"Anonymous.How does the body then get to a split weight position. That's with the weight equally divided between the front and the back leg."

It doesn't because it shouldn't. But it still could - the body starts out ahead of the foot, but then the foot catches up and gets ahead. It shouldn't get so far ahead that the body is halfway inbetween as so many mistakenly argue, but starting with the body ahead of the foot would not prevent accomplishing that - if you really insisted on shooting yourself in the foot in that manner.

"As I have said several times. Go look at the videos."

As I have said several times, the videos are wrong, and do a good job of demonstrating the trouble you get into if you keep your body mideway between your feet instead of closer to the front foot where it is supposed to be. See how Jonathan's thigh nearly lifts Melissa's body?

Anonymous. Alex Moore.Distribution of weight in the Walk. When comencing a Walk from a closed position, the weight must always be brought forward over the balls of the feet before a foot is moved.
In the actuall walk the weight is first on the stationary foot. At the full extent of the stride it is divided for a moment between the heel of the front foot and the ball of the rear foot. It is taken immediately on to the front foot as this foot becomes flat.
Points to remember are-.
From a stationary position, always FEEL the body commences to move slightly before before the foot. Remember the speed of the foot is always greater than the speed of the body.
Is this where this body flight thing comes from. Read again. Always FEEL that the body commences to move slightly before the feet.To have a feeling is the key word. I had a feeling I have been here before. Does that mean I have been here before.
Didn't Suomynona point out that the forward step starts on the ball of the foot travells a short distance and then becomes a heel. I've looked at the Feather Step video clip and have not seen anything that contradicts all of the above. What I can see is a verticle body position of the man which stays verticle throughout the steps. The body being carried by the legs. Now how about the Backward Step, where the step is way out behind, with the weight over the supporting foot which is bent to the front and has not yet moved. Think. If you hurl your body forward what will happen to the ladies step. And are we standing up straight, are we verticle. Or are we leaning forward. I will just add this. Anybody who met Alex Moore will tell you he was very precise with what he said and the words he would use. Look up Feel. To have a belief or impression, especially with an identifiable reason. What to you does that mean.

Hi
I suppose the centralising of the body weight will be more noticeable on a side step.

"I suppose the centralising of the body weight will be more noticeable on a side step."

Actually less. The body moves first, the leg swings sideways under it - it doesn't really go more than a small amount to the side of the body.

The lady cannot tell where the man's free foot is - but she can tell where his body is going. The only way to coordinate is to make the movement of the body cause the movement of the foot - then when the bodies match the feet automatically match as well.

"Anonymous. Alex Moore.Distribution of weight in the Walk. When comencing a Walk from a closed position, the weight must always be brought forward over the balls of the feet before a foot is moved."

Yes, body first. Increased movement todays makes this even more important than it was when Moore was writing.

"In the actuall walk the weight is first on the stationary foot. At the full extent of the stride it is divided for a moment between the heel of the front foot and the ball of the rear foot."

I dispute that in actual dancing, but it's not really the point of interest.

"Remember the speed of the foot is always greater than the speed of the body."

Not really, in that there's a substantial fraction of each step when neither foot is moving. But the bigger mistake is to forget that the foot has a long way to catch up with the body - even if it's moving faster than the body. If you start with your feet together, your free foot won't begin to move at all until the body is out ahead of it, because the legs never move themselves - they only move in response to being carried by the advancing body (then overshoot slightly).

Note that the "body halfway between the feet" fallacy is not contained in any reputable textbook.

"Is this where this body flight thing comes from."

No, body flight does not figure in the description of a single step because a single step cannot have body flight by definition - body flight is something carried between steps. It comes from the previous step. A step starting from a stationary position cannot have body flight - though it can initiate movement which will be body flight for the following step.

"Read again. Always FEEL that the body commences to move slightly before the feet.To have a feeling is the key word."

It's more than a feeling, it's a necessary reality.

"I've looked at the Feather Step video clip and have not seen anything that contradicts all of the above."

Look at how the thight swings forward much faster than the body, running into the partner's body. This is a very very common mistake, but a severe one. If you follow the common (mistaken) instructions, this is what you achieve. Only if you commit to sending your body ahead of your foot, with your foot overtaking it but slightly near the extreme of the stride can you avoid this kind of uncomfortable situation.

"Now how about the Backward Step, where the step is way out behind, with the weight over the supporting foot which is bent to the front and has not yet moved. "

The supporting foot has not moved, but the body weight should have already departed it via a timely heel push/toe release. Remember that the toe release starts as soon as the moving foot passes the standing one.

"Anybody who met Alex Moore will tell you he was very precise with what he said and the words he would use."

Then I expect you will stop imaginging things in the book that simply aren't there, such as the body equally between the feet nonsense.

Anonymous.Lets kill two birds with one stone. Who says there is no balance point at the beginnig of the step. Just ask yourself where the step begins and ends. Feet parallel. Step either foot, thats only half the step. The step finishes only as the moving foot draws parallel to the standing foot. Again a chance to balance. Wouldn't you say that that is a neutral position. You must arrive there whether you like it or not. So half way through the step where will your body be.Work this one out. We know , or I hope we do, that we never step square to our front. We always have CBM or CBMP. So half way through a step are we on a heel and a toe or not. I think even you will agree that on the second quick, or if you like to call it the third step of a Feather with CBMP your weight is dead central and the footwork is a TH. This is not a trick question. As the toe lowers where should the moving leg be in relation to the RF. That is according to the technique book. Lets back track. If you know the ladies correct lowering you should also know the man's because they must blend. It's that wicked neutral balance point again. We haven't even got into foot pressure which actually contols the timing yet. A little bit more to think about. "Alex Moore Important note. The advanced dancer on a forward step the majority of advanced dancers do not adhere to the rule of contact with the floor. When moving the back foot to a forward position the heel does not actually touch the floor untill it reaches the full extent of the stride. The movement foot becomes softer and lighter that could be achieved with the heel in contact to the floor".
This is not for the lady or whoever is moving backwards. Look at that very carefully, that's the going forward part. If your weight is to the front how do you propose the keep the heel off the floor. Don't blame me. I didn't write the book. Something more which was written on this site. Considering all of the above. How anybody can teach with only a few weeks of dancing experience I'll never know.

