Jack,
I agree that there's more elegance in the ball-first stepping, though I
think there's more groundedness in the heel-first. Yes, IMO it is a matter of
style, but you're also right that there are consequences to the choice. I don't
have any experience in the pains you're having, but I understand completely
about the extra stability of the ball-first style. I personally walk heel
first, and it's taken several years of working on it for me to feel like I have
any significant facility with it. Early on I was watching some videos of
Naveira, and noted that while he predominately steps heel first, his right foot
steps are often ball first. My analysis is that it's not so much a matter of
the heel having more contact area as it is a consequence of more lever arm (or
leg-arm? haha). You have more stability if you have a wider stance, and the
additional foot-length of stance that you get between your standing leg and the
ball as opposed to the heel of your stepping foot gives you just a bit more
margin of stability. I think this explanation is also consistent with Naveira's
often stepping ball first only with his right foot, due to the nature of the
embrace. The left side of the embrace (from the leader's perspective), is more
open, especially in the "V" embrace that Naveira uses, so there is more
flexibility in allowing minor adjustments to the spacing between the bodies
that can accommodate slight imbalances caused by the leader and follower less
than perfectly stepping together (exactly same direction, exactly same length
of step). On the right side, in contrast, because the chests are in full
contact on that side, there's less flexibility, less range of adjustable
motion, and the added stance length that you get with a ball-first step can
give you just that little bit of extra stability that you need when things
aren't precisely perfect.
As far as your pains, I recommend you try stretching your calf muscles
after a night of dancing, though you should probably consult with your doctor
to see if he recommends waiting until the strain is healed before doing much
stretching.
J
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