I purchased Harry Smith Hampshire's book ON VIENNESE WALTZ, when he described the footwork for reverse turn for man,HT,T,TH FOR 123 AND
T FLAT, T, FOOT FLAT FOR 456. WHAT IS THE DIFFFERENT BETWEEN TH, T FLAT AND FOOT FLAT ?

"TH" does not necessarily mean that one "rolls from Toe to Heel". It means that the Heel lowers to the floor after the step is initially taken on Toe and nothing more. For example, one cannot tell whether the Toe or Heel is subsequently released from the floor on a "TH" description alone.

The Harry Hampshire Description (4th step, Reverse Turn) of "T Flat" makes explicit that you should not release your Toe from the Floor after you lower your Heel because the Right Foot closes "Foot Flat" to the Left Foot on the 6th Step. It also negates the need to specify "No Foot Rise" on this step, since you cannot keep your foot Flat and have "Foot Rise" at the same time.

The ISTD Description (4th step, Reverse Turn) of "TH" is saying the same thing, however the foot remaining flat (no Toe release) is implied by the 4th step having "No Foot Rise" and the 6th step being given as "Flat". You would not be able to close RF to LF, Flat if you had "Foot Rise" or released your Toe from the floor.

Therefore the ISTD and Harry Hampshire description of the 4th step of the Reverse Turn being "TH" and "T Flat" respectively are really equivalent with no real difference in technique, just a difference in description.

I personally prefer the Hampshire description of "T Flat" because it is explicit, concise and easier to understand.

Len.

I'm not completely sure I'll remember these perfectly off the top of my head, but I'll try to explain the best I can right now. Perhaps someone else will be able to add more and/or correct me if I'm mistaken. "Foot flat" should be just what it sounds like -- you take the step using the entire foot at once, no rolling from the heel to the toe or vice versa. I think "foot flat" is used more in tango than the other dances. Maybe it's caleld "whole foot" in the books I have, I forget, but I think they're the same. "TH" is like a regular walking step backwards, you start with the toe, then roll through to the heel. I believe that most backward steps use TH. "T Flat" I don't think I've seen much, but I think it would mean you start on the toe then lower to the whole foot, but you don't roll through the heel like you would if you were taking a walking step. FWIW, the ISTD's Viennese Waltz technique book lists the man's footwork for a Reverse Turn as HT, T, TH, TH, T, Flat. I hope this helps.

--
James Marshall
marshall@astro.umd.edu
http://www.astro.umd.edu/~marshall