Walk forward. Right foot is the standing foot. Left foot moving into position. Just before your left foot plants, push up suddenly from the standing foot (i.e. right foot). You will bob up a little (and bob forward too).I'm not saying this is a good dancing movement because you wouldn't normally sudddenly push in this way- it's an experiment.
Conclusion: Your body movement is still influenced by the standing leg even though your weight is in front of it. You're technically falling, but dancers don't look as if they're falling because they're controlling with their legs and feet (and other body muscles)

Phil.I would still ask. how can i be falling if i have contact with the floor.
I dont think your example is a good one for the simple reason that the standing leg has been pushing and is in control of the left leg right from the beginning. There would be no sudden acceleration but a steady one. That poor lady if you suddenly hit the pedal. You men. You are fiends sometimes

"Phil.I would still ask. how can i be falling if i have contact with the floor."

1) By being overbalanced with your center beyond your standing foot, as you normally are during part of each walking or dancing step.

2) By being over your foot but not resisting gravity sufficiently to maintain your altitude. Vertical lowering is also a falling action - a controlled and thus limited one, but a falling action. You don't pull yourself towards the floor afterall, you let gravity fall you down - but hopefully not fast than intended.

"I dont think your example is a good one for the simple reason that the standing leg has been pushing and is in control of the left leg right from the beginning. There would be no sudden acceleration but a steady one."

Of course - there's not need for a sudden acceleration when dancing. But because a normal dance action blends things so smoothly that it makes these underlying factual details less apparent, folks like you and Quickstep get some very wrong idea about what is and isn't happening. Phil was breaking it down to make these clearer.

I suppose it boils down to what is fall to you. I say again and add a bit more. How can you fall if you have even the lightest contact with the floor. If you said we lower, maybe. but fall never. You know that tree you said we dropped out of. If you did indeed let go of that branch, you fell. If you had one foot on the floor you didn't fall you lowered..

Hi Anna
How can someone fall when they have contact with the floor? How can you ask this? It happens all the time.
I think your comment about "that poor lady" refers to a different posting.
If it does, i can assure you the lady was doing it with everyone she danced with - including ANOTHER LADY (practising for an 'all ladies' competition).

Phil. Answering you message 5/31/07
I am not convinced at all. If it can be explained to me exactly where this fall takes place. 1.My feet are together just passing. 2.My weight is on my RF. The ball of the LF is in contact with the floor. 3. As it passes the toe of the RF it becomes a heel and the heel of the RF begins to raise.. 4. The standing foot pushes . 5. The Right knee is flexed. The knee of the LF (the moving foot) which was also flexed is now straightening 6. At the extent of the stride i am on the heel of the LF and the toe of the RF. both knees are straightish. 7. The push from the standing foot will carry the body onto the LF. which will be flexing. Exactly on 1.....7 am I falling onto the step. If this aledged falling is done through the feet and the knees. Then it is not falling. It would be a lowering. I cannot fall if both of my feet are on the floor. If you see a person with their moving foot clear off the floor. Yes they are falling. But even then if the foot does touch down at the end of the stride after being lifted ( which we all know is wrong ) then they are not falling. Has anybody given any thought at all to the lady going backwards who has a heavier contact with the floor than the man. Does she also fall onto her steps.

The use of the word " push " can lead to( no pun )disastrous results.

What actually is happening-- the laws of physics comes in to play. The correct term that would be more appropriate-- compress and release == kinetic energy.
How we distribute that momentum, and at what speed ,as in - Fwd, side etc. and or Slow or quick ,is the evolution of the aforementioned action .
The control of that " force ", is at the very core ( or should be ! ) of every thing we dance .

PS-- i have had to list under this new name ( was tangotime )

"What actually is happening-- the laws of physics comes in to play. The correct term that would be more appropriate-- compress and release == kinetic energy."

If you are going to criticize, you should first actually know what you are talking about.

You cannot compress and release kinetic energy. Compress and release could only apply to potential energy, stored for example in a spring. But you don't have any suitable springs in your body - your muscles are only springs for the purposes of small, very quick movements, not the large slow ones involved here.

You guys have done to much schooling. Keep it simple. A frog can leap from compressed legs. a high jumper compresses to leap as does a long jumper. When i bed my knees i am storing up energy. The more i bend them the greater the power i have at my disposal.