Can someone help me understand, please!

Using the basic waltz step I know that the footwork should be (lady) heel, toe, toe, toe heel.

My instructor has also put into the timing 1and2and3and, the and a gathering.

What I do not understand is on the first heel is my supporting leg a straight leg or as soon as I take the heel lead is ny supporting leg a bent knee.

Any other basic techinque thoughts on this would be welcome!

What you're describing is the technique of just about any basic walk in ballroom, so as you work on the fundamental walking action, your Waltz will naturally improve.

When you walk, in order to maintain the same height, the legs will continue to straighten as the feet move farther apart, then continue to bend as the feet come together. The legs are therefore at their straightest at the "mid-stride" position, when the feet are farthest apart. Mid-stride is the point at which the moving foot stops moving and first starts to take weight.

When I say "straightest" to describe the position of the knees, realize that it doesn't necessarily mean fully straight. "Straight" in this case is a relative term, so "straightest" is merely an indication that the knees are at their least bent (relative to the rest of the action), however they may still be bent to some degree.

Assuming no rise & fall, how straight your legs get ultimately depends on two factors: (1) the length of your stride, and (2) the amount of flex in your knees at the beginning of the walking action. For example, if you begin with your knees only slightly bent and take a stride of 36 inches, your legs will almost certainly be completely straight at mid-stride. On the other hand, if you begin in a deeply lowered position and move only 6 inches across the floor, your legs will be scarcely less bent at mid-stride than when you began.

That being said, in Waltz we like to bend our knees -- It's the "fall" part of rise & fall -- and ideally the length of stride is considerable. Therefore, the knees should probably still be at least slightly bent, even at their straightest point at mid-stride.

Regards,
Jonathan Atkinson
www.ballroomdancers.com

I would add that in a heel lead, normally you (and your partner) arrive onto a bending knee to make the path of rise gradual, and only end up with your body over a fairly straight leg during the 2nd or 3rd step (depending on type of figure).

However, if the lady is dancing a heel turn, then both partner's legs remain relatively straight during the arrival on the first step - the man doing this is a key component of the lead for a heel turn. But it's important to note that only lady's heel turns have this property. When the man is himself dancing a heel turn both partners arrive into a bending knee as the rise in men's heel turns occurs out of the turn rather than into it.