anne.

I do not think I shall post again, as I cannot bear this sort of rudeness.

If I do post any more questions I would prefer that jj would refrain from replying as I do not really wish to correspond with people like that. I thought it was a bad sign when he started quoting from my posts and correcting my spelling mistakes by putting in his own inserts such as (sic)- says it all doesn't it. Some people want to debate, some just want to lecture.

Why are you taking professional exams? Do you plan to teach? If so, you're going to have a rough time if you insist on being so thin-skinned.

Also, may I point out that you never thanked anyone who tried to help you in this thread. Your complaints of rudeness ring pretty hollow.

jj

As I said before I would prefer it if you (jj) did not correspond with me.

But may I thank everyone who has made a genuine contribution to the thread. I am sure I would have expressed gratitude eventually as I am really quite a polite person - it's just that I assumed the thread and the debate were still both on-going - silly me - I should have realised that once jj has spoken there is nothing more to be said.

Grow up.

jj

As I said before I would prefer it if you (jj) would not correspond with me.

It is unfortunate that we have to quibble. I have been dancing for 35yrs and have over the past four yours posed many questions and recieved many usefull and even long explanations. that have helped me a lot,since I no longer compete or take private lesson this site is a great help. Yes, some old timers do go over the top and I do get tired of hearing quotes from the past, but I am willing to put up with that when I think of all the time and energy they put into answering my questions. If anyone thinks they can't learn from this forum they don't no what their missing.

The use of quotes helps clarify which question is being answered or point rejoined, especially when there are intervening messages between a post and its response.

The use of quotes in such a manner is a common practice on every message board which I use including this one.

jj

Interested:
I'm sorry if I offended you, truly. Your question has merit but I personally find when something (a step or rise or whatever) is over analyzed, it sucks all the joy out of dancing. I just watched a couple of videos of the Hiltons dancing and I'd say that his rise and fall varies from step to step yet that did not take away from the wonderfulness of their dancing.
Who do plan to teach? You say have had a long and successful amateur career and I hope you can transfer your knowledge over to a successful teaching career. If you are going to coach championship level dancers, then your rise and fall concerns may be addressed. Beginners are scared off by too much technique right off the bat and if you make them feel they can't dance if their rise is off, they will never step on the floor. Beginners are most instructors bread and butter.
I am not a great dancer, bronze level at best, but I am a good teacher. Great dancers are not always great teachers. Anyways, I wish you well.

LadyDancer:

Please do not worry. You did not offend me, but thank you for the response.

I agree that these things are overanalysed. But I get fed up of theory that is clearly outdated ie not adhered to in practice by top competitors but still being expounded out there more generally. And there are so many paradoxes that some times I get genuinely confused by it. Your observation on the Hilton's is exactly my point. These things are not rigid.
And I get pretty fed up that when any attempt is made to air these issues, some people (those that can never be wrong) just start bulls----ing and get so defensive about it they go on the attack.

I am already teaching, not full time, in the sense I have another full time job, but teach three nights a week mainly children's formation....believe me they are perfectionsists !

Well-getting back to the subject

Perhaps the conclusion to be drawn is (in contrast to the initial text-book type answer that there is a clear difference between W and FT), that there is no difference in absolute footrise as long as whatever foot rise is used is in character - which mainly means that is the relative foot rise and the dynamics from step to step that is more important. Certainly the dancing of our top competitors seems to bear that out at least on a first glance.

So the question is why we have to say one thing for exam purposes when the reality is often different.