Hi,
Could someone explain to me the difference between Sway and Inclination, please?

The only difference would be in customary application of the words. Sway in ballroom usage is always largerly sideways with respect to the body orientation. Inclination is used to describe something forward/backwards that would probably better be treated as simply the position of the weight relative to the feet, as actually leaning forwards/back will get you in trouble.

Hi curious
This may not be possible for you., but if you could get hold of the DVDs from this year's Dance congress in Blackpool, you would see a perfect demonstration of inclination. A guy(sorry can't remember his name at the moment) gives a lecture on slow waltz. He does a demo, and coming out in promenade at one point, there's a strong inclination forward (his body is straight, but leaning forward) as he comes out on 3. It looks like it's to assist his forward momentum so that he can achieve good body flight. Like sway, inclination is a dynamic thing - i.e. you can't stay in the position.

if he's in pp that inclination should be sideways, not forwards!!!!

Phil. Markus Hilton has been doing it the way you wrote for years. In my opinion Sway in the Waltz cannot be the same as in Foxtrot.Except in a Promenade movement like an Open Telemark. Any movement that has Turn will have sway of some kind.

No, not unless it has swing.

Remember tango actions have turn without sway. Most swing dance actions have swing... but the ones that do not turn out to have turn without sway.

"Inclination is used to describe something forward/backwards that would probably better be treated as simply the position of the weight relative to the feet.."

I'd like to think of it as 'forward/backwards' to the direction of progression rather than the position of where the weight is held on the foot. The latter is a different yet related concept. So, Phil's description of the demo he saw as being a 'forward inclination coming out of PP' is correct.

Inclinations 'to the progression' or 'against the progression' can appear ,transiently, between the weight transfers, often fading as the weight is actually collected. Important to note that these inclinations are reactions to more fundamental actions, ie. usage of the standing leg of swinging leg.

"No, not unless it has swing."

True, turn alone does not always result in a sway reaction but neither does 'swing' always result in sway. It depends on what follows that swing.

Rha

In dance language, forward is not used for direction of progress, but instead for the direction of the feet. Since this doesn't match in promenade a forwards incline would be a problem - it would tend to push the partner out of position. When this happens on the step out in promande, the step across usually fails to land in actual CBMP...