| Think of the Wild West and the | | | | in country clubs doing Cotton Eyed Joe, |
| imagination runs away with itself. Myth, | | | | Two Step, Waltz, Swing and about three |
| mystery and a healthy supply of romantic | | | | or four line dances. If you had taken |
| fiction conjure up a satisfying picture | | | | the floor back then, most likely you |
| of gun toting Clint Eastwoods, head | | | | would have found yourself learning the |
| hunting Apaches, and stressed out | | | | Tush Push, Four Corners, the Stomp, and |
| sheriffs trying to enforce the rule of | | | | something very like Elvira or Texas |
| law. The very fact that the genre of | | | | Freeze. |
| spaghetti westerns was inspired by an | | | | Originally line dances were |
| Italian should set alarm bells ringing. | | | | choreographed to all kinds of music. The |
| It's understandable that line dancers | | | | Tush Push, written by Jim Ferrazzano in |
| would like to see their own history | | | | 1980, was first intended for big band |
| within the same frontier fairy tale but | | | | music at a speed of 140 bpm! A lot of |
| the reality, if a little boring, is | | | | dances were done as folk dances or party |
| somewhat different. As Cathy Hellier, | | | | mixers that were adapted to country |
| dance historian at the Williamsberg | | | | music and given "cutesy" country titles |
| Research Foundation in Virginia points | | | | by ex-ballroom teachers. The Cowboy |
| out, rather puzzled by our phone call, | | | | Charleston was by no means a country |
| "line dance is a modern form of dancing, | | | | dance, and neither was the Alley Cat. |
| isn't it?" | | | | The Barn Dance Mixer (Wild, Wild, West) |
| Conditions on the western frontier in | | | | was a Merengue or Paso Doble party mixer |
| the 18th and 19th centuries were severe. | | | | Line dance climbed into bed with country |
| True, the early settlers were | | | | music when Billy Ray Cyrus wrote Achy |
| predominantly men but line dance didn't | | | | Breaky Heart in 1992. A clever marketing |
| evolve just because they weren't too | | | | trick, Melanie Greenwood's dance was |
| keen on dancing cheek to cheek. Survival | | | | written to promote the song. Five years |
| was the main priority, and any "free" | | | | later and Achy Breaky Heart has |
| time would most likely have been spent | | | | snowballed into the biggest dance craze |
| lying very still with their eyes closed. | | | | ever, line dancing choreographed to |
| It's not possible to plot line dance on | | | | country music. Not the legacy of bold |
| a continuous graph. But what the | | | | frontier settlers with the American |
| settlers did bring with them were their | | | | Dream in their hearts, but an ingenious |
| own national traditions of dancing that | | | | ploy to sell records. |
| form the basis of what we all enjoy | | | | Bang goes the fairy tale. Enjoyable, |
| today. | | | | straightforward to learn and not |
| The original Schottische arrived from | | | | requiring a partner, line dance was |
| Poland. German settlers introduced | | | | bound to spread. |
| "clogging", while Cajun influences not | | | | In many countries, particularly across |
| surprisingly can be laid squarely at the | | | | continental Europe, the US military laid |
| doorstep of the French. None of these | | | | the first foundations, sharing line and |
| guys did the Tush Push, Cajun Mambo Walk | | | | country dance with the locals. |
| or Roll Back The Rug. In the first | | | | A long standing affection for country |
| place, they wouldn't have known what a | | | | music in the UK was a powerful |
| "tush" was. You have to take a leap into | | | | springboard, and line dance rapidly |
| this century to discover the first | | | | became a part of the holiday camp |
| sightings of line dance, which in its | | | | country music scene. |
| recognisable form swung in on the coat | | | | And so we've gone an international full |
| tails of rock and roll. There emerged | | | | circle, with different nations of |
| what can be described as "fad" dances | | | | dancers now adding their own ideas and |
| like the Stroll and later the Madison, | | | | interpretations, just like they've |
| and as disco music took hold in the 70s | | | | always done. |
| the Hustle craze started followed by a | | | | That's the best way to see line dance |
| distinct line dance called the Bus Stop, | | | | and its history, as a family of dance |
| which closely resembled the Electric | | | | styles, pieced together from a jigsaw |
| Slide. | | | | puzzle of nations. The spaghetti western |
| The film industry was an important | | | | theory may make a better story line but |
| boost, classically Grease (remember the | | | | that's Hollywood for you. You don't have |
| Hand Jive?) and the movie Urban Cowboy | | | | to believe us if you don't want to. |
| in the early 80s, which sparked a trend | | | | |