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# MUST BE PUBLISHED WITH publish-grav-content.y
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title: Foot Work
taxonomy:
category: [dance, technique, terms, positions technical]
tag: [draft] category:
- general
author: Ian Nandhra
created: 2025-06-30
visible: false
published: true
---
# Foot Work (FW)
Foot Work describes *how* the foot is placed on the floor. It's one of ***the most important elements*** as it's the one that will give you style, grace and beauty when dancing:
- Heel
It's a step. Literally. Your foot takes weight from the heel to the back poise zone. Simple (just like walking in fact!). This is used extensively in Tango
- Foot Flat
This is a specific position indicating that there is no rise on that step. Remember that 'rise' can occur from the knees and 'Foot Flat' states that this must not happen.
- Heel Toe (HT)
The foot may extend forward before taking weight after which the COG moves from the back poise zone through the middle poise zone to the front poise zone where the heel is released from the floor and the COG is on the front of the foot.
- Toe (T)
The step is taken on the front poise zone only and without the heel touching the floor.
- Toe Heel (TH)
The step is taken on the front poise zone after which the heel lowers to make contact with the floor.
Of all of these it's those steps involving the Toe that require [Rise and Fall](rise-and-fall/default.md).
### Lets consider a Back Step in a Waltz Box Step
Follower travels back on their RF with a TH action and then rises onto their T. This is actually Toe-Heel-Toe as there is no other graceful way the Follower can respond to the Leaders Rise.
### And now the Feather Step
This is the fun one where the Leader is dancing HT, T, TH and the Follower is dancing TH, TH, TH. This has naturally confused dancers who have all manner of perfectly normal questions which can be summed up as "How and Why". Well, [this is how and why.](rise-and-fall/toe-heel-feather-step.md)