"I left the best till last. What exactly is John Wood on his tape saying when he said that on the Feather Step the lady moves to the man' s right. And also gives a demonstration of how this is implemented. I know. Once before you said that John Wood was mistaken and didn' t know what he was about. You still haven' t learnt have you. But lets have your answer to the above. It should prove intersting."

I'd have to hear and see John Wood himself - from your retelling I can't tell if he is mistaken (unlikely) or if you are misinterpreting him (almost certain).

Nonetheless, every teacher I have worked with - numerous private lessons with a wide variety of world champions engaged in training current champions - has said and done otherwise. There is simply no passing of the partner in a feather step!

"John Wood also goes through the dynamics involved in the rotation of the body which is also on the Feather Step second and third step."

Wrong. The rotation is officially confined to the first step. There might be a slight carryover into the second on some people, but that is a personal deviation from the accpeted technique.

"He also at the same time talks about going from a balanced to a balanced position. Not a word mentioned about going from balanced to unbalanced."

He's a dance teacher not a physics professor. His words accurately describe what he feels, but they are quote WRONG IN TERMS OF PHYSICAL REALITY. Despite the fact that your are off balance most of the time in a dance like foxtrot, you won't have that alarming feeling you think of as being off balance unless you mis-time or mis-aim the transition between balance and imbalance. If you do it right it will feel secure - imbalance in a natural and lifelong habit in walking!

"And nothing about a leading left side into a Reverse Turn. Or have you changed your mind on that one."

No. It's a pretty standard technical point. Take some PRIVATE LESSONS WITH THOSE WHO TRAIN WORLD CHAMPIONS and you will hear about it. You have to stop assumign that the generic points you hear on video lectures are the full story!

"I' l'll just remind you of what you have said in the immediate past. The lady does not move to the man' s right."

Well, she does, but HE DOES TOO.

"There is no neutral position after the third step in the Feather."

There is a neutral position of the body, and a neutral position of the foot, but THEY DO NOT ACTUALLY COINCIDE.

"That the left shoulder leads into a Reverse Turn."

Take some lessons with the worlds best teachers and you will get this drilled into your head... and body. Or you could willifully remain ignorant, hiding out in ignorance with nothing but your precious books and videos as a guide.

"I' ll throw into that the crazy idea that on the second step of the Reverse we are backing diagonal to the wall."

Yeah, that idea is soooo crazy that it's EXACTLY WHAT IS WRITTEN IN YOUR BOOK.

"Do you remember when I wrote that we are moving through that and will finish backing the LOD."

No. Any real teacher (apparently there is a severe shortage of these in whatever hamlet you reside) will tell you that you must keep the body under turned until you begin the next figure.

"One day you may thank me for stopping you continuing to live in that world which you have created."

Quickstep, I live in the real world, a populated by national champions and frequently visited by world champs and those who train them - and me. You live in your own imagination.

One thing at a time now. On the 12th December You said that the body goes first. And the legs catch up.
Quote. There is nothing wrong with having the feet well ahead of the body as long as they do not move too quickly into position. A good general ratio is 2 to 1. That is to say the feet move approximately twice as fast as the body. If you think of trying to stay approximately half way between your feet, and you do not move the foot without the body, you' ll be reasonably correct.
Have you ever taken a look at a sprinter. That body is flying but not the way you have described.
I generaly feel that people who take short strides are suffering from one of a couple problems. 1. The moving foot not getting ahead of the body. 2. Lack of foot pressure from the standing foot. ( That' s you from what you have described ).If you get the feeling of falling from your moving foot, ( does that sound familiar to you ), you have probably not applied enough pressure to the floor to drive yourself forward.
From another source. When stepping forward think of the back foot expanding the front foot like a vice where one part of the jaw remains still. When stepping forward this gives a strong look. Length of step is governed by the back foot. Standing leg is the master. Never swing on a backward step.. Never swing at the same time as partner.
Here is an interesting one. Your bottom swings not your leg. Also think of the leg as a rod on side steps.
One last thing. When we walk we lift our heel from the floor. When we dance we keep contact. There is another of your big Basic mistakes. You should have taken that Bronze Medal Class. In it that is the first thing we learn. Keep in contact with the floor. Do not lift your feet from the floor.
Also there is a neutral position at the end of step 3. where for an instant obviously we are square. As we step forward for the first of the Reverse, for want of a better word there is a dipping of the left shoulder. There is the commencment of your sway on step two.
We have learnt a lot today haven' t we. Thanks to three world class teachers and one writter.

