Your argument doesn't make sense... if you stand further apart, doesn't that put your weight in the extremes of the feet anyway? And from what you're saying, it is not bad technique but bad individual development that makes Italian style dancers weak.

In writing, bad spelling is being sloppy but bad word choice is simply bad style and not sloppiness. Dancing the Italian style correctly within the boundaries of their technique would be considered un-sloppy or good for that style.

I'm not particularly fond of the Italian style either but I can appreciate it. But your argument doesn't consider WHY the Italians developed their style.

Simply labeling a style as bad or sloppy without regard for the reasons for the difference is the height of conceit. It shows a lack of appreciation of artistic development. As in Fryingdragon's post, it is like saying Van Gogh was sloppy because his brushstrokes were different.

The Italian style is an attempt at making the best of things for people who didn't learn the critical early habits necessary to support the true English style. If you neglect to really use your feet, but try to move as much as an English champion using legs alone, what you end up doing is developoing towards what people think of as Italian style. Those big leg swings look powerful, sure, but they lack the artistry and precision of the coordinated foot and leg action of the English masters. And they force the bodies further apart - leading either to seperation, or distored posture as the partners attempt to maintain contact even while seperated. It's not just the Italians - note that this is also by and large the way most Americans dance.