Leval:Internationl Senior Prechampionship. When implimenting the "step,swing,drift principle" as described by Johnathan,we have a release of energy at the beginning of the bar of music and a drift at the end of the bar of music,this gives a change in body speed,we also have a change of body speed when dancing the first three steps of the reverse turn as the body has to slow down to allow the foot to swing back into place. My question; How do we coordinate these changes of speed into a constant smooth flow of the basic foxtrot. I can do this using the incorrect timing of SSS,but this tends to put my weight just a little to far back towards the heel.

Body speed is controlled by rise and fall. In waltz you have complete conversion of speed to rise in order to achieve foot closure, in foxtrot you have incomplete conversion in that you only slow the body speed and don't stop as you are not closing your feet, but the altitude still needs to be related to the speed.

Don't worry about your foot timing, and don't adjust your body timing to give your feet or legs time - just send you body across the floor and up and down appropriately, and let your legs learn to mind themselves (by arriving under your body when they are needed)

Suomynona. What do you mean when you wrote Let the legs learn to mind themselves( arriving under the body when needed ) That to me sounds as if you believe the body leads and the legs arrive second. I know all about body flight. If you watch a 1500 metre runner nobody could flight their body more, and yet what part of their body is the furthest foreward. Watch anybody walking by, then watch the person who is in a hurry. The push is off the back foot, and the front foot is some 7 to 10 inches in front of the body being propelled by the supporting foot. This term flight the body was to stop dancers sitting over their back foot. If this was not meant by you, even then I am sure somebody might find it interesting. But (arriving under the body when needed)would indicate that the legs catch up to the body.
For the ladies. As we all know the heel of the supporting foot only lowers to the floor as the moving foot arrives under the body. If you find you are being pushed into lowering early then speak up and say I am not able to apply the correct technique to my lowering. You must be doing something wrong. Could be that flying body.

"The push is off the back foot, and the front foot is some 7 to 10 inches in front of the body being propelled by the supporting foot."

I'd be very happy with 7-10 inches in front of the body, as that's at least 12 inches less than what many commonly over-reach to. (If my toes is 7 inches ahead of my body, my ankle is directly under my hip)

"For the ladies. As we all know the heel of the supporting foot only lowers to the floor as the moving foot arrives under the body."

This is not always true. There are many steps, such as lowering ones, when it is desireable to have the heel lower while the feet are still apart. The common problem of lowering the heel too early is actually on a commence to rise step, such as a step one action, where they lady (or whoever is going backwards) can fall back onto their heel (and fall away from their partner) at a time when they should be pacing their arrival and commencing to rise.

The lowering of the heel needs to be paced and controlled to match the arrival of the forward moving partner. However that does not mean it should not lower until the feet pass - in many cases, lowering it earlier is necessary.

Hi Dave, I have searched discussion pages and learning centre looking for
the "step,swing,drift principle" (foxtrot) you mention. Where may I find this? Also I read the discussions on curving figures. I have just started a Silver Star Waltz pattern which commences with an overturned spin turn, curving lock, impetus turn, weave. Any comments on the curving figure in this sequence in relation to timing and additionally body position? So far I have noted the "turning of the shoulders, then hips when changing direction from curve to impetus?

what does this have to do with dave's foxtrot question??????????????????????????????????????????????????????

Sandra .Please post your message again as a new subject so that we can reply

Hi Dave, I don't want to confuse anyone or myself. I think the steps I described in my earlier message should be described as Natural Spin Turn overturned / Turning Lock to R / Weave from PP.

Dave. If you are interested to what is being currently taught in the Foxtrot. The length of the mans and ladies steps do differ. A Feather Step Reverse Turn Three step. I'll stop there. For the man Preperation Step small, then, big, small, small. First of Reverse small small, small, followed by big, small, small, then big, big, small. The Lady there is a difference, she has small, big, small, small, big, small, small, big, small, small, big, big, small. If anyone thinks that all the steps by man or lady are the same size. Try to do a Open Impetus into a Promenade movement both taking the same size steps. The man will not get around. As John Wood says the man will get around though by using his sturdy left arm, but that's not good technique.

So where does this all leave us. THere have been many sensible comments to this discussion. I'm attracted to the concept of smooth, continuous flow, letting the legs take care of themselves - this after all is what tennis players and the like do when moving to the ball - the body has to be right.
But the dsifficulty is that the lady has very different leg movements from the man, so somebody has to compromise.
Also, take a fallaway reverse turn in slow foxtrot. Isn't the 'official' timing S, &, Q, Q leaving only half a beat to complete a tricky movement. Maybe the fallaway can't have continuous flow. it's certainly easier to dance it as all quicks, but this looks (and feels) different