Did anyone say you can't learn from a video?

Basic steps performed very well, as on this video, are beautiful, and easy for the judges to 'read'. It can be difficult to perform them well. For example a feather finish into a 3-step is quite a tricky transition - if you want it to look really good.
I thought intro +64 bars was the regulation length of music for championship events like this. The phrasing is very easy to pick. I wonder whether this was a demonstration, as Hawking interprets the music perfectly, as if he'd prepared a routine for it.
I noticed that Gozzoli's partner does a couple of twitchy head movements as they move across the floor - as if she mis-read his lead. Interesting.
you can of course learn something from videos like this, but i don't think it's an efficient way to learn.

Phil. From the video. If you watch the Sway to the right on the Feather and the change in Sway on the Three Step with the right shoulder leading. This helps going from one to the other This can be seen on two of the couples and their partners as they perform their Wave . Which we know is for the lady a Three Step and Feather and so on, the sway is the same. Can you spot the slightly delayed step in the Wave by Timothy's partner. See if you can find any of the couples not in Rhythm. I can't. No matter how meny pivots they do into a Promenade or whatever they come out on 1234 and not 3412. I wonder what Jonathan Crossley was going to do when he had to go back into the corner. It must have been a change of mind. I think I can spot a couple of changes in Christopher's routine. I think the Swivels were to stall for a couple of seconds. I will be seeing him and Justyna plus Michael Malitowski and Joanna Leunis in August. I'll look for the swivel to see if they are there. You know at Blackpool they had to ask the audience to sit down with the standing ovation Brian and Carmen got, it just went on and on. Yes I can see those movement of the head you spoke about. You and I. Maybe we are the only ones who have been watching this video. If anybody wants to see what a Feather Step . Reverse Turn a Three Step another Feather into a Reverse Wave should look like you have 12 bars of dancing to watch and its free.

Hi Quickstep
Even with the sways on the feather finish and the 3-step, the transition is difficult to get perfect. The critical point (for me, anyway)is the movement between step 2 of the feather finish(onto my left foot) and step 1 of the 3-step (onto my left foot again). The lady has to do exactly the right things too.
I think Crossley could see that his path into his next group of figures would be blocked, so he went back to start again. And he does it perfectly and makes it look so simple. I haven't looked for those other things you mentioned

"The critical point (for me, anyway)is the movement between step 2 of the feather finish(onto my left foot) and step 1 of the 3-step (onto my left foot again). The lady has to do exactly the right things too."

You have to learn to sustain the movement of the lowering step, drawing it out longer in time and space as you let your bodies drift slowly down and across the floor. Otherwise you'll take that heel lead too early and heavily. (don't try to take a big step though... it's a fairly small "step" that gets carried along by a drawn out BODY movement).

You may also want to aim that left foot almost as if you were trying to step in front of the right foot in CBMP... think tango-type alignments. You aren't officially supposed to actually step into CBMP of course, but it can be helpful to think of almost doing so (and there are world-class teachers who will tell you to literally take it into CBMP). Otherwise your left foot may get stuck to far to the left, and sort of bypassed as your actual body movement goes somewhat diagonally to the right.

That goes doubly for the lady as there's something of a counterproductive natural tendancy to step wide when going backwards.

Phil. I was told that on my own, anytime I have a few minutes to spare to down the LOD with a Feather Step Three step and repeat and keep going, doing the correct sways and shoulder leading. There is nothing boring doing this practise going from one sway to the other and back to the first one again.
I have been told that after the Reverse Turn Feather Finish. Don't be too eager to find the diagonal yet. Try doing what is written in the book. Which is step 5 left foot to the side and slightly foreward, body facing wall. Anne Lewis on her video gave some specific instruction for the lady on that first step of the Three Step. I'll have a look and write down what she says. Did you see Anne in the white dress judging, on our side of the man.

"See if you can find any of the couples not in Rhythm. I can't."

Try listening to it with your eyes closed, and pausing the play on various beats, then opening your eyes and looking where they actaully are in the action.

You'll find things aren't as you'd expect.

It's not a dancing mistake, but there's something very interesting going on in that video...

Eyes can be deceiving... run the actual experiment with pausing the play while listening only AND NOT WATCHING.

Hi Anymouse
I did what you suggested, stopping the music on lots of beat 1's. The dancers were doing what i would have expected them to do.
But there's no need to do this. It's easily possible to watch the dancers and focus on the music at the same time. After all, the judges are doing that. Nothing looks seriously out of place (there are a few little hitches, as you would expect).
What do you think is funny about the video, and in which parts do you think there is something 'funny' going on?

Try stopping it on beat three and seeing where they are in the actions.

If you have videos from other sources of the same people, or even the same calibre of dancers, try the same with those for comparison.

I tried that too, and couldn't see anything unexpected. Maybe it's your media player.
I thought i saw Crossley doing a fallaway using 4 quicks!!