I Desperately Want to Bring Back Line Dancing
Earlier this week, I blogged about an intimate Dierks Bentley show I'd seen, but I hastily left out one very crucial element of the show: the dancing. Tons and tons of people in the back of the crowd were dancing. Honest-to-God, impressive line dancing. But even more impressive, my friend Marci started showing off a little routine of her own.
Up to that point, I had always put line dancers in the category of Professionals Who Make It Look Really Easy Even Though It's Totally Not. Like singers and songwriters, I thought great country line dancers were born, not made. But Marci and all her touch, step, cross, kick, heel grind, and hook business proved me seriously wrong. This wasn't some gift she inherited as a child. This was a learned skill. Back when a "saloon" in her hometown used to allow the under-21 crowd, Marci and her friends would go and commit the line dances to memory.
And when I say dances, I mean that in the most plural sense of the word. There must be about a hundred dances out there. All very complicated. Like, more so than a Jane Fonda aerobics video. Even the names seem a little daunting. The Cowboy Cha Cha and Honky Tonk Twist may sound pretty tame, but then there is the Bayou City Twister, the Power Surge and the Slap Leather. After seeing Marci, I've decided that those are skills I would love to have. I've even found a site where you can search for the dance steps and places to go and show them off. I desperately want to bring line dancing back. Unless maybe, it really never left.
photo credit: Getty Images
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Twangtown7 says:
Umm, ok?
J.R. Journey says:
You’re the only one …
Jinks says:
I always thought line dancing was for people who couldn’t find a partner…
Hum… says:
Who said it ever went away? You can still find it at many a country club….or say the Alan Jackson video for Goodtime.
janet m says:
The irony of this is as the intimate show in Chicago got the line dancers going, the new video he just shot for ’sideways’ had a dance pro working on break dance moves.
Janet m says:
The irony of this is, as the Chicago intimate show got the line dancers going, Dierks new video Sideways has a dance Pro teaching break Dancing
Twangtown7 says:
Alsion is like a young, naive little girl just now discovering country music. Its actually kinda cute in a weird way.
peppersprout says:
Accordin’ to highly reputable “country club” frequentin’ male sources, line dancin’ is considered a spectator sport among their species … the real dancin’ begins when the two-steppers in their spiffied up Tony Lamas take the floor … I’m just sayin’ … :)
van says:
you have to be pretty danded bored and lonely to even consider line dancing. have you ever watched yourself? you look pretty rediculous. i have sung in front of thousands over the years in clubs, and have yet to find the appeal. sad. really sad. but it keeps me in gigs….so….
Lori Jean says:
Yeah! I love line dancing! I think it just looks so cool, and it is so fun to do!
greatdivide says:
So cute.You have something to do at your sleep overs now.
CJ says:
I don’t know how many remember Club Dance. It use to be on every afternoon. It was fun watching the 2step and line dancing. You got so you knew all the regulars. It was a fun show. It was hosted by Shelley Mangram Seems like a lot of good old country shows disappered when MTV took over.
J.R. Journey says:
Are you talking about that show on TNN in the early to mid 1990s, CJ? I totally remember that: it was pretty much a big room full of line dancers and they played country songs while we watched everybody dance around. And it was filmed at the Wildhorse if memory serves me.
C.R. says:
Line dancing is fun, young males too cool to participate are the only ones who don’t like it.
Linda says:
I’ve always wanted to line dance.
Andrea says:
Alan Jackson proved that line dancing is cool. The Good Times video is a great video. Try the dance. It’s easy to learn and lot of fun.
I hope that line dancing will have a huge comeback someday! :-)
peppersprout says:
C.R.,
More than “young males too cool to participate” have spoken their mind about line dancin’ … “In this mid 1990s period country western music was influenced by the popularity of line dancing. This influence was so great that Chet Atkins was quoted as saying ‘The music has gotten pretty bad, I think. It’s all that damn line dancing.’”
Think I’ll side with the legendary Mr. Atkins and vote “NO” for line dancin’ AND bad country music.
As for Alan Jackson likin’ line dancin’, why wouldn’t he? … it sold his music … bet he’s done little to no actual participatin’ himself, though … more of the spectator sort, I would imagine … LOL
BATLVR says:
I would love to see that Marci girl line dance… I bet she’s hawt.
RedMaZ says:
You think Marci is a Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine?