. In effect, if she offsets her body more, she will feel more like she is dancing in the crook of her left elbow. This is quite the parallel of what the man needs to do for a big look - not stick his left hand way out to the side, but rather dance his body closer to his left hand. As they sometimes say, feel like you are trying to put your left thumb in your ear. Or may I should say, your ear on your left thumb. Space between the heads makes you look big... but arms way outside your bodies just makes you look dangerous.

"Anybody who has seen the pictures from the International will also see the change in shape of the ladies right arm. Its pretty straight."

If you watch Mirko & Alessia, her right arm is NOT straight - it is quite nicely bent, because his left hand is close to his head and not way out on its own. However, there's a video out where they do a series of pivots, and during that you can see that their elbows straighten a bit, and only recover position as they return to more linear figures. Nobody's perfect.

Anonymous. We do know that the conection point for the lady is her left armpit on the man's wrist. For the man fold your hands across your chest elbows up both level. Palms facing body. Finger tips touching. Open your arms so they are at a right angle. Now the lady makes the connection onto the wrist ( the mans hand is just a decoration ) you could dance without one. Both of the man's elbows are in front of his ribcage, ( not so long ago it was taught the left elbow was in line with the back, with only the right in line with the front.) The lady places her left arm last of all and puts it to where it is comfortable. That will be more to the outside of the mans upper arm. The ladies right hand along with the left is predetermined by that first conection. Don't worry about the feet they will look after themselves. I remember the days where the ladies foot went in between the man's feet and the left on the outside. At that time they were obsessed with what was called four tracks. So we set our feet first and the rest was adjusted to this position. Not any more. The lady should be able to put her right hand diagonaly across her and her partners body . This is my space that is yours. No trespassing please .

Anonymous. Gozzoli and Betti not a straight arm. My foot.
Go to dancesportinfonet.com.
Find the Professional Standard then click on Gozzoli, make sure you click the ikon only. Now tell me any one of those pictures where her arm is not straightish, as opposed to the bent at the elbow used in those good old days.
It seems you only see what you want to see. Whilst you are there look at picture 103895. Does it seem slightly familiar.