Foxtrot drift - MG/ABChris, you commented on Mirko Gozzoli and Alessia Betti combining both the "elegant drift when up" and the "depth in the legs when down". While I certainly agree that they get deep into the legs on the lowering, and that that does result in a lot of smooth movement when lowered, they really don't have the elegance that I like to see on the rise. Here is a video frame of them at the very beginning of the weight transition on step 6 of the reverse wave: 
That frame is at 58 seconds into http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6p46E1Zlss&feature=related . I would not call the curve of Alessia's back "elegant", and while the distortions in Mirko's back are more subtle, they still mirror that inelegance. The distance on the step is about two and a half foot lengths from toe to toe - about one and a half foot lengths between back toe and forward heel - which is not at all comparable to the distance they get when lowered. From a timing perspective, the result is that they don't usually drift at all - they dance right through the quicks, faster than the slows - and when they do change the timing, their speed decreases on the rise in the way that the old school English call "off time" rather than "shading the music". In fact, I'm sufficiently unimpressed that I'm going to compare that frame to one of myself with Elizabeth at the same instant: 
Now, we get much less distance than Mirko and Alessia when lowered. Surprisingly, however, we seem to be getting as much distance as they do on the rise - again, perhaps two and a half foot lengths from toe to toe, or one and a half between heel of the forward foot and toe of the back, if you look at where our toes and front heels are against the floor. The fact that I get the same distance on the rise, but significantly less on the lowerings, means that I'm travelling at a slower speed across the floor; however, that also means that I spend more time covering that distance on the rise - and thus more time drifting the second quick. You may notice some other differences. I'm on a higher rise, getting more of my movement from the feet, and less from the legs, as the angle of the moving back foot shows. The straighter back and higher rise also seem to contribute to a taller look. At this point you might think I have a pretty swelled head, comparing myself to the current world champions. One more photo should dispel that thought: 
I think there's no comparison between this picture and the previous two. The Sinkinsons get substantially more distance on their rise - about three foot lengths toe to toe - but keep a longer back and higher rise for a more elegant look in both the body and the feet. That is what world championship level dancing should really look like. |
And the previous two steps showing the distances on the lowering:
