This is a question regarding the fookwork of a lady dancer.
The book tells:
1. RF back
2. LF diag back
3. RF crosses behind LF in pp.
Footwork: 1. TH, 2. T, 3. TH

My question is when the LF moves to the diag/back direction on 2, what do we do with the RF toe? Release it? Or keep it on the floor?
Thank you in advance.

Well, I checked with an "authority" (certified examiner of the ISTD), and he confirmed that the lady should indeed release her right toe on count 2. I had a suspicion that I'd heard this from someone official before, and as counter-intuitive as it may seem to you and me, it is actually considered the "correct" method.

What I was wrong about in my initial response was that the turn does not actually occur over the heel. In this regard, David is right. As explained by Pthe examiner, "She steps back on the toe of RF, swivels the foot before lowering the heel, then releases the R toe and draws the foot back with the heel in contact with the floor."

So I'd like to officially change my original statement to this: Do whatever you feel is the most appropriate for dancing socially or in practice, and even possibly for competition. I for one would not feel comfortable releasing my toe. But when it comes to taking your exam, be VERY specific about releasing that toe... to do otherwise would hurt your score (even if only a little bit).

Sincerely,
Jonathan Atkinson www.ballroomdancers.com

Jonathan has given a lucid, careful reply, as always. However, I am sure that there is only one method that would be fully satisfactory: leave the right toe down (release the heel). There are various reasons for this. The main one is that if there is any sideways movement at all then the pressure must come from the ball of the foot rather than the heel, or else it feels 'heavy' for both the lady and the man. The man does not bring his right foot forward of his left foot on step 1, so for the lady to turn on her right heel, her weight would be falling away from the man. It also feels uncomfortable to apply any sideways push from the heel (try it).

Secondly, every standard description of the step says '¼ turn to right between steps 1 and 2' (sources: ISTD, Guy Howard and Alex Moore), but none of them describes the step as a 'heel turn'.

Thirdly, in Alex Moore's book 'Ballroom Dancing' there is a diagram clearly showing a swivel of the right foot around the ball of foot, not the heel. Moore seems to have taken great care to sketch the steps as actually taken by good dancers dancing with medium length steps. I think that if anyone were to attempt to interpret the written technique of Toe-Heel and NFR as a lifting of the Toe, then they would be making the error of forcing the action to fit the description, whereas the action came first. In any case, I think that the descriptions can consistently be interpreted as I have done.

Interesting thread

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I also think that this is depending on how the man opens the lady, its timing and its direction. I saw the lady instructor did both ways with the same man in one dance. In other word, nature takes care of it?!
katy

Thank you so much for lightening my heart by your insight. I have been wondering for a while. I feel very free to execute with confidence whichever I feel most natural with my body and to the music!

Now I keep enjoying dancing!
katy

Actually, I've heard arguments for both methods.

Proponents of the toe release cite that because there is NFR on 1, the weight moves through the whole foot. This causes the turn to happen around the heel of the right foot, and in turn causes the toe to release as weight moves away. It could also be said that the early turn of the feet causes the quality of step 2 to be much more backwards than sideways, and of course on back steps the lady generally always releases the toe.

On the other hand, there is the notion that NFR applies to the foot that is either receiving weight or fully weighted, but not to the foot that weight is moving away from. For example, step 1 of a basic Natural Turn for lady's LF has NFR, but as she moves her weight towards step 2, it's the heel, not the toe, of the left foot that releases. So shouldn't the same rule apply to a Whisk?

Maybe yes, maybe no. NFR on 1 does not dictate what happens to the foot as weight moves away from it towards 2. This is determined by the direction of the following step. As in the Waltz example, the toe remains on the floor when you follow an NFR step with a side step. But if you were to follow it instead with another back step (such as in a Three-Step), then you would release the toe.

So the answer really depends on whether you consider step 2 of a Whisk to be more of a back step or more of a side step. According to the book, it's exactly halfway between them: "Diagonally Back". So take your pick.

What's my pick? Well, I tend to prefer the feel of the heel release for many reasons which I won't bother elaborating on right now. But I have a feeling that if there is a "correct" method as established by the ISTD examination board, it's probably the toe release, for the same reasons that I described above.

Clear as mud?
Jonathan Atkinson

Thank you for the details. So on 2, when the weight changes to LF, which is rising, the toe of RF remains on the floor at all times. There is no toe releasing?
katy

I am still practicing whisk. It seems almost natural to release the RF toe on 2 when the man leads me to back/left and my head is(fully) to right(pp). But I still have to force myself to remember it.

With regard to the back whisk, it is not natural to release the RF toe on 2. It seems that the lady's head turns to pp much later, perhaps on 3.

I think that there are so many angles that I should understand before reaching the "RIGHT" way. It is exciting that I am learning bit by bit through this talk room. Thank you for every feedback.

Here are some detail techniques:
+ 1st step: is RF back (THT). You have to swivel slightly to R on toe of RF.
+ 2nd step: because of the swiveling action you now could step diag. back LF. (If you don't swivel on the 1st step, it's not quite comfortable to make the 2nd step). No releasing of foot.
+ 3rd step: cross behind, but remember to lower at the end of 3.
Again, no foot will be released from the floor. Try it.