Don’t feel like going to the gym? Too hot to walk in the park? Line dancing is a good way to work up a sweat and burn calories while getting “rhythm ready” for real and virtual reunions and gatherings.
Line dancing’s origins go back to the 1970s. The four wall line dance known as “The Electric Slide” was created by choreographer Richard L. “Ric” Silver in 1976, but become immensely popular in the late 1980s. The basic steps provided the foundation for many-a two step such as the “Cupid Shuffle,” the “Cha Cha Slide,” “The Biker’s Shuffle,” “The Wobble,” and many more.
In the country and western world, before Lil Nas X took his horse to the “Old Town Road” and Blanco Brown had everyone doing “The Git Up,” Billy Ray Cyrus created a major dance craze with “Achy Breaky Heart.”
The era of social media has introduced us to more dance challenges than we can keep up with. Hashtags unite both amateurs and professionals wanting to show off their fancy footwork. One of the more popular challenges in recent years has been #BeforeILetGo launched by none other than Beyoncé following her cover of the 1981 hit by Frankie Beverly and Maze. The original version of the song is fodder for the mother of all line dances and a tried and true fallback for those with “two left feet”….The Electric Slide. You can never go wrong with those basic 18 steps.
Just in case you are at a loss of where to start with your line dance workout, SoulLineDance has compiled what she calls “The 67 Best Line Dance Videos to Soul, Hip-Hop, and R&B Songs,” on Spinditty. You can watch real people demonstrating the various dance moves and steps. Have fun!
-Sojourner Justice
