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Here’s a little more information about line dancing if you’re a newbie and a little confused!
LINE DANCE TIPS for beginners
LINE DANCE TIPS for beginners
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. These lines usually face all in the same direction or, less commonly, face each other.
Line dances are typically 16, 32, 40 or 48 steps depending on the level of difficulty. The count for each section of the dance is 8. So, a dance with 32 steps will have 4 groups of different steps each with a count of 8. Hence, line dance choreography is grouped and taught in sets of 8.
Next, line dances are known for having "one, two or four walls." A two-wall line dance is when at the end of each sequence of steps everyone has turned 180º and you begin again facing the back — for these dances, you will always just face the “front” and “back” walls.
Then, with a four-wall line dance (the most difficult), at the end of the steps, everyone has turned 90º and “begins the dance” again facing one of the “side” walls. As the dance progresses you will keep finishing and starting again facing a new wall.
When first learning and taking a class it is tempting to hide in the last row! But as you may have already guessed, that’s a bad idea! As soon as the dance has moved on to the back wall, if you were in the back, you are now in the front! You can’t see anyone and everyone is looking at you! So, find a good spot somewhere in the middle and you’ll be able to always watch someone who knows what they are doing!
That first time on the floor, during your first lesson, you may feel a little overwhelmed. The key is to be patient and not give up.
If you are a beginner it can be more challenging than you thought. It takes a little while to get used to memorising choreography and developing muscle memory for all the steps and at the speed of the dance.
Stand in the middle! One thing about a typical line dance is that it has “walls.” As it progresses, it turns. When the sequence of steps in the dance end, it is designed to have you facing either the next wall to your right to start over or even the “back” wall to start again. The idea here is not to try to “hide in the back!” If you’re in the back row, as the dance progresses you will then find yourself in the front! Everyone will be looking at you, and you won’t be able to watch anybody.
Stay in the middle so that as the dance progresses there will always be someone in front of you that you can watch. You’ll also have a closer view of the teacher as they show the steps.
It is really important to memorise the steps of each dance, if you can, which means that not only will you not be dependent on watching someone else but you will also be exercising your brain!
Don't give up! The more you do it, the easier it will become. Just give it a go and have fun!
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