Line Dancing - American (AoS 3 - Dance Music)

 All = Group dancing and choreographed steps in a regular back and forward pattern, everyone in a line. (could be several lines!)  European immigrants to USA, so similar to European folk dancing.  Danced in Lines – 1st popular in 1920s = 1920's The Charleston = Charleston  Flappers - The Roaring Twenties = Charleston and Mr. C The Slide Man - Cha-Cha Slide Cha-Cha (but modern version)

 1950s COWBOY MADISON Line Dance Madison dance from Saturday night fever. (Jazz piece) - 1960s STROLL - LINE DANCE = Stroll (Slow moving rhythm and blues)  1970s revival with The Bus Stop: a step by step dance guide = Bus Stop The bus stop = Bus stop  and "Do the Hustle" (The Dance) like you've never seen it = Hustle (in Saturday night fever)  1980s 1st time “Line Dancing” was used with TUSH PUSH linedance = “Tush Push” of 1980.  1992 – Achy Breaky Heart Line Dance = Achy Breaky  Heart (Billy Ray Cyrus) – Another version.  Today – most popular music is country and western with people wearing Stetsons and Cowboy boots.  IF in UK, then danced to pop music. Think of all those disco and more modern songs that everyone does the same moves for, that’s line dancing as well.

Instruments and Styles of American Line Dancing

 Folk Band = Fiddle, Banjo, Mandolin, Accordion, Harmonica (Mouth organ), Double bass, sometimes Guitar.  More modern also used electric instruments and computers, sequencers and midi devices, sampling and drum machines.

Style - Clear sections of music with repetition. Easy to choreograph, therefore. Moderate speed, memorable tunes, strong beat. 4 beats in a bar normally (State line waltz is 3 = very unusual) Harmonies don’t change very much = static harmony.

Steps - Beats are called counts. The more counts the more difficult the dance. So a 48 count dance will have 48 different steps and so on in each section. A step CAN last for more than one beat. Tag = 2 or 4 steps Bridges = 8 or 16 steps These extra bits are added in to make the music fit. Restart = music interrupted and go back to beginning for some reason.

Most common step Basic Aerobic Steps : "Grapevine" Step Aerobics Exercise = grapevine. Others are Advanced Tap Dance Lessons : Shuffle Step = shuffle dance step. Lock dance step. sailor dance step = sailor dance step. Steps have walls = the wall you face in that line. (front, back, side) Normally you are an individual, not in pairs or groups, though not every time.

Barn dances, not in lines, but circles. The music is similar.