To whom it may concern.
I am a biginer to spotdance . I love it so although I started to have lectures with my coach ,who is a good competitor in my country,in Oct 2003 when I was 57. I believe that I am able to get pertinent information from your website to improve my performance .
I did not know why I can't enter the website above-mentioned .What pity it was.
I selected waltz and used the "quicktime " to repeat the vedio several times( unfortunately ,it showed on and off on my screen and only one angle.I can't pause or slow it as needed.)
I tried to follow what I saw in the vedio .
I found it seems more natural , active and easier to throw my body weight to the new standing leg using rotation and compressing my standing foot (especially the ball and toes )to swing my free leg forward/backward. (If I generated the power from the internal edge from my standing foot to push my free foot away,the momentum seems to be interupted a little bit . )
Please kindly correct me if my observation and understanding was incorrect.
Thank you very much for everything.
Yiling Chen

Not sure if you are talking about the inside or the outside of the turn for the details.

Throwing the body weight is probably not the wording I would choose, but it is accurate in a way. The goal however is not to throw the body weight onto the new standing leg, but rather to throw the body weight in the necessary direction ahead of the leg. The leg will then unfold as an extension of the body momentum, and be there to catch your body weight.

Many teachers initially teach that you should not send your weight out unsupported. Instead they would like you to place the moving foot first and transfer weight between the feet so that you are stable all of the time. This can help provide an initial idea of where the steps go, and help one learn to keep the upper body aligned. But ultimately in all but tango you should be throwing your weight off your standing foot so that you are "flying" unsupported until your moving foot is there to catch you. There will be a moment where you are not balanced and you will be falling - but be sure you throw your weight so you are falling in the right direction, and not just "down".

Dear Anonymous,
Laughing.Very clear explanation.
As a follower , my center should always response to the leader's direction, getting my body / head ( in my space )toward the direction he leads continuously (in swing dances), my moving leg should be almost always under my body and catches the "flying "body before it down. It also spells that free leg needs not contact the floor constantly. Sorry, I am a doctor, not an artist. I used to have a clear guidance or picture for my practice. My lecturer always said : "shut up. just follow me with your body, not your brain. It wastes your time.". In fact , he has brain storm also to have lectures with his coaches.You can imagine, such circles are nonstop. He is a smart teacher .
Thanks a lot
Yiling Chen

Your free leg will not have much weight in it, and it might not actually be in contact with the floor, but it should never (outside of tango) break contact enough for anyone to see. The goal is to have it sliding on the floor.

Hi, Anonymous,
Thanks for your tip.
It is not easy to me to coordinate my legs correctly. I must never give up although I was frustated seldom.
Yiling Chen

Anonymous.Dancing is simular to walking. When we walk our feet are pointed in the same direction. Latin is different where the feet are turned out. With the feet still, our body goes to the point of imbalance. Then we catch our weight on the step forewards which most often on the count of two. That is Latin. This is Standard. The foot must go first. Imagine you are walking in your local supper market. Would anybody really send there body weight first. Im sure you would finish with the security man following you around. If you go to the charts which have images on this sight they can be printed, I would suggest anyone who is not sure, go look.

In standard, the foot still swings late and arrives only to catch the body, never in advance of it - that's why we say standard has body flight. But it does develop to a heel lead an instant before it takes weight.

This is done incorrectly on the demonstration videos here.