Nobody seems to be capable of answering the question I posed. Why is there a NFR. What will be the result if the lady rises on step one of a Natural Turn. Or step one of the first step of a Quarter Turn in the Quickstep
Or Step one in the Natural Turn V. Waltz.
Probably the V. Waltz is the most vulnerable. Come on you experts. Lets hear it.
Just reading through some of the earlier writing. Guys there is no swing onto step two of a Reverse Turn in the Foxtrot. Has any thought been given to what would happen to the lady if there was.

"Guys there is no swing onto step two of a Reverse Turn in the Foxtrot."

On the contrary, swing plays a critical role in this step.

It's more obvious in the man where it is a large full body action, but there is swing of the hips in the lady as well.

To answer your other question, NFR is used on the inside of any turn in which the inside partner swings up to the outside one. In the feather finish, the man is not swinging up to the lady as in the other turns, so he does not have NFR to stay "under" her, instead the situation develops to one where she swings under him.

Anonymous. Re you last statement. Is this related to the need for a variable step size and need for a smaller step size when swinging up to the outside one.

Good questions Polished. I would say W and QS are similar FT is different in the respects discussed. In outline, I'd say to do with the need for progression in foxtrot (ie heel release can be used to give a longer stride in ft) but keeping it down longer helps delay the rise and fall in waltz.

"Good questions Polished. I would say W and QS are similar FT is different in the respects discussed. In outline, I'd say to do with the need for progression in foxtrot (ie heel release can be used to give a longer stride in ft) but keeping it down longer helps delay the rise and fall in waltz."

It is not due to the waltz vs. foxtrot difference, but to the need to set up the man vs. woman difference for a continuity (passing) 3rd step.

We can see this from that way that in all three dances there is an open reverse turn which is somewhat like a reverse roles feather finish, however the lady has NFR instead of the THT that the man has in the feather finish.

Anonymous. The reason for NFR is so simple it gets overlooked. No Foot Rise will enable the couple to stay in the same position that they start in. If this is not done correctly they will lose there centre and spend the rest of the turn trying to get back to where they should be. Is it possible to dance without NFR. Yes, but it will never be clean and tidy, and the man will start to use strength instead of grace to get to where he knows he should be.
I'm a bit of an observer. I watch this couple who are Senior Competitors. They start with a Feather Step Three Step into a Wave. It is beautifully performed, it really is. But as regular as clockwork when they come out of the Wave to do another Feather Step they've lost it and start to struggle. What has happend is they have lost there centres. I suspect that between them their technique has gone out the window.
ALso some friends of mine on their first visit to the UK in their first lesson never got past the first three of the Natural in the Waltz without being told that the lady was out by some two inches by the time they closed their feet on three. I'll give you one guess what the reason was. Cheers

"No Foot Rise will enable the couple to stay in the same position that they start in. If this is not done correctly they will lose there centre and spend the rest of the turn trying to get back to where they should be. Is it possible to dance without NFR. Yes, but it will never be clean and tidy"

On the contrary, it works just fine with NFR, as I mentioned the open reverse turn with the lady on the inside is always danced with NFR on that step. And there is no losing of the centers as a result!

What does happen however, is that the man-woman dominance dynamic will change. There is no problem with this if we simply consider the position of two androgynous human bodies with relation to each other - the problem comes in only if we wish to preserve gender roles in the character of movement. By using THT instead of NFR on the inside of the feather finish, the man achieves the character of dominance in the subsequent outside partner action which is considered desirable in the male dancer.
When the lady does the same action, she uses NFR, and achieves the character of swinging up to her partner rather than being dominant over him.

"Anonymous. If my left foot is flat on the floor and my right toe is to the side. Where would you say my weight would be."

That depends on how far the action has progressed, and what you mean by where the weight is.

If the action has progressed to the point where the foot that is to the side is nearing its final placement, then your body should have already accomplished a fair amount of movement away from the standing foot.

At that point you body is no longer located over your standing foot. Of course you moving foot should not take any body weight until it stops moving, so the only source of support is still the standing foot. But in such a situation where the supporting foot is no longer under the body, the position will not be statically stable - you can't just stand in this position - its one that you can only move through.

That's why the nature of a pointing action as performed in actual dancing does not match the way it is often demonstrated by a teacher holding their body steady - it doesn't match because it's impossible to demonstrate the real thing with a stationary body, its only possible to dance through that position on the way to eventual arrival on the moving foot.

This is what the video on this web site clearly shows - a body that has begun moving away from the standing foot before the moving foot has achieved its ultimate position and alignment.

thanks anymouse. that is now much clearer to me.

one more thing - am i right in thinking the heel release will be much earlier in the corresponding step in ft. if so could you clarify exactly where.

"one more thing - am i right in thinking the heel release will be much earlier in the corresponding step in ft. if so could you clarify exactly where."

If by the corresponding step you mean step 4 of the reverse turn & feather finish, then that step is not TH NFR in foxtrot but is instead THT. The heel will only be actually on the floor briefly.