Is Bill knighted?

Curious. Yes . For over ten years now.

"You said that in the Feather Step on the video clip the mans thigh is lifting the lady to a strained position. You've heard of Sir Bill Irvine. Quote In the Foxtrot he stresses on the accentuation of Third beat, this is from his Silhouette, Music and Movement Lecture given in Singapore. Could this be the lift that you think you see which is by design and not accident."

No, this is a clear and definite flaw which occurs into step 1 of the feather video, not step two (which would be beat 3). At the time of the problem, the man's knee is still quite bent - the issue is that the thigh is swinging forward too soon - the knee must not get ahead of the body until quite late in the stride. Another part of the cause is that the lady is not moving her weight back in her right foot. To review, once her feet pass her weight must be fully in her heel, then starting to move off the heel and release the toe.

Anonymous. I can't see anything on the clip that I am not seeing most of the time. The lady has an exaggerated poise. These days that is what you will see all of the time. Gone are the days when the lady was stuck to the man like a Limpet mine, and from there didn't move. There is also the fact that no two couples will ever look exactly the same. Each couple will interpret differently to the others.
For those who don't know Blackpool is on at this momment, till the 2nd June. In the later rounds each dance is judged individually. That means that in the final six couples are on the floor for the Waltz. As it finishes all will leave the floor. For the Tango six numbers will be called. It happens regulaly that one who was in the Waltz will not be recalled for the Tamgo. It is possible that the first couple dropped may be recalled for the next dances. As the winners are anounced
1 - 6. The same for the next dance through to the fourth ( no V Waltz). This way the eventual winner is judged on their showing in each individual dance. It is possible but highly improbable that the couple who danced the Tango only could be the winner of that dance. They would most likely be placed 7th overall. Also at Blackpool, no vocalists. There is always the possibility that the dance could go to 3 minutes if needed.

"I can't see anything on the clip that I am not seeing most of the time. "

Then you need to start watching better dancers more carefully.

On the feather here, midway into step one, the man's thigh swings forwad and collides with the lady's body. If his motion were coordinated, his knee would not be getting ahead of his body until much later. The other half of the problem is that the lady is not moving back through her standing foot soon enough - she is continuing to move her knee against the direction of travel and as a result blocking his way. In short, they are not moving their bodies enough early enough for the amount of lowering they are using - an extremely common problem.

Anonymous. The ladies knee is supposed to bend towards her partner as the man's knee also bends towards his front. I have been having a good look at the top six couples amateures in action, one of whome is favoured to win the Blackpool event Professional Open. They all stay on the standing leg longer. My veiw has been from the inside with the man nearest to the screen moving to my left. Im afraid to say everyone of them at some time is right in the middle between the two feet. This includes the second step of a Natural in the Waltz. After arriving on step one and step two is taken. The weight is still on one. The body is on an steep angle. The body is still on one the foot has turned but is still over the same spot. Then the weight is passed from one foot to the other passing the half way mark which is divided weight.Forward in the Foxtrot same basic action. Arrive over the foot. Foot stays still, body stays on the standing foot . The other leg swing through. The body then moves along its predetermined path passing a split weight position. The lady in a Wave,no different. If you still disagree with this I would suggest you have nothing to compare it with. Give me any top dancer who does this any other way. The fact is it is not possible to do it any other way. Think of a guy jumping from the eight floor. They will pass the fourth floor. At that point, which is exactly half way. they will have the same distance in front as behind. Could say he is equally divided. I've just been looking at six of them again in slow, and frame by frame just as anyone else can do.

Quickstep, please back up and stop confusing the action of step two in the waltz with that of the slow walk in the foxtrot, which is of course step 1.

Do you not see how on the video of the feather here, the lady is keeping her standing knee forward too long, contributing to the collision of the man's too-early-swinging leg with her body? If we go back further in cause, she may be doing that because the man is allowing his body to prematurely slow, instead of having it lead his feet well into step 2.

It's right there for all to see, no purchase necessary.

Anonymous. What me must try to do is not to imagine that we are right and therefore they must be wrong. If I did I will appear to have a very swollen ego
One of the very top dancers gets much higher on the first quick of the Feather than some of the others, who have a quieter approach. They are all correct in their own way otherwise they would not be winning or making finals. I can say without fear of contadiction that a top coach taking a top couple for a lesson would not try to alter their style or interpretation. You or I would be torn to peices, and would be taken right back to the very Basic actions. It happend to a friend of mine who went to the UK and never got past the first three of a Natural in the Waltz, the girl was told that she was two inches out. She had through habit, and not being told, had moved over too far and had taken the man's center away from him on the second and third beat. This she was told would cause the next step of the Spin Turn to be even further out. The whole of the Reverse would be spent trying to get back to the correct posture. These lessons cost 75UK Pounds for 50 minutes.

"Anonymous. What me must try to do is not to imagine that we are right and therefore they must be wrong. If I did I will appear to have a very swollen ego
One of the very top dancers gets much higher on the first quick of the Feather than some of the others"

Little problem: this thread is about slows, not quicks.

"I can say without fear of contadiction that a top coach taking a top couple for a lesson would not try to alter their style or interpretation. You or I would be torn to peices, and would be taken right back to the very Basic actions. It"

Something I've noticed is that a coach given only a brief opportunity such as a single lesson to work with a couple may overlook a number of serious fundamental flaws if the students start the lesson by presenting a cohesize program - the coach may coach the performance instead of fixing the technical flaws, especially if they mention having a competition to dance in the near future. If you want to really learn how that teacher does the technique, you may have to either ask for it, or go in without a prepared program and no competitions on the horizon.

Anonymous. Must come off the slow to get the quick. The whole thing becomes related. At the end of the Slow some will rise quicker, and some not so quick. They are all correct. As written on another part Billy Irvine teaches that the first quick is accentuated ( more gusto ).