Natural Turning Figures in Foxtrot

On the difference between Natural Turn, Natural Weave, and Hover Cross:

• Natural Turn: On second step, hips and frame are square to line of dance. 
• Natural Weave: On second step, hips stay square, frame continues to turn to left side leading so lady can step OP on step 4, hips stay square to LOD
• Hover Cross: Between step 2 and 3, both hips and frame turn to face center. Then frame stays square to center, while hips turn to step OP wrongside  position, and then back to normal OP.

Foxtrot Technique (Lady's perspective)

Foxtrot technique (mostly from Lady's perspective):

• This is all about the quality of movement.
• For Foxtrot, don't think about rise and fall, it's all built-in the footwork already. If you do rise, that probably means you are popping up and doing too much rise.
• Natural Weave: After heel turn, do not pop up, absorb rise in knee.
• Going into Three Step, Natural Turn, Natural Weave: really need to pay attention to:
• The previous last step (RF back): completely settle, before moving "across" on LF stepping back. Otherwise, it appears to have "double lowering" problem. The lowering/settling need to be in sync with the Man.
• Keep left. It's very easy to lean into Man's space during Natural turning figures. So really make sure to stay left.
• Practice Feather Step and Three Step continuously:
• Other than step 3 of Feather Step which is CBMP, all other steps are straight back in straight tracks (leave room for Man). The CBMP step makes the movement veering toward mans' left (lady's right), but other than that, everything else should be straight. Don't make waves (either to left or to right). 
• Feather Step connecting to Three Step (step 4, Lady RF back): make sure knee is top of right toe, straight, knee should not be turned out.
• Lady is on high heel and normally has smaller feet, so it's even more important to take the time to roll through the feet and not rush, as Man has bigger feet to roll through. Controlled rolling through feet, no wobbly feet.
• Reverse Turn: the heel drag on LF should not be too quick, it should be in sync with Man.
• Moving back: extend the thigh back to gain more length.

Foxtrot Natural Turn, Natural Weave, and Hover Cross

The Foxtrot Natural Turn, Natural Weave, and Hover Cross have the same steps for the first two steps, and it is after that they differentiate. For the leader,

• Step 1: RF forward, with CBM
• Step 2: LF forward, and then when transferring weight, turn hips
• Brush RF to LF before taking next step on RF.

Then

• On Natural Turn, after turning feet and hips to face may partner on step 2, hips and shoulders stay flat, as  lady steps between leader's feet.
• On Natural Weave, on third step turn shoulders and ribs right, to lead lady outside partner
• On Hover Cross, on third step turn both shoulders and hips to allow lady to pass.

ISTD Waltz Syllabus: descriptions, step by step diagrams, videos

There has been a lot of updates on the website! For the International Waltz Newcomer and Bronze Syllabus figures listed below, in addition to timing, step by step descriptions, alignment, footwork, technique notes, we've also added step-by-step diagrams, including all the official variations, preceding and following figures and instructional videos that demonstrated the patterns.

Newcomer level:

1. Closed Changes
2. Natural Turn
3. Reverse Turn
4. Natural Spin Turn
5. Whisk
6. Chasse from Promenade Position

Bronze level:

1. Closed Impetus
2. Hesitation Change
3. Outside Change
4. Reverse Corté
5. Back Whisk
6. Basic Weave
7. Double Reverse Spin
8. Reverse Pivot
9. Back Lock
10. Progressive Chassé to R

Happy Dancing!

Newcomer Samba and Foxtrot

Some points of Foxtrot technique:

• We've become accustomed to trying to fix our frame into position. Actually, the frame has to be flexible. The most important thing is that the body contact is good, so if the man moves his arm out of good frame, for example, it doesn't cause the lady to lose contact, and thus the lead. There are some ladies who get into a beautiful frame at the start, wide elbows, shaping left. But then, as the dance progresses, they can't make adjustments as needed during the dance, so that when things start to go wrong, they just keep getting worse. On the other side, there are ladies who are able to adjust, sometimes the feet are not doing the right thing at times, such as passing the feet when she should be locking, but it doesn't matter, it could still feed very good to dance with the lady, because the connection is always there and is always good. If the frame and the connection look good, the audience could hardly tell what's wrong.
• When the lady steps out of a heel turn, the rise and fall should be gradual. She rises as she steps forward, and lowers as she completes the step.
• When a man makes a heel turn, he does not rise until the end of the second step, in contrast to most figures in waltz and foxtrot where the rise begins at the end of the first step.

