Two of our very best dancers or any others. If they did S Q Q on any of the Foxtrot Steps they will not do them exactly the same. There style of dancing remains. The interpretation does not.
Isn't it nice to be able to see a top dancer doing a Feather step and a Wave with Basic timing. The same timing we are taught and try to do.
Not a word about Jonathan Crossley and the skillfull way he avoided a collision. Didn't you see how he used beat 4 on his RF and then beat 1. with his LF and did the Feather on 2 3 4. Did you see Chris Hawkins do something simular where his Swivells left him with a Q on his LF and then into the Feather all Q's
You no doubt would have seen how the legs carry the body and nobody is letting their weight go in front of their feet and falling onto their next step.. If you look close enough all of them on a Reverse Turn on the second step are backing their line of dance. And also can you see that on a step to the side on step 2 of the Reveres they are on two toes having risen on the LF as the RF foot is passing. Not coming off a flat foot.
Look also at the conection of the right area of the chest of each partner. Which is touching that of the other when in a Closed Hold. You might like to take a look at Chris Hawkins and partner for that one.
Then we have the Basic timing in the Wave by Hawkins and Cozzoli landing those quicks on the button. I suppose we can all dream can't we.

"Two of our very best dancers or any others. If they did S Q Q on any of the Foxtrot Steps they will not do them exactly the same. There style of dancing remains. The interpretation does not.
Isn't it nice to be able to see a top dancer doing a Feather step and a Wave with Basic timing. The same timing we are taught and try to do."

Er, that would be the same timing taught by all serious teachers, which you've been vehemently arguing AGAINST. What you have here is proper timing: A final quick that is drifted out to more than a beat and a half in duration.

"Not a word about Jonathan Crossley and the skillfull way he avoided a collision. Didn't you see how he used beat 4 on his RF and then beat 1. with his LF and did the Feather on 2 3 4. Did you see Chris Hawkins do something simular where his Swivells left him with a Q on his LF and then into the Feather all Q's"

I would not quite call those all Q's (that's oversimplifying grossly), but it is clear that neither dancer executed a NORMAL, ORDINARY feather. If we were to see their ordinary feather it would have quite different timing than that (more like Howson's at the beginning) But because a normal feather wouldn't fit the situation, they didn't dance one.

"You no doubt would have seen how the legs carry the body and nobody is letting their weight go in front of their feet and falling onto their next step.."

Actually, I see a lot of body projection, and a very definite use of fall to create movement!

"And also can you see that on a step to the side on step 2 of the Reveres they are on two toes having risen on the LF as the RF foot is passing. Not coming off a flat foot."

No one ever suggested they would be coming off a flat foot there!

"Look also at the conection of the right area of the chest of each partner. Which is touching that of the other when in a Closed Hold. You might like to take a look at Chris Hawkins and partner for that one."

Yes, Justyna lack's Hazels alignment in the core. She's more willing to flow her waist at him (and in the process sacrifice lower back posture) than Hazel was. Hazel didn't let Chris distort her and as a result they gapped sometimes, but Justyna being very much the juniour partner appears to assume that whatever Chris does must be right.

"Then we have the Basic timing in the Wave by Hawkins and Cozzoli landing those quicks on the button. I suppose we can all dream can't we."

You see good dancing, but you completely fail to understand what you are looking at! The first quick is on a beat, but the second is NOWHERE NEAR ONE... That's basic, proper, timing all right!

Anonymouse. going back to Jonathon Crossly. As he does his Reverse movement ( which is a Fallaway plus ) you will see readable choriography. each step is clean and on the beat.If you were to see some steps being blended in with each other and the music. that to an adjudicator would be unaceptable. The same can be seen with the other competitors in the Wave. All very precisely performed, Basic timing. Remember this is not a Demonstration , it is a Competition. don't get the two confused. What you are watching on that video by all the couples are reletively simple steps. I've already copied the Fallaway without a Slip Pivot. As well as
Chris Hawkin's Swivells ( very handy if you get stuck in a corner.
Onto the Latin. Do you see how Klongsdale instead of Foreward and Back Basic's sending the lady to the Fan Position and coming out uses Cucarachas instead.
Back to Modern.
Nothing is being said about Sway. As well as being a decoration it also put some weight from the LF to the RF. John Wood teaches on his video that the left hip is lifted on the second step. He adds I don't care if you think of lifting the left hip or if you like think of lowering the right.
So ask yourself . What does Sway do. Can you dance correctly without it. I did say correctly. Happy Dancing

"Anonymouse. going back to Jonathon Crossly. As he does his Reverse movement ( which is a Fallaway plus ) you will see readable choriography. each step is clean and on the beat."

