It seems to me that in calling the path of possibility circular, you are neglecting the momentum of the body, which as you should know is never zero when lowered.

Anonymous. I dont know about you but I lower verticaly in the Waltz at the end of three and. I then start to move into CBM on the and count.
In the Foxtrot at the end of the Feather lower and then I come to a neutral balance point with the weight over my RF before the Reverse Turn. Having completed the first three steps of the Reverse I will have feeling and a look of about to dive forward off a diving board. Any arguments there I suggest you go and have a look at your tapes. This allows a lowering and bending of the knee on step three. Very important but often missed. The reason for using a circle as a guide is we don't draw a square which is not natural for this type of work. Moving the foot in an arc from front to back also gives us our side distance. Just a reminder. The more the knee is bent the greater the distance becoming available.

You have to pick a direction before you lower, quickstep. So you possibilities are not even remotely circular.

Anonymous. The whole point of this excercise is to make a person aware that there are limits to the length or width of a step. Overstride and your footwork will suffer. Overstride and your rise and fall will disappear along with your posture. To go through it once again. Point the toe to the front and bend the knee. Then to the side, and the rear. Unless a person is built a bit odd this will form a half circle. Bend the knee some more. The half circle will become larger. These are the distances we can travell. I don't think that you are one of those who think the first one around the floor is the winner. You said. "So the possibilities are not even remotely cicular ". Not quite sure what you meant by that. A Spin Turn is very cicular, and how about a Double Reverse Spin. I think that Ballroom Dancing is a mixture of straight and cicular steps. First three Natural Turn. Wouldn't you say that the first step is straight. The second goes through an ark and the third step is straight. I doubt that anyone would not say that the second step, because my weight is on my RF. doesn't have a roundness about it. If it doesn't your left hip wont make it.

"The whole point of this excercise is to make a person aware that there are limits to the length or width of a step"

Yes, there are limits, but the primary factor determining the limit is the speed of your body at the time when you take the step. A step in the direction your body is moving can be fairly large (in fact it has a substantial minimum size) wheras a step in the direction your body is not moving would have to be very small indeed.

Drawing a circle on the floor doesn't really say much about where you can step, because you can't go any of those places unless your body is moving, and if you body is moving you can only go in that direction.

Anonymous. Bend the knee . Point to the side. That is your distance. Bend it some more. You will go further. A beginner who doesn't bend at all, the same rule will apply. Try to go outside your range will result in loss of rise. If you can go to the side with a larger step, how high on the toes are you as the feet come together. If like me you have written the telephone number, in case they get lost, under the shoe on the instep, it should be visible when I am on my toes. If you think todays dancer do not get that high on their toes I suggest you have another look.

Quickstep, all of your arguments are irrelevant because you must not take a step withouth preexisting momentum in that direction, and the size of the step is deteremined by the momentum more than by the standing leg action.

Anonymous. The standing leg is where the stored energy is. The more the knee bends the more energy there is to use. Like an elasic band , the more turns = an increase in energy.If you want to see how much the knee is used to generate speed, put the videos in slow motion and watch. The push by the way is not completed untill the whole of the foot is used right to the tip of the toe. Again look at those feet in slow motion.

Incorrect - there is no enduring energy storage in a bent leg. There is a very brief storage, but only on the order of "bounce" duration.

Ordinarily, if your leg is bent you must have either converted your potential energy to kinetic energy, or else lost it. If you don't plan on converting potential energy to kinetic, don't bend your knee. If you only plan on converting a little bit of energy, only bend your knee a little bit...

Anonymous. Do you have any tapes you can look at. It would appear not. I suggest you try to get a copy of an IDSF European or World Final where at least two of the dances are solo, meaning each pair perform on their own for the full one minute twenty. Before they dance as a group. We have had on cable , which I copied. All of 2002 through to 2005. I would suggest that in the one held in Russia ,the solo Foxtrot by Soale and Cersoli is one too watch for everything that would need to be known about the bend in the knee on the supporting foot. Richard Gleave was once asked how far would one lower. There is no limit as long as you can get up out of it. John Wood is one who gets incredibly low. If you have no tapes go to the learning center on this sight, choose Feather Step International Style. That's what it is their for. .