Anonymous. Basics can you tell me of any top competitor who doesn't include a Featherstep Reverse Turn into a Reverse Wave once in their routine in the Foxtrot..The judges expect to see it . I have a copy of a Professional final when the comentator said. We are looking at six couples all starting with a Featherstep which they will do only once. The judges expect to see this. So why shouldn't the rest of us pay a little more attention to the very first step we ever learn in the Foxtrot.

"Anonymous. Basics can you tell me of any top competitor who doesn't include a Featherstep Reverse Turn into a Reverse Wave once in their routine in the Foxtrot.."

I never implied that it wouldn't be present.

What I said was that only very high level couples can safely depend on their quality of execution in these very transparent figures which show any and all flaws quite readily, to win events.

Most other's simply can't dance them well enough - the transparent figures make them look bad, not good. They probably should still do them, but they shouldn't make the mistake of depending on them as the entirity of their performance, because they simply can't dance them well enough for that.

To win, you need things that showcase what you can do, not things that remind everyone of what you still can't quite get right.

Only if your feather step is going to be the best one the judges have seen in months, can you really depend on it to win the competition for you.

"So why shouldn't the rest of us pay a little more attention to the very first step we ever learn in the Foxtrot."

We should pay a lot more attention to it, but we shouldn't let our entire presentation of foxtrot be limited to the obvious fact that our feather step will never quite measure up to what we'd like it to be.

Dance the best feather you can.

But do some other things that show your other skills too.

Guys, i think you're both in agreement but trying to make an argument.
Dance the figures that suit you. If you're tall and lean, the flowing movement of the basic feather, reverse turn ....3-step wil suit you. And this group of figures does represent the inherent characteristics of the foxtrot(that's my view anyway). If you really like doing them, work on them, it'll be so rewarding. But if you don't like them, or they don't suit you, do something else. But as i've said before, everyone needs a good repertoire of figures that they can do nicely, even though they may go through a whole string of comps without doing them.
Anymouse, would you agree that if a couple does perform a feather, reverse turn...etc and does it well, they're likely to be raised in the judges estimations, rather than if they stuck to other figures which they perform well. Obviously if they have a group that looks gorgeous, they should do that for sure. If only...

HEY!!
How did all this stuff get into a thread on the meanings of rhythm, phrase and timing??

Just thinking the same, Phil.

Phil, here's the site that she mentions. Maybe you'll have better luck finding the videos that she describes.

Superior Ballroom Events Scrapbook

jj