WRONG. Once again, you post based on your imagination, in direct conflict with the FACTS.

The FACT is that the interval between his 2nd and 3rd steps is only about 80% of a beat. Which means they can't both be on beats.

"If you were to see some steps being blended in with each other and the music. that to an adjudicator would be unaceptable."

On the contrary ANYTHING ELSE WOULD BE INTOLERABLE FOR FOXTROT. You still grossly misunderstand the entire dance: it is not about stepping on beats, it is about DANCING YOUR BODY - NOT YOUR FEET! Trying to step on beats during most figures would absolutely destroy the musicality of the body movement, which is where it is at for standard.

"The same can be seen with the other competitors in the Wave."

More gross ignorance. A wave has ordinary SQQ timing, which is to say that ONLY THE MIDDLE STEP FALLS ON A BEAT. The others DO NOT.

Phil, I don't look at the feather step as having a hover but rather a drift(the slowing down of the body in flight by gravity) but to have drift you have to have flight,so I think it is more important to concentrate on body swing and flight and let the drift take care of itself. To me a hover is when we sometimes' not allways mechanicaly control the timing of drift rather than let it just happen? You have to be a very good dancer to do this. Doug

Hi Doug
Maybe i'm using an inappropriate word. However, what i'm trying to do is this (and i may be wrong to try to do this - please comment if you think so): In a sequence of steps like feather - reverse turn - feather finish - 3step, which is a nice basic sequence we start our routine with, i always think of the 2nd and 3rd steps of each figure as the 'showy' steps(especially 2nd step). Step 1 provides the drive and body flight (or i suppose the opportunity for body flight).
So i want those showy steps to last as long as possible. So i get to step 2 a little early and then make it last as long as i'm able. I do the same on reverse turn, feather finish (not sure about 3-step).
Now maybe i shouldn't be doing this, but it feels nice.
This is the only way i can explain the 'hover' or drift i'm trying for.

"So i get to step 2 a little early and then make it last as long as i'm able."

I think you do want to drift out the second step and delay arriving on third just about as long as you comfortably can.

However, I don't think you should be trying to arrive on step 2 any earlier than beat three. The extra time comes from placing step three at least a half beat after beat four, NOT from hitting step 2 early.

Hi Phil, What you are doing seems great to me providing you dance the 2cd step on the third beat? I am suprised that you are only just going into prechapionship with your knowledge and understanding,just don't dance slow quick slow. I still feel that body flight should be your main consideration. Good Luck Doug

You're right - body flight is my top priority.
From the discussions on this topic, it seems i simply have to delay my dancing by half a beat relative to what i've been doing up till now (at least for feather -reverse turn - feather finish combination)
I tried this on monday, and it felt a little un-natural, but i'll do it again tonight. But it's body flight i'm really working on.
One of my weaknesses has been not carrying my weight through my foot properly, and trying to dance the next step before completing the current one. This comes from years of racket sports where you have to think about the next shot all the time. WHOOPS - is that another topic

Phil. That delay on the second step is controlled by delaying the foot that is behind you with a bit of foot pressure.. If you look at the Feather Step on this site you will see it clearly. Which brings me to. The foot that is the most looked at, is the foot that is behind, lady or man. That is why they say Stand on the standing foot longer. Move it too quickly and the line of the legs is gone. The picture is lost.Latin is the same and is called a leg line. They do not want to see a foot dangling on the end of a leg.
Body flight. Not mentioned in the technique book. All that is needed is to move the weight which is over the heel to the ball and the now moving foot takes over going ahead of the body. If you look at Timothy Howson, which we can easily find . I do not see the body in front of the feet. Whoever it was thought of the words body flight most likely saw dancers sitting over the heel and the supporting heel not leaving the floor at the correct time Which should be as the heel of the passing foot passes the toe of the standing foot. Which to anybody who has been in the British Armed Forces and had their share of Ceremomial Drill. Would compare the Slow March ( that's the one they do at military funerals ) with the foot work in ballroom. To quote the book. As the Right foot passes the toe of the Left foot, the Left heel will be released from the floor. Page 9.
Any playing about with the timing is up to the individual. What you will see is at the end of beat four on an (and) count, is the body coming into a balanced or neutral position before the Reverse Turn is commenced right on the first beat of the new bar of music.
Ladies move your leg before your body when going backwards. That also goes for the man. Stretch and then move. If anybody can see any of the couples on the video doing anything other than the correct technique as laid out in the book. feel free to say and point out where.