Samba practice routine:
It includes an "alternative side basic" step: start on the right foot, step in place on right foot on 1, step side left with partial weight on 'a', replace weight on RF on 2.

Natural phrasing of Samba is 8 beats, indicated with (8) below.

1. 2 complete reverse basics (8)
2. Side basic to left and to right
3. Whisk to left and right (8)
4. Whisk to left
5. Lady's left turn to PP
6. Two samba walks in PP (8)
7. Forward Samba Walk in PP
8. Side Samba Walk
9. Turn to face partner for Two Stationary Samba Walks (8)
10. 2 Alternate Side Basics
11. 2 Boto Fogos, hand to hand (8)
12. Boto Fogo, man stepping with left foot first
13. Five Voltas to mans' left, with Boto Fogo ending. (8)
14. Two complete natural basics, a quarter turn on each, to complete a half turn. (8)
15. Alternate Side Basic
16. One Boto Fogo
17. Five Volta's to man's right, with Boto Fogo Ending. (8)
18. Alternate Side Basic
19. One full reverse basic, turning 1/4
20. Forward Half of reverse basic, turning 1/8 (8)
21. Back Half of reverse basic, turn 1/8
22. Samba bounce in place to complete count of (8)

Interestingly, both of coaches talked about Phyllis Haylor, who apparently had a large part in creating modern ballroom dance. As a little bit of history, our coach mentioned that all turns were to the right, and the standard dances were all fairly linear down the floor. Phyllis Haylor introduced the idea of dancing diagonally across the floor in the 1920's, and introduced turns to the left, or reverse turns. Other patterns, such as the Telemark and Telespin, were introduced when Haylor's partner made a mistake, such as overturning. The resulting mistake was attractive, and so was done intentionally after that. Our instructor says that she and her partner are one of the few couples that do the Telespin as originally done by mistake, and it has become one of their trademarks.

Newcomer Samba and Foxtrot

Break down the samba walk in great detail:

• Start with feet together.
• Straighten the legs on 'and'. 
• Step back with the right foot. 
• Keep weight forward. On 'a', land with split weight, heel does not touch the floor.
• On 2, in order for the weight to be returned completely to the left foot, the left foot needs to slip a little so that the left knee can bend.
• Do this very slow. To help understand the motion, watch Joanna Leunis do a slow motion stationary samba walk in an exhibition. I found examples of it here and here. In particular, notice that the hip starts moving before the leg, because the bounce action precedes the foot movement.

On the basics, natural and reverse stepping forward, and on side basic, the trailing foot has the instep facing front, line of ankle bent, pushing off on ball of foot.

Some technical details on the balance and body position for the latin dances.

• Rumba: weight is low, below the navel, and the body is pretty straight up and down.
• Chacha, weight is held above the navel, same balance as rumba.
• Samba, weight is held at the sternum, body leans forward, heels just "kiss" the ground.
• Jive, weight is held high, in the chest, body leans forward until just short of the point where you fall forward. Then the hips go back to restore balance.
• Paso, the weight is held up in the base of the neck, and the balance is far enough back so that you can lift your toes off the ground.

Our instructor also broke down the feet, for the purpose of dance, into the heel, the arch, the ball, the platform, and the toe. The platforn is what one is standing on in releve in ballet. The instructor said you could tell which Latin dance was to be performed just from the posture of the dancer, based on these principles.

In foxtrot reverse turn, the way a heel turn is led is that the man steps on a practically straight knee. This stops movement forward. This is what is meant by early rise.

Lesson on Samba and Foxtrot

Samba technique review:

• Feet stay in contact with the floor
• On the up part of the samba bounce, the bottom sticks out. This powers the slip step of the samba walk, and allows the back foot to pass around the front foot on Voltas.

