It's hard to be out of rhythm in the Waltz. It is easy get out of rhythm in the Foxtrot. Out of rhythm is dancing a Feather Step on the count of 3412 instead of 1234. Anybody in their right mind would realize that to take two beats out and put it in another bar of music is not how the music is written. This is not phrasing, that is something else. But they are related.Does anybody disagree that if I am out of rhythm I will be out of phrase also. I believe that if the introductory steps and timing aren't taught correctly ,right there could be the root of the problem from the first steps. The walk in must be on 34 with the LF to be able do the first of the feather on 12 on the RF.. If you can't count the music you are in big trouble. In that case you must sit down listen to a disk and count every bar of music of which after the four bar introduction there are usually 64 bars. Read carefully here . Start your walk in on the LF on beats 34 of the fourth bar of music of the introductory four bars.

"Out of rhythm is dancing a Feather Step on the count of 3412 instead of 1234. Anybody in their right mind would realize that to take two beats out and put it in another bar of music is not how the music is written. This is not phrasing, that is something else. But they are related.Does anybody disagree that if I am out of rhythm I will be out of phrase also."WRONG.Dancing a feather on 3412 is a perfectly legitimate alternative when it is done intentionally to utilize the feeling of spanning measures like that. I wouldn't do it extensively, but it can be used to good effect for a figure or two. Remember there is a large similarity between (12) and (34). It is not out of rhytm at all - it is merely placed in the alternative position in the measure for a different feel.Dancing it 2341 or 4123 on the other hand would be out of rhythm, because that is not taking advantage of a similarity in the beats, but instead contradicting it.(and by 2341 I mean the overall timing - a feather danced on "1234" could indeed have its footfalls more accurately - if still crudely - approximated by 234, but that is a detail of execution, and not what we mean by where the figure is placed in the measure)"I believe that if the introductory steps and timing aren't taught correctly ,right there could be the root of the problem from the first steps. The walk in must be on 34 with the LF to be able do the first of the feather on 12 on the RF.."Oh please, no teacher with knowledge enough to get any of the other key points right is going to teach that wrong! Dancing the occasional connecting figure mid-meausre is a result of choosing elements with an odd number of half measures, not a result of starting wrong.

Lets have an intelligent discussion here. I deliberately started a new thread for the simple reason I didn't want to cover Madmaximus's excellent contribution. To dance a Feather in the Foxtrot as 2341 or 4123 and to continue is out of time completely and not worth talking about.. I will ask you a simple question. Would you start your Feather on the count of 3412. Would you continue with your Reverse Turn and your Three Step all on the count of 3412.If your answer is yes I would want to know why. If your answer is no what is the point of your story. With the music are the 1st and 3rd beats accentuated or not. As we all know the 1st beat is the most accentuated The 2nd beat is softer. The third beat is accentuated but not heavy as the 1st beat.The 4th beat is soft and so on. This is what the music is playing. Do we make the steps fit the music. Or are you trying to make the music fit the steps. More years ago than I care to remember at the time when the books were written. The music was not has it is today. Victor Silvester had to form his own group and cut some records for his own use. You have only got to listen to the music being played at that time and you would know why. I have just been watching and counting an IDSF Foxtrot final. I can't see any one couple not dancing on the beats 1234. That along with the way my teacher teaches is good enough for me.