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News, Videos & more: |
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Country
Dancing - Country Line Dance |
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| What
is Country Dancing and Country Line Dance? |
| by: Shawn Trautman |
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| Country
dancing is the all-American apple pie answer to social dancing.
The music is country-western, the feel is casual and less stylized
than ballroom, latin, or swing dance sub-cultures, and denim is
acceptable on almost every occasion. Cowboy hats and boots come
to mind when country social dancing is mentioned; although they
are not required for casual social dancing, they are prevalent
and appropriate. Depending on what part of the country you are
in, you might need to wear sunglasses to protect your eyes from
the glare off of the well-polished belt buckles. |
| Where
to Learn and Attire for Learning |
| One
can learn country dances at some of the local dance studios, but
your best bet for getting started in your local area with country
social dancing are your local country bars and nightclubs. Here
you can learn the basics of the various country social dances
and the popular local line dances and meet the instructors. Most
of the instructors on the country circuit are freelance teachers
who teach at the nightclubs in the early evenings and teach private
lessons during the week and on weekends. Be comfortable and wear
jeans when you go to learn country social dancing. You would most
likely feel slightly overdressed if you wore the same outfit you
selected for a ballroom lesson to a country bar for a beginner
two-step lesson. If you have cowboy boots, wear them—they
help you get into the feel of the music and culture. Ladies, close-heeled
shoes are appropriate when learning social dancing in any of the
subcultures. Never wear flip-flops or open-heeled sandals
or mules to a couples social dance lesson. If you forget
this rule, chances are you will only forget it once. Close-toed
shoes are also recommended for ladies, especially while your dance
partner gets the hang of the basic steps and leading. |
| Where
to Dance and Attire for Going out Dancing |
| Country nightclubs and bars are the best places
to go out dancing in the country social dance subculture. Most large
country nightclubs make it a point to have a large, well-maintained
hardwood dance floor with convenient rails on which to set drinks
and lean surrounding the floor. Ladies, if you want to wear a skirt
or a dress you can, but chances are you will feel overdressed. A sparkly
or fun top with jeans (at any age) and close-toed, close-heeled shoes
are appropriate attire for a lady at a country nightclub. Likewise,
gentlemen, don't even bother with anything dry-clean only. Jeans and
a clean-collared shirt are appropriate, with either cowboy boots or
non-sneaker shoes. Casual is key. |
| Most
Popular Dances |
| You
might be surprised at the variety of dances you will see in the
country subculture. On any given evening in a country nightclub,
you can see and dance with people doing the two-step, triple two-step,
waltz, cha-cha, slow dance, swing, West coast swing, polka, and
even occasionally the hustle. In addition to the couples dancing,
there is also a lot of attention to line dancing, which is done
by individuals. You might also want to give a few dances a try
and head to a lesson to get your feet wet with it as well. |
| Of
Special Note |
| If
you are budget-conscious with your entertainment discretionary
spending, country might be the initial route for you to take.
Group lessons are extremely inexpensive, private lessons are usually
significantly less expensive than in a ballroom, the appropriate
attire is most likely already hanging in your closet or sitting
in your drawer, and cover charges at country nightclubs are usually
negligible when compared to other dance venues. Also, if you are
interested in learning to couples dance but you’re afraid
of looking or feeling frou-frou or effeminate, the country scene
and the country style of social dancing are as no-frills as they
come. For many people, the country subculture eases the transition
into the world of couples dance, regardless of whether they are
huge fans of country music. |
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