I went to a lecture given by one of our top coaches. He did the first step into a Natural Turn, and said listen to the question very carefully. How big a step did i take in relation to my body. He got various answers raging from 18 inches. 2 feet. 2. foot six inches. No he said the foot went from a feet together position, from a ball to a heel, which is between 7 and 10 inches in front of my body. Then the standing leg does the rest. Think something like this, a bench vice, only one part moves.
Does anybody disagree with this.

I agree,all he is saying is that it is the standing leg(left) that moves the right,there is nothing new or unusualy about that. Although I should say it is the standing leg that moves the body and the body swings the right foot into position,the right foot is moving with the body so we are not reaching with that foot. We could say instead of step forward with the right foot,just push of with the left.

Dave. When you think about , isn't this the way we walk normaly. The only exception is we don't have or need our heel in contact with the floor.

this is the most important and most widely misunderstood skill in ballroom.

We don't need or use our heel? You lost me,I thought we were talking about the first step?

When you move properly into what will be a heel lead, with the foot swinging only a few inches ahead of the body instead of way out into your partner's space, it tracks forwad with the ball of the foot closest to the floor, and flips up to heel contact only right before finding its final placement.

Thanks. that is so and due to the lowering action that is missing when we walk, but it is interesting to note that when we walk we snap the sole of the foot down as soon as the heel touches the sidewalk(pavement for brits) just as advised in dancing but we rarely do. Dave.

No, it's not really due to the lowering, although that may contribute a little, it would be true even without that. It's due to the angle of the leg remaining mostly vertical - the heel doesn't become the contact point unless/until the foot gets ahead of the body, which in a well executed heel lead step it does by only a small amount at the very end of the stride. This also implies that the ball of foot will lower fairly quickly, becuase the body is already nearly over it and so will arrive quickly once the back leg is finally departed. Really dancing well is far more like walking normally than most of us realize - we have to learn how to get back to an ordinary action despite the presence of a partner and pressure of competition - adjustments that ultimately be made consist of doing more of what is an ordinary walk, not doing something different as so many spend their first years attempting.

Dave. First step which is usually a heel lead. The heel skims the floor with contact. When we walk the heel leaves the floor at varying heights for each individual. Next time your out just check the worse offenders which are the ladies. Look after a Spin Turn Waltz. Check 4 5 6 of the Reverse. Look at the first step. Do you see a heel in contact with the floor or is it in the air. Or the other that usually happens. and that is a ball no heel at all. Sorry ladies but I think some go to sleep in their classes. And the coaches just don't see it, or allow it to pass. With coaches I think many stand too close when they teach. One needs to be about thirty feet away to get the whole picture.

Don, this is incorrect. The heel should not skim the floor in a heel lead, rather the ball during the first part of the step, then switching to the heel near the end.

The main reason ladies miss the heel lead after the spin turn is that they start the action correctly, with the ball of the foot down. But then their partner falls into the step, rather than supporting it, so the later part of the step where her foot would switch to the heel gets cut off and never happens.