Could anyone explain explain why the footwork is different for the curved three step compared to the three step ie why the former has HT, T, TH but the latter has H, HT, TH.

THe curved 3-step is a much less progressive figure. Maybe the difference is that on the second step, the man is starting to 'cut off' the lady, and the more abrupt rise would allow this to be more strongly led.

Re: Phil.samways

Are you saying that because step 2 is so small the lady need not lower the heel in order to maintain her backward poise ? Which would lead to the question would it matter if she did lower her heel. I was I guess wondering if thye more fundamental reason for the difference was that that there is turn on the curved three step with the toe ftwk there just to facilitate the turn ?

One more thing: can you explain what you mean by "cutting off". I hear this term quite a lot but am never quite sure what it means.

Try this .A Curving Feather. Followed by a Back Feather into whatever takes your fancy. The Man will do the ladies footwork which is TH TH TH over the first three steps with of course no foot rise on the first step. The lady will do
H. T. TH. which is the man's footwork for a Feather Step. What could be more simple.

Cutting of the Lady I believe means to prevent her from continuing in the same direction as the previous step. It is a miss quote to say the Lady's poise is backwards. She carries her head weight of her heels but her poise when moving forward or backward is towards her partner.Cheers

re: cdrodge



is that the same as backwards from the waist (which is a direct quote)

thinking about it, i guess this backward poise (backwards that is from the waist) must affect the weight distribution to some extent but presumably not to the extent that the weight distribution shifts from forwards to backwards.

I think the way the partnership is set up in the very beginning needs to be looked at. The lady is to her left which is not backwards. The lady is actually off set. Both of the man's elbows are in front off his rib cage. The man's left palm is facing the same way that his spine is facing. The man's right hand does not wrap around the lady. if the elbows are in the right position the hand has no need to bend at all providing the wrist is under the ladies armpit. Visuall instruction on this is essentiall.
Also there are five contact points the 5th one is.The right area of the chest of each partner touches that of the other. Go to, Learn the Dances on this site and do just that. And ladies because your poise is off set make sure that your LF goes straight back and not out to your left.First you must find out where straight back under the body is.

yes i agree. perhaps that leftwards aspect should be emphasised more in the technique book.

"Followed by a Back Feather into whatever takes your fancy. The Man will do the ladies footwork which is TH TH TH over the first three steps with of course no foot rise on the first step."

No, the man will do TH T TH on the back feather, which is different than the lady's footwork on the forward feather.

Yes, both his TH steps will be no foot rise. But only the ones that are TH - the middle step that is T has some foot rise.