Foxtrot practice routine:

1. Preparation step LF, S, slightly left of LOD
2. Feather Step   (SQQ)
3. Three Step   (SQQ)
4. Feather Step   (SQQ) 
5. Reverse Turn   (SQQ S) checked, end BDW
6. Basic Weave   (QQ  QQ QQ)
7. Three Step   (SQQ)
8. Natural Turn   (SQQ)
9. Closed Impetus and Feather Finish   (SQQ SQQ) - changing LOD
10. Three Step  (SQQ)  
11. Natural Turn  (SQQ SSS)  

• It's important to collect before a slow step. Slow steps are driving steps, we coast on the quick steps. 
• Three Step footwork is special: as the second step is taken Heel-Toe (in the chart, it's listed as first step, the first Q. The previous S is the last step of Feather Step.), rolling up onto the toe. 
• Caution on the Natural Turn: After a lady learns the Natural Weave, it is very easy to go outside partner after 1-3 of the Natural Turn, but she should be careful to do that only if it is lead. 
• Where the Waltz is like being on a swing, the Foxtrot is like a monkey swinging from vine to vine, including the turning of the frame from left to right. Another way of describing it is that it's like rowing a boat. The need to collect and drive on the slow gives the image of the stroke of the oars in the water propelling the boat, and while the oars are out of the water, preparing for the next stroke, the boat coasts. Similarly, all the power to move across the floor comes on the slow step in foxtrot, and one coasts on the quick steps, until it is time for the next slow to drive further down the floor.

Lesson on Waltz and Foxtrot

Heel Turns
Do not lean into turns which throws off the balance of the partnership. Basically, it will knock the lady over. Secondly, soften legs, and roll across the feet. To review, using the closed impetus as an example,

1. Man: step straight back with left foot. 
2. Man: draw right foot back even with LF
3. Man: turn on left heel, with weight distributed so that the ball of the foot still brushes the ground, a half turn.
4. As Man rises on his right toe, Man corkscrew up, for up to another 3/8, before stepping back on his left foot, for a total of up to 7/8 of a turn

On the heel pull, Man needs to step the turn on 3 after 1/4 of a turn, and rolling onto the inside edge of the ball of the left foot, push off onto the right foot.

Foxtrot versus Waltz
A difference between waltz and foxtrot. In foxtrot, we only drive on the first step, and swing the leg on the second step. In waltz, we drive on the first and second step, and the swing is what brings our feet together to settle at the end of the third step. When practicing the difference in a waltz natural turn versus foxtrot, in the waltz, after the first step, Man puts his left foot forward on the ground, without weight, pointing it, and then pushes off the right foot. In foxtrot, after the first step, Man turns his body, bringing his left foot under me, before then swinging the left foot back. This is part of the difference between leading the lady to pass her feet or do a heel turn, respectively.


Turns
The mechanics of partnership and the axis of rotation on turns. There are three possible axes Man could be rotating around when he is on the outside of a turn. These are the lady's sternum, her outside shoulder (outside of the turn) and her elbow. The first two apply, respectively, to foxtrot natural turn, and a waltz natural turn, for example. The elbow would apply for turning into promenade position, for example. Paying attention to having the right axis of rotation for our turns. When Man is on the outside of the turn, he does not turn around his center, his body should swing like a door.


Footwork
An exercise to practice: move from foot to foot, side to side, and forward and back, rolling across the foot, inside edge to flat, flat to inside edge, heel to toe, and toe to heel. Within this, when you bring your feet together, practice lowering the heels with different timings. Use this exercise to warm up and get a feel for using the whole foot on the floor.


Turns
Sway is a consequence of movement, it is not done for its own sake. It would be technically correct to dance with little or no sway at all, there is a school of thought that promotes this, but it would be most suited for very tall couples that could still travel effectively down the floor with, what is for them, small steps. But movement is required to be noticed by the judges in a competition, so for most couples they will be taking big enough steps to require sway.

Frame
Our coach's philosophy is that the lady's elbows are the determinant of proper frame. The man's role is more practical, and the point is to display the lady, so the man's frame should be such to allow the lady's elbows to be even with the shoulders. As a point of reference, when I practice by myself, I should hold my right arm so that if I close my right hand to me, it would come to the center of my chest for the swing dances, and to my sternum for tango. Practice holding one of those hourglass shaped carwash sponges between right hand and chest to simulate having a lady there and keeping my right side frame in the right place.