"One thing at a time now. On the 12th December You said that the body goes first. And the legs catch up."

Sounds like something I would say. Sounds like something I've heard from world champion coaches, too.

"Quote. There is nothing wrong with having the feet well ahead of the body as long as they do not move too quickly into position. A good general ratio is 2 to 1. That is to say the feet move approximately twice as fast as the body. If you think of trying to stay approximately half way between your feet, and you do not move the foot without the body, you' ll be reasonably correct."

Sadly mistaken... okay for beginners for a few months, but not ultimately workable for championship quality dancing, because it's simply not true. Human anatomy (the location of our ankle at the back of the foot rather than the middle, making our back leg effectively longer) means that we will generally be closer to the front foot than to the rear.

"Have you ever taken a look at a sprinter. That body is flying but not the way you have described."

Try looking at a race walker. Body is indeed much closer to the front foot than to the rear - almost over the front foot in fact.

"I generaly feel that people who take short strides are suffering from one of a couple problems. 1. The moving foot not getting ahead of the body. 2. Lack of foot pressure from the standing foot. ( That' s you from what you have described )."

More, the lack of projecting the body ahead of the standing foot into empty space.

"If you get the feeling of falling from your moving foot, ( does that sound familiar to you ), you have probably not applied enough pressure to the floor to drive yourself forward."

You need to use this pressure (and simple willingness to drift through your foot, too) to project your body ahead of your standing foot, before you put any thought into moving your moving foot.

"From another source. When stepping forward think of the back foot expanding the front foot like a vice where one part of the jaw remains still. When stepping forward this gives a strong look. Length of step is governed by the back foot. Standing leg is the master."

Almost the right idea. - BUT, it would be much better if the other jaw is initially the BODY and only later the foot. You don't dance your feet - you do DANCE YOUR BODY, using your feet.

"Never swing on a backward step.. Never swing at the same time as partner."

Wrong, wrong, WRONG. In many situations you must swing a backwards step, and swing at the same time as your partner. Would you should not do is swing too soon. And you must never swing by TILTING THE PELVIS RELATIVE TO THE TRUNK. A leg swing is either going to be leg only (in the hip socket), or whole-body. It is never leg+pelvis without body, as that would pull your hips away from your partner. Clearly, this is what the person giving advice waws warning against... but they mis-stated the warning.

"Here is an interesting one. Your bottom swings not your leg."

In some situations the leg does swing alone, but yes, the big swings are whole body. Make sure your pelvise doesn't swing without your body - the swing must extend all the way up and include everything. But yes, you will feel it down there, as that's where the weight is.

"One last thing. When we walk we lift our heel from the floor. When we dance we keep contact. There is another of your big Basic mistakes."

It's true that the moving foot is used differently, but it makes very little difference. If you are relying on your moving foot to support your body, you have not aimed your movements very well!

"Also there is a neutral position at the end of step 3. where for an instant obviously we are square."

No, there is no single such point for the whole body. Each part of the body will go through a neutral at some point when moving between opposites, but NOT ALL AT THE SAME TIME. You really must stop this persistent IGNORANCE - or admit that you are content to dance with BEGINNER APPROXIMATIONS!

"As we step forward for the first of the Reverse, for want of a better word there is a dipping of the left shoulder."

I sure hope not!!!!

"We have learnt a lot today haven' t we. Thanks to three world class teachers and one writter."

Sorry, you have IGNORED A LOT OF REALITY TODAY.

"Now we definitely have pressure on both feet all the time."

If you are trying to use your moving foot as a second standing foot... well, that explains most of your mistakes!

for example:

"if this is a Foxtrot Feather Step will Swing. The person going Backwards will not Swing. "

Outragreosly clueless!