If you think you know about line dancing – with its country twang and slow-moving steps – you should check it out again. According to the experts, it’s truly evolved in recent years.
Beth Wasson, dance instructor with Smokin’ Boots 2 who teaches out of the Oklahoma City Swing Dance Club, has been into line dance since the 90s, but remarks about just how much it’s changed.
“Dancing back in 1996, you only had a handful of line dances, so it wasn’t practiced every place you went,” she says. “Now there are so many different choreographers. It has just exploded.”
She explains how there are steps for many different genres of music now, including the obvious country, but also other pop favorites and even rap. There are waltzes, slow dances and fast line dances, too.
And while line dancing can be more approachable than other types of dance purely because it doesn’t require a partner, there is still a sense of community.
Stephanie Dawn Tippie of Muddy Boots Line Dancing in northeastern Oklahoma was born into this community. She has now taken over the classes that her father taught for years when she was young.
“Every Wednesday, I went to dance class with Dad. You know, that’s just what we did,” says Tippie. Now she teaches classes in several communities in the Muskogee area and for a variety of groups, including one for seniors and a big line dancing jamboree twice annually in April and October.
The line dancing community has been a life-saver for some of her students, Tippie relates.
“We’re kind of like a little family,” she says. “Everywhere you go, you run into line dancers that you danced with here or you’ve seen there. Makes it kind of neat.”
And the benefits don’t stop with making friends. There’s the obvious fitness advantages, but line dancing is good for the brain, too.
“It helps with depression,” says Tippie. “We are preventing Alzheimer’s and dementia. It helps with balance and coordination. So if you’re not just doing it to get out of the house and make friends, you can also do it for health benefits.”
Both Tippie and Wasson agree that to get started, it’s best just to jump into a class. Wasson teaches both beginner and intermediate level classes the second and fourth Tuesdays of every month, then she holds a dance for everyone to participate after the classes.
“If you come here, we will teach you the steps to the line dances, what they’re called and how they are danced,” she says. Then you can get out onto the dance floor.
So put on your cowboy boots, as recommended by Wasson, or whatever smooth-soled shoe you have handy, and prepare to kick up your heels with line dancing.
Getting More Out of Line Dancing
Wasson at Smokin’ Boots 2 in Oklahoma City recommends taking a few line dancing classes if you’re looking for a way to learn the basics before joining the fun at a country bar.
“We can teach the dances, the dance steps, and what they are called,” she says This will give you a leg up when participating in line dances at other venues.
And if there’s a particular dance participants want to learn, Wasson has the step sheet, or list of steps with instructions, they can use to learn. She also recommends instructional videos online for more practice.
