"I tried that too, and couldn't see anything unexpected"

Interesting. Could you characterize at what point in a classic SQQ action you generally found them when you paused it right on beat three?

Are they in the same place in the action on this video as they are on other videos of the same dancers?

What might this reveal about our perception of what is "on time" when we watch dancing?

Phil. You did see Crossley doing a Fallaway including the Feather Step before it with all quicks Not only that when he leaves the corner in Promenade on the correct beat one and returns . Before that do you see him Hover and wait for a whole bar of music waiting for the correct beat. You obviously do and can count( not like somebody else I know who said he didn't need to count.) You will find none of them dance on the wrong beats of 3412 instead of the correct beats of 1234. You will see one relaxed knee into a Reverse movement, but it is a chasse to the right.I would flex my knee there also. It wouldn't feel comfortable with a straight knee anyway. If you have never been trained to dance on time in rhythm and in phrase as the dancers on the video do. Something funny going on is the person looking at his screen... That has nothing to do with Phil.
Regarding pauses by the dancers apart from Crossely. Hawkins pauses right near the end going into a Promenade position. I hope that puts paid to another stupid arguement where anybody can see it goes on all of the time. This also has nothing to do with Phil. Advice to anybody who has never been encouraged to count. Learn how to ladies and gents. And don't try to tell me ladies don't need to. I can assure you that everyone of those ladies on that screen would know exactly where they are with the music otherwise they wouldn't be there. Good Luck

To Anymouse
On beat 3 they were on their second step - feather step right at the start of the video....reverse turns all over the place. At one point it looked like 3 couples all dancing in synchronism making their second step in the reverse turn all on beat 3. Actually, how they dance is exactly what i'm trying to do ( pauses for a big sigh....)
To quickstep
I really don't have to count. Occasionally i do if i have a 'confidence crisis' in a comp but, especially in foxtrot, when i'm dancing well i just absorb the music.
I still think this might be some sort of demonstration simply because Hawkins' interpretation of the music is absolutely perfect. If he was doing this in a comp (i.e. without knowing the music in advance), i'm extremely impressed.

"To Anymouse
On beat 3 they were on their second step - feather step right at the start of the video....reverse turns all over the place."

But PRECISELY where in the action of their second step were they?

Had the foot been placed for the second step?

Had the body arrived over the foot?

Had the departed foot started to move?

Had the feet already passed to begin the third step?

Was the third step almost placed?

I think if you make a detailed comparison of these questions between this video and others, you will find something rather interesting. But it will be more informative about how we watch dancing than about how we dance.

As I said weeks ago. This I was told.If we get our two quicks, in fact all our quicks on the black dots the slows will look after themselves. On the slows there are two beat. Each dancer will be different. One could be on the heel, the other already lowered. Plus we have the space between the slow and the quick which can be called (and). This gives a lot of scope for interpretation. But those quicks we are either right on or we have missed. That could be enough to get us wiped out at a competition if we begin to look as if we are chasing the beat.
About how we watch dancing than about how we dance. You can say that again.You'll get no arguement there.
It might be of interest to see, as the man is still on the heel of his heel lead. The lady supporting foot is still flat with the knee well forward towards her partner and has not yet started to move her body weigh back . Not untill she feels the drive by the man. What do you know. It's another pause in this dance where some mistakenly beleive there are no deliberate delays..

Phil or anybody else. How on earth can you dance and keep on time without counting. When man first drummed a hollow log. He only accompliment was the rustling leaves. Today it is possible on a recording to remove the rustling leaves and this is done on a rhythm only disk to day. I have never heard of a disk where the drumming on a hollow log as been removed. Which would leave you dancing to the rustle of the leaves and nothing else to guide you.
The music being played at Blackpool. There are no vocalists. The dancers know that the tempo to be played will be 28bpm. It will not bother them what song is being played. Did you notice in the corner before the swivels how Chris by using a few moves with the shoulders for one bar of music waited untill the beats he needed was being played.
I also cannot see anthing other than beat one being used for the first step of the Reverse Turn or any reverse movement. If i watch carefully i can see a deliberate straightening of the knee on the steps that need a straight knee. It is no accident that the leg is sraight.

Hi Anna
I can't explain exactly how this happens. Can you not tap your feet to a piece of music without counting? I'm sure you can. Can you pick out the first beat of a bar without counting? Well, you have to pick the first one as a starting point, so this must be possible. There are 'clues' in the music.
Try this. Go to the music store. Choose 'browse by album' and pick "the Best Vol 11"
On this disk, play the second track "greenwaves". There is no rhythm accompaniment- just a vocalist(this changes later - in fact this is a superb track). Could you not dance a slow waltz to this? And pick out the first beat of each bar. There are clues in the music itself. Its not just rustling of leaves.
Occasionally i count beats. In line figures, for some reson, and in some parts of our quickstep.

Phil. You couldn't possibly dance to to Greenwaves.The first eight bars you could. Then up to the 4th bar in the second phrase you would have to stand still or Hover. the 8th bar of music isn't there at all. If there was something providing the beats correctly and she did something different on every 4th bar and included a bar eight on every second phrasing. Its a nice tune very nicely sung.
I said previously I would take a look at Anne Lewis on the Three Step following a Feather Finish. First step RF of Three Step. It is wrong to place that step under the body. It must go to the side and the next step under the body, otherwise the Three Step will become too Linear. I never noticed before that in the good book on the charts there is a slight curve on that step and a note that the heel must be in contact with the floor. There is a lot more with the sway and changing of shape to assist this step coming from the Feather Finish. I hope this helps.
If you can freeze Crossly on the first step of the Fallaway. Have any of us ordinary people got that shape. Can you see the use of CBM In freeze frame it looks more towards a Contre Check don't you think. Anybody who hasn't been trained to use CBM will always look untidy and too physical.Then look at his second step and the alinment of the bodies as well as the size of the step. We can learn from videos but only if one knows what to look for. Good Luck.

"Phil. You couldn't possibly dance to to Greenwaves.The first eight bars you could. Then up to the 4th bar in the second phrase you would have to stand still or Hover. the 8th bar of music isn't there at all."

Utterly clueless.

Yes, the song drops out for part of a measure, but not a complete one. Any skilled dancer would have no trouble bridging that gap without thought. Because it's obviously a dance recording, we know it will pick up as if it had never dropped out.

I wrote a message. It got lost somehow. It went roughly like this. The phrasing by the singer can easily be picked up. On every second eight bar phrasing she starts a new phrase on what would be the eighth. Now eight becomes one. If your routine is choreographed to eight bar phrasing you will get out of phrase within your routine . At the end of the dance you will be four bars out. Did you notice how in phrase the dancers are on that Blackpool video. Watch Crossley in the corner.