Fot the person going backwards, which is in the main the lady in the Foxtrot. We all know that the suporting foot does not lower until the moving foot is under the body. This works for me. I imagine that the bottom of my shoe is curved shape, or rounded. Like the bottom of a canoe and not like a flat bottomed boat. I try to roll all the way from the toe to the heel with my moving foot passing under the body at this point. If this is done correctly you will feel like a floating action, or if you like buoyancy. I would do this solo any time the opportunity arises just to constantly remind myself. As we all know premature lowering causes the front knee to straighten the toe to pop up and will cause a falling away from your partner. Not my words, but those of the 1986 British Amatuer Champion.

"For the person going backwards, which is in the main the lady in the Foxtrot."

Once out of medalist the man probably goes backwards as much as the lady, but anyway...

"We all know that the suporting foot does not lower until the moving foot is under the body."

No, this is far too late. It is important that the arriving foot lower with control, however it must be down with the weight in the heel before the moving foot draws under the body, because the instant the moving foot is under the body the toe must begin to release. Actually, if you do it right, the body will already be past the standing foot at the time the feet pass, so by the time the moving foot is under the body the toe release will be perhaps visibly developed.

"As we all know premature lowering causes the front knee to straighten the toe to pop up and will cause a falling away from your partner. Not my words, but those of the 1986 British Amatuer Champion."

Premature lowering yes, but this is a beginners problem. Many top level dancers today can be seen to delay the lowering far too long, with the result that they never accomplish the heel push phase of departing the standing foot - by the time their heel is down, their weight is already arriving in the other foot. Such a loss of grace...

my teacher would say that you split as you lower

Suomynona. Quoting Steven Hannah 86 British winner. If the lowering is to soon you will trap the moving foot and will have to lift the hip slightly to get the moving foot underneath and past therefore creating a fault.

'Suomynona. Quoting Steven Hannah 86 British winner. If the lowering is to soon you will trap the moving foot and will have to lift the hip slightly to get the moving foot underneath and past therefore creating a fault."

Two thoughts:

1) Yes, if the lowering is too soon. But on time is still well before the moving foot closes.

2) Another 'expert' who isn't willing to bend his knees. Irivine folks won't, Eggleton students will.

suomyona. Last Thurday morning 3am would you believe, there was a repeat of the European Standard IDSF from St Petersburg. Russia. As I have said before each couple do a solo Foxtrot. What I haven't said before is the amount of time the camera spent filming the feet. Iv'e watched all six couples frame by frame and in slow motion. Every single one of those top amatues only lower as the foot passes under the body, exactly as described in the technique book. Except for one guy he lowers slightly after the foot has passed. The only exception to this is as the Lady goes into a Heel Turn, she does lower much earlier, the reason being that there is no chance of trapping the moving foot at this time. Each one of these competitors man or lady extended the foot right to the tip of the toe, it wouldn't be possible to get the heel any higher off the floor, and as I have pointed out, the heel does not touch the floor untill the moving foot is under the body. The amount of times that the camera man did a close up of the feet in all the dances would lead me to believe that footwork over their is of prime importance. Anybody who may have a copy take note. This is how perfect a person would have to be to compete in that class. The winners were Soale and Bizokute Italy first and second was Ghigiarelli and Danuite Lithuania.

Said it before and will say it again. DO NOT WATCH IDSF EVENTS FOR TECHNIQUE. The dancers are trying to learn too much, too fast. They are showmen, not expert dancers.

I don't think you two guys are talking about the same step. Lady: from previous step to step one of the feather the lady's left heel is down before her foot passes,but on the second step she has body and swing rise and her right heel will stay off the floor untill her left heal pull passes her right foot. Of cause it is also a question of the couples height difference. I noticed that on Hiltons second step in the feather his heal is very close to the floor almost touching and rises after his right leg passes his left. When i first tried this I could not do it ,I found that I have to stay down longer and slide the left foot along the floor untill the last minute,this obviosly shows a weakness in my technque ,I don't have to stay down for my wife to dance her heal pulls as she is the same height as me. An early rise by most men would pull the Lady off her heal.

Dave. Good point there. That is the NFR on step one for the lady, but from there on the heel lowers only as the moving foot passes under the body.This is just my thoughts with a question. If I or the lady extends right back to the very tip of the toe. Compair that to somebody who has the heel only partially of the floor. Which of us is liable to lower too early. Nobody needs to be a Rhodes Schoolar to work that one out. No need to answere that, its a no contest. So the lowering is governed by the hight a heel can be taken off the floor. This is what I've been watching on tape. And remember these couples are having lessons with the professional teachers who's names we drop from time to time.