Do You Know Where to Find Line Dance Instructions?

There are many ways to learn how to line dance. You can learn by yourself at home or in a group. I've seen classes taught on the grass in a park, on a sandy beach (not easy) and in someone's garage (the cement is hard on the feet!).

I remember going to a Mall in Hawaii with my daughter, Nicolette and, as we passed a store playing one of the songs we line danced to, she started doing the dance right there in the Mall! I was embarrassed, but she wouldn't stop.

Several people began to watch her and clapped along with the music. After the music finished, three women came up to her and asked her if she could come to their house and teach them how to do the line dance steps.

She thanked them kindly and gave them the information on the location of where we received our line dance instructions - the address, phone number, and days of the classes. We were really pleased to see them at the next class.

Here are some easy ways and places to get line dance instructions, in case you don't run into my daughter at the Mall giving a free dance:

• Check in Google or your local phone book for a list of classes in your area;
• Check the bulletin boards at the Malls, your Church, or the Supermarket, to see if someone has put up a poster about a line dance class;
• Go to a book or music store and buy a line dance video and DVDs to use at home;
• Do a Google search for line dance step sheets, books, and line dance videos online, such as on YouTube;
• If you go to a class, always check to see if they have line dance step sheets that you can take home to practice;
• Do you have a friend who line dances? I bet they would be happy to teach you. Line dancers seem to always want to share their passion for line dancing.
• Check the bulletin boards for performances, usually at a park or shopping mall. In Hawaii, the line dance team my instructor had put together (the dancers who didn't run into each other) would give performances at the big resorts on the Big Island. I've even seen line dancers perform at Native American PowWows. Now that was fun!!

Whatever way you decided to learn how to line dance, just relax and have a good time. It's really a lot of fun!

The building in Hawaii where we had our line dance instructions was a warehouse that was open to the elements on one side, as are many buildings in Hawaii. It was old and had a parking lot downhill from the building, but the exercise was good. We were warmed up by the time we got to the dance room.

The main attraction to the site was that the floors were wooden and the instructor had installed a whole wall of mirrors so we could see ourselves (not always a good thing!) and she could watch us even when she was facing the front. This made it easier for us to follow her since she would be moving in the same direction we were.

People would start drifting in a little before the class was ready to start and the instructor would be adjusting the sound. Most people would limber up a little, visit with each other, and practice a step they were having trouble with. There was a room off to the side where people could go for personal instruction, and there was always a lot of that going on. The experienced people were always eager to help the newcomers.

When the class began, the instructor would play some slower line dances to get everyone warmed up, and then progress to faster ones. These were usually dances that we had learned recently and needed a "refresher" course on. Then she would begin to teach the weeks new dance. This was done without music, and by teaching one pattern of the steps at a time. She would go over and over each group of steps until she could see that we understood the pattern.

When she had finished teaching all the patterns, she would walk us through the whole dance, counting out the steps, until we were comfortable with the steps. Then she would put it to music, a section at a time, but the song she chose for this part of the teaching was not usually the main song for the dance. She would use one that fit the dance but had a slower beat per minute (bpm) than the actual song. Finally, we would get to dance the whole dance to the original music. We would do this several times until it was natural. She would remind us that there were line dance step sheets by the door and to be sure to take one home so we could practice for the next week.

Then would come the fun! We would have about an hour or so of "open dancing." She would play our favorite line dance songs, both for the beginners and the more advanced dancers, so we could just dance. When she played an intermediate dance that the beginners didn't know, it gave them a chance to watch the experienced dancers and get pointers on how to do certain steps.

Sometimes, if enough people were available, and in the mood, we would go to one of the night spots where the band knew a few good line dance songs and we would do our dances. This always amazed the tourists who were surprised that the band knew Country and Western music and that there were actually people in Hawaii who didn't Hula!

Our classes were only $5.00 and that was a bargain for all the fun and camaraderie we had!

(c) 2009 Renee Benzaim