Footwork of Chasse in Cha Cha

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The footwork in technique book given for cha cha figures is normally 'ball flat throughout'. In the paragraph describing cha cha chasse, footwork is mentioned as:
ball, ball-flat, ball-flat for backward chasse;
ball-flat, ball, ball-flat for forward chasse.

An ISTD fellow advocates, however, ball, ball, ball-flat in all cha cha chasse.

Any comment?
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Skipper

Happy dancing - Waltz, Tango, Rumba, etc ^_^

I could be wrong, but it sounds almost like a speed issue. When the music is faster, it becomes more difficult to take a step onto the whole foot (ball-flat) properly and still be able to get out of it on time for the next step. By taking both of the 4& half-beat steps as ball and only the 1 full beat step as ball-flat, it may be easier to dance the chasses. You don't have to worry about getting down onto a flat foot and back out again very quickly. *shrug* Just my first thought on the subject.

It is very hard to explain in writting.
If you watch a Worlds best couple on Video giving a demonstration. You will notice that on the chasse the feet come close together , the moving foot the heel is high of the floor which with the feet inline, the knee, will be forward of your body. You then push to the side with your foot and extended all the way to the toe, which raises the hip on that side. If you are having trouble keeping up with the beat, just check that your toe goes into position early so that your heel is down on the beat and not lowering late. This would be on a Spot Turn for instance. One more important thing, make sure that the whole of your foot is in contact with the floor on all turns and Spirals. This is most important.

The footwork you give for a forward and backward chasse in the CCC is the footwork when the chasses become lock actions. The foot that is in a locking action position is the foot that uses the ball and not ball flat. i.e. step one when the chasse lock action is back and step two when the chasse lock action is forward.
Posted by: Iluv2Dance.

A lecture I attended given by Alan Fletcher,. He said that if he wrote a technique Book he would not use the term ball flat but would sustitute it for inside edge of toe. Thats what I have done ever since. When you think about it, if you are bringing your moving foot from behind, getting to a high instep as it draws level I find myself on the inside edge, so why alter it. I am talking more towards Rumba here. The Cha is basically the same though.