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Aline dance is a choreographeddance in which a group of people dance along to a repeating sequence ofsteps while arranged in one or more lines or rows. These lines usually face all in the same direction, or less commonly face each other.[1][2][3] Unlikecircle dancing, line dancers are not in physical contact with each other. Each dance is usually associated with, and named for, a specific song, such as theMacarena or theElectric Slide (associated with the 1982 single "Electric Boogie") which are a few of the line dances that have consistently remained part of modern American culture for years.
Line dancing is practiced and learned incountry-western dance bars, social clubs, dance clubs and ballrooms. It is sometimes combined on dance programs with other forms of country-western dance, such astwo-step,western promenade dances, and as well as western-style variants of thewaltz,polka andswing. Line dances have accompanied many popular music styles since the early 1970s including pop,swing,rock and roll,disco,Latin (salsa suelta),rhythm and blues andjazz.[2]
The term "modern line dance" is now used in many line dance clubs around the world to indicate dance styles that combine many genres, including pop, Latin, Irish, big band and country. Rather than wearing Western-style clothing or boots, participants dress in casual clothing and often weardance trainers.
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The precise origins of line dancing are not entirely clear.[3] Of the confusion, music historian Christy Lane has stated that "If you were to ask 10 people with some knowledge of when line dancing began, you'd probably get 10 different answers".[2] By and large, the growth and popularity of line dancing has mainly been tied tocountry and western music.[3]
It is likely that at least some of the steps and terminology used in modern line dancing originated from the dances brought to North America by European immigrants in the 1800s.[2][3] Throughout the 1860s–1890s, the style that would later be known ascountry–western dance began to emerge from these dances. Schools in the United States began to incorporate dancing, particularlyfolk dancing, intophysical education classes in the 1900s, which popularized folk and country dancing as a social activity. Finally, servicemen returning fromWorld War I andWorld War II sometimes brought European dances back to the United States, incorporating elements into American dance styles.[2]
One of the first true line dances was theMadison, anovelty dance created and first danced inColumbus, Ohio, in 1957.[4] The local popularity of the dance and record inBaltimore, Maryland, came to the attention of the producers ofThe Buddy Deane Show in 1960, which led to other dance shows picking it up.[5] The 1961 "San Francisco Stomp" meets the definition of a line dance.[6][7]
During thedisco music era of the 1970s, numerous new dance styles emerged, including many line dances choreographed to disco songs.[2][3] The "L.A. Hustle", a modified version of the Madison, began in a small Los Angeles disco in the summer of 1975, and hit theEast Coast (with modified steps) in the spring of 1976 as the "Bus Stop".[8][9] Another 70s line dance is theNutbush, performed toTina Turner's song "Nutbush City Limits".[10][11] The popular danceElectric Slide, associated with the song "Electric Boogie," was created in 1976. The song "Electric Boogie" was originally released by Marcia Griffiths in December 1982. It was written by Bunny Wailer exclusively for Griffiths, reaching the top spots in popularity in Jamaica in early1983, achieving moderate international success. In 1989, the song was remixed and re-released, this time gaining significant popularity. It reached number 51 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, becoming Griffiths' most successful single. The song also helped popularize the "electric slide" dance.[1][12]
The release of the filmSaturday Night Fever in 1977 took disco and its associated dance styles to a new height of popularity.[13]
Line dancing to country music also became popular during this era, with two notable dances dating to 1972: theWalkin' Wazi and theCowboy Boogie.[1][14][15][16]
The 1980 filmUrban Cowboy caused a trend for country and western culture, particularly the associateddance,music, andclothing.[2] Over a dozen line dances were created for country songs during the 1980s.[10] Many other early line dances were adaptations of disco line dance.[17] TheChicken Dance is an example of a line dance adopted by the Mod revival during the 1980s.[18]
The music video for the 1990Billy Ray Cyrus song "Achy Breaky Heart" has been credited for launching line dancing into the mainstream.[2][19][20][21]
In the 1990s, the hit Spanish dance song "Macarena" inspired a popular line dance.[22]
A line dance for the 1990Asleep at the Wheel single "Boot Scootin' Boogie" was choreographed by Bill Bader.[23][24] The 1992Brooks & Dunn cover of the song has resulted in there being at least 16 line dances with "Boot Scootin' Boogie" in the title.[25]Billy Ray Cyrus' 1992 hit "Achy Breaky Heart" helped catapult western line dancing into the mainstream public consciousness.[2] In 1994 choreographer Max Perry had a worldwide dance hit with "Swamp Thang" for the song "Swamp Thing" byThe Grid.[citation needed] This was a techno song that fused banjo sounds in the melody line and helped to start a trend of line dancing to forms of music other than country. In this mid-1990s period, country western music was significantly influenced by the popularity of line dancing.[26]
Max Perry, along with Jo Thompson Szymanski, Scott Blevins and several others, began to use ballroom rhythms and technique to take line dancing to the next level. In 1997, the bandSteps created further interest outside of the U.S. with thetechno dance song "5,6,7,8". In 1999, American retailerGap Inc. debuted the "Khaki Country" ad at that year'sAcademy Awards ceremony, in which line dancers performed to the 1999 version of "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" byDwight Yoakam.[27]
The arrival of theCountry Music Television channel to Europe fed the popularity of line dancing there.[28][29] In 2008, line dancing gained the attention of the French government.[30]
Based on per capita ranking of MeetUp Groups in the US, Durham, N.C. was declared the line dancing capital of America in 2014.[31]
In 2024, theBoots on the Ground song and dance was popularized.[32]
Each dance is said to consist of a number ofwalls. 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]
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