Where has the term swing come from. There is sway in the book but not swing. Does that mean that swing and sway are the same. Copied from the book. Waltz. Sway to the right on two and three of a Natural Turn. Foxtrot Feather. Sway to the right on two and three.

The book does not tell you what to do, instead it tells you the positions you will find yourself in during the course of doing the right thing. It is not literally instruction, but instead a checklist.

Of course you can take the checklist of positions, think about them, and figure out the path of movement that would join them together. The figures that we think of as having swing are those figues whose waypoints describe a path of motion linked by the kind of multiple-step three-dimensional trend that we have come to call swing. It's there in the rise and fall, the sway, the footwork, etc. You won't be able to create all of those elements in a consistent way without swing - so swing is implied, but not stated.

Another thing to keep in mind is that swing in the era when those books were written was far more subtle than it is today, and so may not have been a major topic in lessons. Movement then was rather small, stiff, and stilted to the modern eye. Which makes it so impressive that authors who danced in such a (to today's eye) "muted" fashion did understand the role of swing and how it would evolve the body position, in a way that has held true even as successive generations have turned up the volume of swing to the point where flaws in the reasoning would become obvious to all.

Anonymous. You said that swing in that era (and so on), and may not have been a major topic in lessons. Do you include Richard Gleave who teaches that swing is after the first step, and we continue to (drive) onto step two into the swing. You will note there are two drives over the three steps. Thus maintaining dynamic balance. One drive alone is no good. Without it, it makes the second step dull. Which would have a turn action only. Straight off the tape.

Three things:

1) Actual drive is only a small component of the movement. Someone who says they are three drives is not speaking literally of actual body action, but using words to inspire feelings

2) Gleave is much later vintage than the classic authors

3) Most everyone still teaching is not teaching what they themselved danced in their own career, but rather the ideas and lessons of their experience extended to the more dynamic nature of todays dancing. They are teaching dancing more drammatic than what they did in their own day, because there role is now to be a source of insight and expertise on the sidelines, not to lead by example (though most of them despite age can be jaw dropping impressive at contemporary dancing for a few minutes at a time)

Anonymous. Here you go again. trying to justify both your lack of understanding and your none ability to face facts. First where did the three drives come from, only two were mentioned by Richard Gleave. If you want another quote on the same steps from another former world class dancer I can easily quote from his tape. If you were to compete in the up coming International in London , both of these gentemen would be your judges. Just to clarify this. You would teach a downward swing on the first step when you are already down from the previouse movement. Yes or No.

"Just to clarify this. You would teach a downward swing on the first step when you are already down from the previouse movement. Yes or No."

I would teach, and I'm pretty sure your favorites dance, that the downswing continues right on through the third step and, someplace in between the third step and the first blends seemlessly into the upswing. There is no new lowering - just a finishing of what you have started, so that your movement can be continuous and elegant, rather than rough and choppy.

As for two drives vs three, I misread your post. Not that it matters. Drive adds energy, swing conserves energy, so less needs to be added. Both have their roles, and neither is enough on its own. When someone teaches a lesson about drive, they are approaching the ultimate actions from the other side of the coin than when a lesson about swing is being taught.

Just for laughs, a an Amazon "search inside" of "Ballroom Dancing" by Alex Moore finds 32 pages with the word "swing" and none with the word "drive". I doubt either will be found in the ISTD's version of "The Ballroom Techinque"

There are even many examples of the phrase "forward swing" to be found in "Ballroom Dancing"

Guess maybe it's possible then, no?

Anonymous. You seem to be now agreeing with what is taught on the tapes that I have put forward. Your paragraph 3 when you wrote that the downswing continues through the third step and sometime through the third step blends with step one. Actually I wouldn't use the word downswing or class three as a step, Neither would I use the word swing untill I arrived at the end of step one.But I do know what you mean.