In the whisk, he advises Nellie ( his wife ) to sway in the OPPOSITE direction as suggested by the rev. techn.. he states.. " That it sets the poise on the back foot for lady ", also , retaining her head in a closed position. I have stopped swaying to the left going into the Back whisk, I find if I keep my left side long and up we get more turn and my wife gets more support from me.

I made that same adjustment some time ago after viewing a video that Serendipity or another poster recommended. I can't remember which video it was, but right away I could see on the back whisk that it was going to be better to stay more upright. It just made it easier for me to move into chasse or whatever step I wanted to do next.
I believe the Whisk instructional video on this site reveals good posture as well.

Astaire. There is no turn by the man on a Whisk. It's the lady that opens not the man. What you see is an illusion. Go to Learn The Dances and look read and record.

"There is no turn by the man on a Whisk."

There certainly is when the whisk is taken at a corner, and the same alignment is perfectly legitimate along the sides of the room, when the man will end facing DC, where the classic follows would be a Weave from PP, Wing or Cross Chasse.

Whether it is the man, or the lady who turns, there's still 1/4 out into the classic PP V shape. But apparently, we don't do that anymore, but no one told the editors of the 2007 edition of Guy Howard.

If we're talking Back Whisk, there are lots of alternate alignments (man turning) and follows: enough to make a student teacher weep!

Well, you've gone and done it now, Clive. You've pissed off old serendipidy or Quickstep or Polished or whatever.

Be prepared to watch videos forever!

Of course, s/Q/P/w will have to tell you what you're seeing.



jj

Ha Ha! Videos for ever - did you notice that one of yesterday's masterful discourses had us able to identify the Tower at Blackpool (rather than the Winter Gardens, presumably), because of the position of the stage?

And there was me thinking that the title of the clip "Carol Haines Waltz Tower Ballroom Blackpool" rather gave it away.

Still, you couldn't have expected a mere social dancer to have noticed that unaided....

Astaire. There is no turn by the man on a Whisk. It's the lady that opens not the man. What you see is an illusion. Go to Learn The Dances and look read and record. Polished: why don't you check your facts before making such a statement. First there is no demonstration of the back whisk on the learning section. Second, they turn on version three of the Whisk. What rot you talk and have been talking for at least the last four years.

CliveHarrison. There is no turn for the man on a normal Whisk as you know.I dont know what Guy Howard has written on a Back Whisk I'll bet without seeing that he is absolutely correct on what he wrote. Which part is it you don't agree with.
Is it possible that some are including the step out into promenade as part of the Whisk which it is not. The lady has made the ordinary Whisk into a promenade position. Not the man.

The Back Whisk is described in both Moore and Howard.

Yes, there can be a turn on a Whisk; Jonathan and Melissa demonstrate as much in one of their videos.

From "Technique of Ballroom Dancing" (first edition), page 12: "The Whisk at a corner (man turning): the amount of turn will be 1/8 to L between 1 and 2 from facing DW to facing LOD, and 1/8 between 2 and 3 to face DW of new LOD."

Cheers.

jj

But there can be turn for the man on a whisk. As much or as little as you like. The man can turn, or the lady can, or both can.