Hi anonymous
When you say "the time during which the the foot which takes a step is the moving foot" i think that would be slightly different from the time between the weighting of the feet. However, i think it's close enough to how i visualize it to make negligible difference.
On another point - when you say it doesn't matter if you assign the intervals to the step that ends them or the step that starts them - i think perhaps you didn't mean to say this. When we say a 'slow' we surely mean that the interval to the following step is a slow - not the interval from the previous step.
I agree that the 'official 'steps start when the feet pass, that's why these sorts of discussions can be very confusing. However, i generally think (and measure from a video if i'm doing this)of 'steps' starting from the placement of the foot. There's been this discussion before but all the slow waltz videos (and dance competitors) i've eve watched placed their feet on the beats. i know foxtrot is a subtle dance and it's not so simple as this.
One thing though is for sure - i don't normally place my steps exactly on the beats in foxtrot when i'm dancing well. We start our comp routine with the classic feather - reverse turn - feather finish - 3 step - natural turn and in all of those figures i'm getting onto the first quick (nominally beat 3) about half a beat early. It feels right that way.

"On another point - when you say it doesn't matter if you assign the intervals to the step that ends them or the step that starts them - i think perhaps you didn't mean to say this. When we say a 'slow' we surely mean that the interval to the following step is a slow - not the interval from the previous step."

No, I really meant that it doesn't matter - because neither one of these intervals is the slow. Instead, the interal between feet passing is the slow. When we speak of intervals between step placing/weighting, assigning them to the previous step vs assigning them to the next step is purely a matter of personal opinion, because officially they straddle the boundary between steps.

"I agree that the 'official 'steps start when the feet pass, that's why these sorts of discussions can be very confusing. However, i generally think (and measure from a video if i'm doing this)of 'steps' starting from the placement of the foot."

Yes, most people initialy do that - but I hope you are starting to see why it's counterproductive in foxtrot. I mean really, are you going to time your steps to a fraction of beat requiring two decimal places? No - you are going to time the overall movement of your body to match the overall progress of the music.

"There's been this discussion before but all the slow waltz videos (and dance competitors) i've eve watched placed their feet on the beats. i know foxtrot is a subtle dance and it's not so simple as this."

Exactly - foxtrot is not waltz. Or maybe we should say, foxtrot music is not waltz music. The steps are much more similar between the dances than the music is. A plausible model (though not a very good one) is to say that we dance waltz's three steps against foxtrot's for beats. That's not really right... but its probably more accurate than trying to literally interpret SQQ would be.

"One thing though is for sure - i don't normally place my steps exactly on the beats in foxtrot when i'm dancing well. We start our comp routine with the classic feather - reverse turn - feather finish - 3 step - natural turn and in all of those figures i'm getting onto the first quick (nominally beat 3) about half a beat early. It feels right that way."

Well, I'd recommend you try to hit that third beat right one as doing that is rather common advice. To do it, you will probably need to draw out your second quick so that you are starting your initial slows later. Wheras most people waist a lifetime starting the slow too early and then trying to wait for the music to catch up to them so that they can put the first quick on beat three. Don't get ahead of the music and wait for it to catch up to you, let yourself get "fashionably late" so that you can drive to catch up to the music.

In the Waltz, emphasis on the first beat is where the downward action to begin the swing to the second beat occurs. The swing is important in order to allow the lady to come thru the "door" you opening for her. Nothing happens on the third beat except your are collecting yourself to drop into the one again. In the Foxtrot its important drop down on the slow(first and second beats) to create the swing on the third beat in order to "swing" the lady thru on the finish on the four beat. It's really all about where the swing action happens.

"In the Waltz, emphasis on the first beat is where the downward action to begin the swing to the second beat occurs. The swing is important in order to allow the lady to come thru the "door" you opening for her. Nothing happens on the third beat except your are collecting yourself to drop into the one again. In the Foxtrot its important drop down on the slow(first and second beats) to create the swing on the third beat in order to "swing" the lady thru on the finish on the four beat. It's really all about where the swing action happens."

Mike, you have the right idea, but you are describing the downswing about a half step to a step later than where it needs to happen.

By the time you actually take place the first step of each figure, you need to be going up, not down - the swing from the first step to the second is upwards. You are right that it's power comes from a downswing, but that downswing happens during the third or final step of the previous measure, reaching it's lowest point when your legs are apart before you arrive on step one.

"If you can tell me of any tape or teacher of dancing who teaches what you are writting then I will stand corrected.."

Pretty much every teacher that I've taken more than one lesson with.

Which should be rathter obvious if you'd open your eyes and see that this is what every skilled dancer does.

Nobody places both quicks on the beat in SQQ-style figure.

You have the numbers, you can keep your head in the sand if you choose.

You are correct. The foot arrives first with body right behind.

Hey quickstep. GOod points. You mentioned Mirko steps on the one in the prep step. Is he really stepping on "and One", stealing a little timing from the end of the 3 in the waltz and eight in the quickstep? Just an observation, but I believe he counts it as "and one" in each prep, as if he's stepping on one but is really moving out at the end of three. I've watched his Standard demo a million times and I'm still amazed at how he moves with respect to the beat!

Mike. You might read the new posting to Jonathan.
Miko. and the rest do there tranferance of weight as usuall onto the RF 1 2. Then the LF 3 4. Hold it there and step LF for a quick. It is easily counted if you look at it as it is, and do not have any preconceived ideas. Only what is going on. It does help if a person is able to count the eight beats with the music. If a person has difficulty counting just watch for that step on the RF. If it is a quick the step before would have been a quick as well as the two steps following. That goes without saying once you determined how long the dancer stays on that RF. Count one. Best of Luck

"Miko. and the rest do there tranferance of weight as usuall onto the RF 1 2. Then the LF 3 4. Hold it there and step LF for a quick. It is easily counted if you look at it as it is, and do not have any preconceived ideas. Only what is going on. It does help if a person is able to count the eight beats with the music. If a person has difficulty counting just watch for that step on the RF. If it is a quick the step before would have been a quick as well as the two steps following. That goes without saying once you determined how long the dancer stays on that RF. Count one. Best of Luck"

Quickstep, whoever you are, get one thing through your thick head.

THE FEATHER STEPS GETS FOUR FULL BEATS.

They just are not algined with the four beats of the measure. If you carry the prep step over into the first meausare as most do, it is simply being danced as a drifted quick. And they will then carry the 3rd step of the feather an equal distance into the next measure.

The only time you would start with a drifted quick and possibly try to make up the time to end with the measure would be if you were going into a syncopated action.

Do you mean you are not capable of stepping LF one beat. RF one beat. LF one beat. RF one beat. If you can't something is wrong with you. All of our top dancers can and do.Mirko can do it can't he. Wake up and look.