| A Walker | | | | the earlier line dances such as Melanie Greenwood's |
| A number of authors have tried to trace the historic | | | | "Romeo" - saw Hollywood film productions catapult |
| roots of line dancing and, though they seldom agree, | | | | Country dance out of the dance halls of rural |
| most seem to be of the opinion that, "line dancing in | | | | America and into the mainstream. It could be argued |
| one form or another has been around since recorded | | | | that this enabled the clutch of "New Country" artists |
| time." | | | | such as Garth Brooks, Randy Travis, Reba McEntire, |
| | | | George Strait, Mary Chapin Carpenter and Alabama |
| Rick argues that dances like the JR Hustle, dating | | | | to emerge resulting in the confirmation that the |
| back to 1980, & The Travelling Four Corners, which | | | | C&W music genre, after a barren period, was once |
| were choreographed by Texan (Miss) Jimmie Ruth | | | | again America's Number one music choice. |
| White owed their existence to 'Square Dancing'. | | | | In the early 1980's, in a ballroom in Nashville, Jim |
| Indeed, "The Travelling Four Corners is, in it's original | | | | Ferrazanno, in company with Melanie Greenwood and |
| form, a quad dance (square) but choreographed in | | | | a band that refused to play any country, were about |
| the general concept of the line dance." In fact he | | | | to establish a line dancing legend - Tush Push. |
| goes further by suggesting that line dance is, just like | | | | As Jim recalled, "They were playing an awful lot of |
| the USA, a melting pot of cultures and dance forms, | | | | Cha-Chas when I wrote it. A lot of people have put |
| "Until recently, the most common move in line dances | | | | in hip bumps since then but originally they were pelvic |
| was the basic Schottische; step, cross, step, lift (or | | | | thrusts." Jim scribbled his first line dance on a napkin |
| scoot). This, followed by the Polka and the Cha Cha, | | | | kindly provided by the management and showed it to |
| both of which play a large part in the composition of | | | | Melanie who promptly got up with him and began |
| the line dance. More recently, still, syncopations of | | | | dancing the new creation. Other dancers took to the |
| the style normally found in West Coast Swing have | | | | floor and the legend of the "Tush Push" was born. |
| made a large imprint on the line dance choreography." | | | | This, like "Electric Slide", "One Step Forward" and |
| Bowen is supported in this view by another US line | | | | other dances of that era, were to play a pivotal role |
| dance choreographer, Fred Rapoport, who suggests | | | | in boosting the profile of line dancing but the real |
| that one of the most popular country dances of all | | | | breakthrough was to come a decade later when |
| time, the Texas Two Step, was created by | | | | "New Country" & "line dance" were paired together |
| frustrated military cadets passing through West | | | | successfully for the first time. |
| Point's Military academy in the 1850's. This unusual link, | | | | Whilst Garth Brooks proved instrumental in reviving |
| he argues, provided a seminal influence in the birth of | | | | the flagging fortunes of Country Music his compatriot |
| line dancing, "Custer, along with Grant, Robert E. Lee, | | | | Billy Ray Cyrus, ably assisted by Melanie Greenwood, |
| William Sherman, and other great Civil War generals | | | | must be credited for the quantum leap forward that |
| were all young students at the United States Military | | | | line dancing was to take in the 1990's. Not only was |
| Academy at this time...These future heroes might | | | | the track "Achy Breaky Heart" a phenomenal |
| allow their hand to slip down the back of their dance | | | | recording success, spawning a new breed of country |
| partner, or an underarm turn might be executed | | | | music fans referred to as the "Cyrus Virus", but |
| without removing the hand from the lady's back, and | | | | Melanie's 32 count, four wall dance of the same name |
| allowed it to slide to her front...The story evolves into | | | | was to catapult line dancing into the international |
| a direct order from the Commander of West Point. | | | | limelight, it is why, as we approach the millennium, line |
| 'All cadets, while dancing with young ladies at formal | | | | dancing has reached almost every point of the globe. |
| functions, will now place their right hand on the lady's | | | | A comprehensive and truly international body of |
| shoulder, and not on her back.' The 'Traditional' ! | | | | choreographic work has been built up over the past |
| Texas Two Step is therefore done with the man's | | | | decade and many experimental concepts have been |
| right hand on the woman's left shoulder." | | | | added, hip and body rolls and techno-pop to name a |
| The Texas Two Step's longevity is amazing. Over a | | | | few, though strangely enough, in Britain at least, we |
| hundred years later it was to feature in the John | | | | have seen much "retrospective" re-introduction of |
| Travolta film "Urban Cowboy" and this urbanisation of | | | | older dances during the recent past. |
| country music in the 1980's, originated by Willie | | | | Whilst the future direction of line dancing may be |
| Nelson's 1975 crossover hit of the same name was | | | | subject to change there is no doubt that not only it |
| instrumental in lifting Country music and dance to a | | | | has earned its place as a legitimate form of Western |
| new plateau in the USA. Quickly followed by the | | | | dance but it has ensured that many of us will be |
| movie "Nine to Five" and Dolly Parton's song of the | | | | "pushing our tushes" for many years to come. |
| same name - Dolly's music was to spawn a clutch of | | | | |