A supporting foot either propels or takes weight.

Counting beats ;one,and;two,and;three,and; propelling starts on dot(;) and continues during letters of a number. Taking weight starts on dot(,) and continues during letters of a and.

Waltz 123 Natural Turn:

;one Left foot propels forward. (Right foot moves forward
,and Right foot takes weight(HT). (Left foot moves forward beside the right foot.)
;two Right foot propels rising towards the left foot. (Left foot moves sideways.)
,and Left foot takes weight(T). (Right foot closes half way towards the left foot.)
;three Left foot propels gently upwards to continue rise. (Right foot closes beside the left foot.)
,and Right foot takes weight(TH).(Left foot releases the floor ready to take the next step)

;four Right foot propels .... (Left foot moves .....)
,and ....
......

SQQ: And your point is?

";one Left foot propels forward. (Right foot moves forward
,and Right foot takes weight(HT)."

I would think many would call that dancing behind the beat - wouldn't you want to see the right foot placed (or perhaps even weighted) on "one"? Wheras you seem to have that happening a half beat leater.

What you have described sounds much more like counting the STEPS - but it doesn't seem to match the usual interpretation with respect to BEATS.

The steps match the beats. Not the beats match the steps. Without music there is no dance. So whilst arguing lets get things the right way around.

"The steps match the beats. Not the beats match the steps. Without music there is no dance. So whilst arguing lets get things the right way around."

Anon3, the beats may match your idea of the steps, but it is impossible for them to match the book's idea of where the steps start and end.

The reason is simple:

1) The book defines steps to start and end where the feet pass.

2) Most people consider a step on time if it lands on the beat

3) The feet have to pass a noticeable amount of time before the step lands

4) Therefore the steps have to begin a noticeable amount of time (not quite a half beat, but close) before each beat.

I cannot stress enough that I am not talking about the timing of the actions continue to use your artistic judgement for that. What I am talking about is the undeniable fact that the steps AS DEFINED IN THE BOOK do not line up with the beats of music, but are actually offset from them. To dance a book "step" and land it on the beat as you would presumably like to, you must begin that "step" BEFORE the beat because a book "step" includes actions that happen before the landing.

Anonymous. I don't think it matters really. But I can remember seeing a description of where a step ends is as the foot draws up to the foot supporting the weight. So therefore that is where it begins. I'm begining to understand how this teacher after the slow which he called slow and, and being the second beat He went into half beats on the remaining two quicks. I can see that after the first quick my foot is still behind and moving through an and count. So now I have a quick and an (and) to use up which leaves me with a neutral or if you like a gathering of the weight prior to the Reverse on the count of and.