Leading Heel Turns

Man leading heel turn:

• It is very common for the lady to feel like the man is knocking her over. This is because he is turning his body too soon.
• If he is pulling her down on the third step, it is because he did not brush his feet and collect his weight before taking his next step.
• The man has to step around the lady, who has finite radius, before he turns her.
• Early rise: some coaches say Man leads heel turn by rising early - though the ISTD Ballroom Technique has no mention of early rise. It is still "rise e/o 1".
• More consistent with ISTD Ballroom technique, and recommended by other coaches, the man leads the heel turn by leading the lady to put her weight on her heels.

When dancing, think about actions, rather than figures, such as Natural Spin Turn action, or Feather action, as the figures are composed of actions, and the actions should feel similar across the different figures that use them.

More about Standard Technique.