Here's another one. Foxtrot unless we understand are we inclined to get too high ,or too big a rise in this dance. How many girls after their Heel Turn think they have to go straight up before steping out. Is this caused by the man. Keep in mind there is no vertical rise or lowering in this dance. Billy Irvine once said to a friend of mine. That if a step goes wrong it is usually the step before that is causing the trouble. Which brings us back to the first of the Reverse Turn.

I am told that in foxtrot the rise will never be as that high as in waltz. Both the rise and lowering are to be done in a smooth manner. Perhaps the NFR and heel release would be the reasons.

Happy dancing!
Skipper

Skipper. The couple who's classes I go to who are very highly place in the International field. Say forget rise and fall in this dance. The length of the step takes a person onto what appears to be a down step. The correct foot work will take care of the rise. And never teach a beginner with there shorter steps rise and fall in this dance. We see it all the time popping up and popping down digging themselves into a hole that is difficult to get out of. So they lose time. We see this all the time don't we ?.

Many of the people at my studio are familiar with Slowfox, but not American Foxtrot. Of course, Slowfox is slower and to my mind smoother, but other than that how could I be more specific about explaining the difference to them?

American foxtrot is two different dances - the simple version taught to wedding couples, and the advanced version which is basically the same thing as slowfox. Forgetting about the wedding version, the only real difference between the advanced onews, beside being allowed to break the hold, is that different lists of figures are considered basic, but in the end anything that works in one version fits well in the other.

Anonymous - Thanks for your reply. However, it seems to me that the character of advanced American Foxtrot and Slowfox are different. American has a more jaunty feel to it, a bouncy walk with no momentum with no rise and fall. Whereas Slowfox does have a rise and fall, and is smoother and more dreamy. Dance lovers, what do you think?

What you describe sounds more characteristic of the way foxtrots (of any style) are commonly danced by Americans, than of fully developed American Foxtrot.