Lesson on Foxtrot

A Foxtrot practice routine:

1. Preparation step, facing DC
2. Feather Step  (SQQS)  
3. Reverse Turn  (SQQ SQQS)  
4. Three Step  (QQS)  
5. Natural Turn  (SQQ SSS)  
6. Repeat

The way we maintain connection is that our bodies never stop moving, at most they change speed and direction. If I carry through smoothly without stopping my body, it is easier for my partner to stay with me. From the followers side, the followers body should be moving out beyond her feet before she steps forward on her heel turns.

Regarding Foxtrot, waltz, and American versus International Styles: In International style foxtrot, the feet always pass each other, at least at the newcomer and bronze level, whereas waltz is characterized by the feet coming together and the weight settling. Because of that, foxtrot is characterized by a metronomic swing, and waltz by a pendulum swing. In other words, waltz has sway, while foxtrot emphasizes more leg swing. Contrasting American and International, our coach characterized American Slow Foxtrot as American Slow Waltz with Foxtrot timing. She also talked about a fundamental difference being that American Foxtrot allows for open holds. This came up in the context of Wrong Side Outside Partner Position, where my left foot is to the right of the lady's left foot. In American Foxtrot, in two-hand hold, it is possible to go directly from Outside Partner Position to Wrong Side Outside Partner Position. In closed hold, some intermediate positions are required.

The three step was described as feeling like tango in the first two steps. The footwork the coach gave me on the three step is H, HT, TH. This is different from the official syllabus, which says HT, TH, H. We stay flat through the beginning of the second step. The reason for this is that we need a right side lead to bring the lady back in line after a feather finish, which in turn prevents the leg swing that would naturally result in a rise. As we come out of that second step, with CBM for the third step. This understanding will probably have to evolve a bit. But needing to stay flat to bring the lady in line seems to make sense. My instructor says she hasn't yet gotten a satisfactory explanation from her coaches, but will keep asking.

Natural turn: the heel turn and the heel pull - just like on the heel turn, Man needs to turn on his left heel, and then step side with his right foot and settle weight on that foot.

Lesson in Foxtrot and Samba

In Foxtrot,

• Precision in footwork, it's something that one tends to forget. 
• Feet need to point in direction you are moving. Do not turn out the feet.
• Rule of 1/4. Feet shouldn't be turned out more than 90 degrees. 
• Collect my feet on the appropriate steps.
• Early rise when leading a heel turn. It is difficult for the lady to do a heel turn with bent knees, so Man needs to rise enough to allow her to have straight legs. In particular, this happens on the second step of the natural turn.
• One way to practice technique is to do Man and Lady's parts separately. Man would take his steps, and Lady takes her steps to judge where she needs to step. And vice versa. Similarly we could step at the end of the figure, and check our positions.
• Do CBM properly.
• Do not lean forward (for Man), or lean back (for Lady). Leave some room between Man and Lady's feet. If they are too close, we would be forced to either lean forward or back. The correction to this possible cause is making sure our relative foot positions are correct.

In Samba

• On stationary samba walks, should bring the feet together, the slip step is very small. When the foot steps back, the hip turns with it, and can be exagerated to enhance the action.
• Use the pendulum action of the hips.
• On going from side samba walk to criss-cross boto fogos, Man needs to keep the forward motion, and get his partner to keep moving, while Man holds back, without stepping back.

Beginner's Foxtrot

Steps are simpler in Foxtrot (in the sense that there are less number of steps), so focus on technique is important. The feet are always passing, so there is less rise and fall than in waltz. On the feather step, there is CBM on the first step, so the frame turns to the right. On the three step, CBM happens gradually across the three steps, so the frame is wound to the left by the end of the figure. The motion is likened to swinging like a monkey from vine to vine.

The feet stay in contact with the ground all the time. When stepping back, the leg needs to swing back like a pendulum. The tip of the toe touches first, and then one rolls back onto the foot. The heel does not touch the ground until the feet are even.

Posture, position, and frame: Position refers to the relative position of the man and woman. Because the man is normally taller and heavier, the lady needs to shape left and back much more than the man. In addition to shaping left, while keeping contact through the body, the lady also bends back at the 6th or 7th thoracic vertebra.