What is it?
A line dance is a choreographed dance in which a group of
people dance along to a repeating sequence of steps while arranged in
one or more lines or rows. The sequence is usually 32, 48 or 64 counts repeated during the song. Counts are beats in the music. There are also partner line dances though this doesn't seem to be very available in NZ. Kiwi guys don't seem keen on dancing, for the most part.
Line dance choreographers put in “tags” and “restarts” to make sure dances match up well with the music. A tag is a different set of moves than what you’re repeating (e.g. you may do the same 32 counts to four walls then do this different bit of choreography once then go back to the normal moves). A restart is where you start over from the beginning before finishing the normal counts (e.g. you may do the set of 32 counts 3 times facing different walls then on the 4th repeat you might do the first 16 counts of the normal moves and go back to count 1). That stuff is confusing, but a lot of the time someone will yell tag or restart so you know something weird is about to happen and you get the hang of it.
Each dance is said to consist of a number of walls. A wall is the direction in which the dancers face at any given time: the front (the direction faced at the beginning of the dance), the back, or one of the sides. Dancers may change direction many times during a sequence, and may even, at any given point, face in a direction halfway between two walls. At the end of the sequence, they will face the original wall or any of the other three. Whichever wall that is, the next iteration of the sequence uses that wall as the new frame of reference.[2]
- In a one-wall dance, the dancers face the same direction at the end of the sequence as at the beginning (either no turn or a full turn, 360 degrees).
- In a two-wall dance, repetitions of the sequence end
alternately at the back and front walls. In other words, the dancers
have effectively turned through 180 degrees during one set (half turn).
- In a four-wall dance, the direction faced at the end of the sequence is 90 degrees to the right or left from the direction in which they faced at the beginning (quarter turn). As a result, the dancers face each of the four walls in turn at the end of four consecutive repetitions of the sequence, before returning to the original wall. In some dances, they turn 270 degrees, a "three-quarter turn," to face the new wall
Costuming:
This is a source of frustration for me. Most classes I have turned up for in NZ rarely have anyone looking other than having walked in off the street. It spoils the atmosphere for me. You wouldn't do this for other dance genres. Imagine a ballet dancer who can't be bothered changing into her gear, or a latin dancer who couldn't be bothered getting the right shoes. These days it's a small investment in minimal gear that you can later add to. I myself tend to go Cowboy/Rodeo - well remember where it comes from. I do not wear baggy track pants and sneakers. What do I like to wear? For me, this is the really fun part...
Jeans, cowboy hat (for socials), cowboy boots (ankle or better still mid-calf with a cuban heel for stomping), a fringe shirt or embroidered yokes western shirt, western belt with an ostentatious western buckle, short denim shorts, short fringe shirt, bolo western tie, western-themed T shirt/ earrings/necklace.
Some dancers buy a club T-shirt to wear. I may do that for classes this year but dressing up in my cowboy gear is what I will continue to do for socials.
Once you are serious you can inexpensively add in a boot bag, more hats, boot bling, hat bands. Yes, Temu has a lot to answer for. Amazon freight charges preclude me using them much.
Benefits:
Gets you out of the house and connecting with other enthusiasts during classes and socials, maybe make a friend? You can choose to wear cowboy gear, which is a lot of fun. The really cheap hats are nothing more than toys and aren't a long term solution as they don't fit as well and don't look realistic. Quality leather cowboy boots with a cuban heel and a quality full-size wrangler-style hat will set you back a lot so they are things to save for later.
Socials:
These are where dancers from an assortment of clubs all come together for a few hours or much of a weekend to learn new dances at a workshop or just dance together. The challenge here is that each club learns different dances and versions so it pays to check out the dance list ahead of time. Eventually you will automatically know most of the dances on offer. I'm still pretty new to it all. I've learned a lot and the only thing holding me back is not knowing enough of the more challenging choreographies. Last year I was lucky enough to attend workshops run by international choreographers Josh Talbot, Nigel Mooney, Simon Ward.
Health benefits:
Many folks are elderly so LD gets them out of the house and shuffling to music (country/pop). They also get to do something social. Those of us who refuse to be 'elderly' can just push on through, actually dance the dances, progress from Beginner to Improver to Intermediate (Advanced is rare), work up a sweat (necessary to get fitter). And folks, it works. I already feel fitter ad stronger after 10 months of line dancing classes and socials. Don't underestimate the power of those small repetitive movements (so long as you push yourself a bit). I can attest to improved balance and muscle tone, increased strength, a good work-out for my memory, stress reduction.
After a disappointing start to line dancing with a teacher I quickly outgrew, I went in search of classes in Canterbury where I could extend my repertoire into more advanced dances and also improve my dancing style. There are very few teachers capable of offering this for me but I've found one. His classes attract many dancers of all ages and occasionally with men turning up (normally missing in action in NZ). My goals are to get fitter so I can keep up for 3 solid hours, maybe do competitions when they start up and also try my hand at choreographing interesting dances above Beginner level.
For my first choreography I plan to use just two walls. I'm putting together a dance where the combinations are particular to certain parts of the song. In this way there are more clues as to what you should be doing in certain parts of the music, rather than mentally trying to start a sequence part way through the dance just because you have done all the other walls. It's challenging for me to do this as I don't have access to a mirrored wall but with patience I should be able to put it together.
Above photo taken with choreographer Simon Ward from Australia who was running our workshop in November 2024.
And for the future? Maybe I can find a class running on my next European holiday and how cool would it be to attend a Line Dance competition and convention in the USA? I can dream.
How to get started:
- Find a convenient beginners class
- Position yourself near the front of the class so you can see.
- Don't be afraid to ask questions; line dancers are friendly and helpful
- Bring water to class and shoes/boots that have smooth soles (sneakers are no good - too grippy)
- Give yourself at least 6 weeks to see if you enjoy it because it takes time to learn
- Step sheets are available online from Copperknob https://www.copperknob.co.uk/
- YouTube have many demos and tutorials of dances you may be learning but make sure you are studying the correct music and choreography (there can be many versions)
- Copy more experienced dancers as you change walls.
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Origins of Line dancing:
It is said to have originated in the US in the 1970s and was initially popular with disco music (remember Footloose?) and country music. Billy Ray Cyrus's Achy Breaky Heart really shot this dance genre into mainstream dance. These days pop, rock and country styles of music are used but look out for samba and cha-cha and even latin style with some contemporary dance tendancies.
Basic steps for beginners:
Grapevine, jazz box, kick ball change, hitch, rocking chair, lock step, pivot turn, heel strut, chasse or shuffle, rumba box, hip bumps, waltz step, K-step, V-step, coaster, charlston, slide, fan, brush, mambo.
Want to find a class near you? Want to see what events are coming up? Check out the links below.
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