Ten Facts About Line Dancing

Line Dance Week is observed from September 10- 15th. What do you know about line dancing? I know nothing, other than when I witnessed (and all right participated in) one, people were line dancing to Billy Ray Cyrus and his "Achy Breaky Heart." Therefore, research needed to be done.

Do you actually think line dancing is still a craze? It is!

Interesting facts about line dancing #1

The line dance is a pattern dance where a cluster of people dances in one or more lines, performing the same actions. Some line dances are thought to be variations of the circle dance (from the Middle East) in which people were joined by hands. Many circle dances were actually done in line formation if the dancers available were small in number.

Interesting facts about line dancing #2

Line dancing and cowboys have gone hand on hand, as line dancing was mostly set to country music. In the 1970's, the hustle dance was all the craze. (Come on, you know you are singing that song right now!) In the 1990's, with an even more music styles, line dancing become popular again. (Thank you to MTV, VH1, and CMT for promoting videos showing people line dance.)

Interesting facts about line dancing #3

Have you heard of a DJ's playlist? Country music set to line dancing is no longer the predominant one. Playlists are now eclectic with line dancing music. Genres include folk, country, rock, pop, swing, dance, big band, and Celtic. Anything with a regular beat can be used in line dancing.

Interesting facts about line dancing #3

Line dancing has not lost its 'craze calling'. Classes are still being offered throughout most of the fifty states. For a relatively inexpensive price, (thirty dollars per week) and an opportunity to learn a new dance each week, it is almost better than going to the gym!

Interesting facts about line dancing #4

There are line dance cruises! Yes! It begins with a line dance weekend workshop followed by a five-day cruise on the Carnival cruise ship, the "Elation" out of Orlando. Moreover, is it only $565.00 a person!

Interesting facts about line dancing #5

Want to learn how to line dance, but in secret? Go to www.dancelovers.com and order from a vast array of line dancing videos and DVD's.

Interesting facts about line dancing #6

With the explosion of line dancing in the 1990's being such an influence to artists; Chet Atkins was quoted to have said, "The music has gotten pretty bad, I think. It's all the damn line dancing."

Interesting facts about line dancing #7

Have you found yourself in a rut? Line dancing is not only about dancing. It is a socially accepted (in some places) recreational activity. Country music bars, social clubs, dance clubs, as well as ballrooms can offer this actively. What a way to meet people!

Interesting facts about line dancing #8

Terms used in line dancing are simple. A basic is one echo of the main dance from the first to the last count. If a basic were performed in a competition with no variations, it is known as "vanilla" stop. A variation is when dancers whom have escalated from beginners to 'experts' will sometimes replace a segment of the dance with a compatible set of steps. It is required in competition. Each dance has a number of counts, the number of beats of music needed to finish one dance sequence. A restart is done to fit dance sequences to the length of the music. Each dance is derived of a number of movements- steps.

Interesting facts about line dancing #9

There is more than one step. Common ones include the Chasse, the grapevine, the weave, the triple step, the shuffle step, the lock step, the applejack, the botafogo, the butterfly the coaster steel, the heel grind, the hitch, the jazz box, the kick back change, the lunge, the mambo step, the military turn, the Monterrey turn, the paddle, the pivot turn, the rock step, the sailor step, the scruff, the spiral turn, the stamp, the stomp, the sugar foot, and the vaudeville.

Interesting facts about line dancing #10

A wall is the direction that dancers face at any given time. Therefore, a dance can be a one, two, or a four-wall dance sequence.

With all this knowledge you have now gained, do you think any of the dancing performed on the Lawrence Welk Show would be construed at line dancing?