"No Foot Rise will enable the couple to stay in the same position that they start in. If this is not done correctly they will lose there centre and spend the rest of the turn trying to get back to where they should be. Is it possible to dance without NFR. Yes, but it will never be clean and tidy"

On the contrary, it works just fine with NFR, as I mentioned the open reverse turn with the lady on the inside is always danced with NFR on that step. And there is no losing of the centers as a result!

What does happen however, is that the man-woman dominance dynamic will change. There is no problem with this if we simply consider the position of two androgynous human bodies with relation to each other - the problem comes in only if we wish to preserve gender roles in the character of movement. By using THT instead of NFR on the inside of the feather finish, the man achieves the character of dominance in the subsequent outside partner action which is considered desirable in the male dancer.
When the lady does the same action, she uses NFR, and achieves the character of swinging up to her partner rather than being dominant over him.

"Anonymous. If my left foot is flat on the floor and my right toe is to the side. Where would you say my weight would be."

That depends on how far the action has progressed, and what you mean by where the weight is.

If the action has progressed to the point where the foot that is to the side is nearing its final placement, then your body should have already accomplished a fair amount of movement away from the standing foot.

At that point you body is no longer located over your standing foot. Of course you moving foot should not take any body weight until it stops moving, so the only source of support is still the standing foot. But in such a situation where the supporting foot is no longer under the body, the position will not be statically stable - you can't just stand in this position - its one that you can only move through.

That's why the nature of a pointing action as performed in actual dancing does not match the way it is often demonstrated by a teacher holding their body steady - it doesn't match because it's impossible to demonstrate the real thing with a stationary body, its only possible to dance through that position on the way to eventual arrival on the moving foot.

This is what the video on this web site clearly shows - a body that has begun moving away from the standing foot before the moving foot has achieved its ultimate position and alignment.

thanks anymouse. that is now much clearer to me.

one more thing - am i right in thinking the heel release will be much earlier in the corresponding step in ft. if so could you clarify exactly where.

"one more thing - am i right in thinking the heel release will be much earlier in the corresponding step in ft. if so could you clarify exactly where."

If by the corresponding step you mean step 4 of the reverse turn & feather finish, then that step is not TH NFR in foxtrot but is instead THT. The heel will only be actually on the floor briefly.

No. My comparison was to the second half of the very turn we are discussing as the man ends "pointing" on step 5. I can't see what the issue is on NFR in Waltz, though. If you are stepping backwards, TH, you can't rise with the foot, but the remaining elements of rise are present. In the FT figure the man's RF back on step 4 is THT (Down on 4. Rise e/o 5) - so not a NFR step, anyway.