"Anonymous.Lets kill two birds with one stone."

Indeed, let's debunk some myths for the 1000th time...

"Who says there is no balance point at the beginnig of the step. Just ask yourself where the step begins and ends. Feet parallel."

More importantly, feet moving.

"Step either foot, thats only half the step. The step finishes only as the moving foot draws parallel to the standing foot. Again a chance to balance."

Nope, have to keep moving.

"Wouldn't you say that that is a neutral position. You must arrive there whether you like it or not."

And you must keep moving, wether you like it or not. If you want to stop, you have to rise to foot closure. Only then would you be balanced.

"So half way through the step where will your body be.Work this one out."

Closer to your front foot, if you paid any attention.

"We know , or I hope we do, that we never step square to our front. We always have CBM or CBMP."

Or the opposite...

"So half way through a step are we on a heel and a toe or not."

That's not halfway through the step. At some point you will have both of these touching the ground, but you will not have any measurable time with weight in both.

"I think even you will agree that on the second quick, or if you like to call it the third step of a Feather with CBMP your weight is dead central and the footwork is a TH."

First this is not a heal lead, so the technique is different from that of heel lead steps. It's also into CBMP, which as in tango gives you a lot of partner clearance inherint in the body position. But still, the body will be closer to the front foot than the rear foot - in large part because the front leg has to reach across your body (unless you are one of those fools who unwinds the CBMP as you take the step).

"This is not a trick question. As the toe lowers where should the moving leg be in relation to the RF. That is according to the technique book.

It's unspecified. All it says is that the heel must be on the ground before the other foot can close.
"We haven't even got into foot pressure which actually contols the timing yet."

Nonsense - body movement controls the timing. If you try to control it with foot pressure, you have to hold your body back, which is wrong.

"If your weight is to the front how do you propose the keep the heel off the floor."

A lot of people have this ignorant idea that your body must be contanstly supported by your feet, but it just isn't true. You go into unsupported positions all the time when when walking, you just have to learn to scale that up when dancing. Indeed, you must not skate on the heel! You have to learn a willingness to commit your body to movement out into empty space, trusting that the foot which is not there beforehand will arrive in time to be there when you do need support.

You learned to do this at age 2, you just have to learn to keep doing it when dancing.

Anonymous. Maybe you are reading from a different book than me. When commencing a Walk from a closed position, the weight must always be brought over the balls of the feet before the foot is moved.
In the actuall walk the weight is first on the stationary foot. And at the end full extent of the stride it is divided for a moment between the heel of the front foot and the ball of the rear foot.It is taken immediately on to the front foot as this foot becomes flat. That is the weight of the body which is being described Page 10 paragraph 4. If you can tell me the name of any book which describes it differently, then I will buy it. That's provided you didn't write it.
Poise and Balance. Page 9.Without wearing my fingers out and copying the whole paragraph. This is as written. Stand upright. Knees relaxed. The weight of the body will move to the balls of the feet, not letting the heels leave the floor. In doing this do not alter the upright position of the body. You are now in the correct position to commence the Walk. Now analize that if you can. Knees not straight. Weight over the balls of the foot. Heels on the ground. Upright position maintained.
Analize this. A neutral position. When Michael Barr said . The Foxtrot should appear seamless.( if there is no seam why mention it then )To me, to appear seamles, there has to be a seam, otherwise how can it appear to be seamless if it is not there. Why bother to mention it if nothing is happening.
Go to body moving in front of legs. I would like to see thoes who believe this to try it on a Double Reverse Spin, or even an Open Telemark ( first step in both cases ). What a mess it would be. Gone would be the upright position of the man just for starters. And what about the poor partner trying to do her heel turn.

"Anonymous. Maybe you are reading from a different book than me."

No, I am reading the book and being clear about the few things I disagree with - but you are making stuff up.

Can you find any mention of this body halfway between feet fallacy? I didn't think so - because its WRONG.

I do disagree with the book that the weight will actually be divided between the feet at the extreme of stride, but that's a minor issue - it's clear that in any dancing such a period of division would have to be nearly instantaneous anyway.

"When Michael Barr said . The Foxtrot should appear seamless."

The much simpler explanation is that it *is* seamless.

"Go to body moving in front of legs. I would like to see thoes who believe this to try it on a Double Reverse Spin, or even an Open Telemark ( first step in both cases ). What a mess it would be. Gone would be the upright position of the man just for starters. And what about the poor partner trying to do her heel turn."

There is of course only one practical way to dance these figures: body vertically aligned from pelvis to head, advancing as a unit forward of both legs. The moving leg is substantially delayed, finally catching up with the body and swinging a small amount in advance only just at the extreme of the stride. If both partners keep their bodies vertically aligned (or vertical modified by appropriate shape, which is still "vertical" in dance speak) there is no problem with the temporary lack of support - every healthy adult goes through this position thousands of times a day when walking, we just don't think about it because we are used to it, and because it's smaller. Dancing requies scaling up walking without altering it's basic character - not substituting an entirely different foot-first action as many mistakenly do/teach.

Incidentally, since you tryt to quote Michael I'll point out that I've seen Vicki insist on body ahead of foot in lessons.