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Improver to pop ("Hey Mr DJ" by Van Morrison [Down The Road]). As the dance title suggests, this is on the slow side, both the dance and the music. Still, the dance does suit the feel of the music. Not much floor movement. Counts 4-6 feel like they should be a syncopated step-1/4-cross, but avoid the temptation - it's not syncopated. The dance ends with heel twists - make sure you end with the weight back on the right foot. Bending the knees slightly makes going into the next wall feel much more natural. No tags or restarts. I Wanna Love - Maddison Glover and Travis Taylor [4w,32c]; 5/2009 Intermediate/advanced to pop ("Johnny and June" by Heidi Newfield [Johnny & June]). A deceptively fast dance that is syncopated on almost every count. The 1st 8 counts of the dance will likely be the most difficult in class. The rest of the dance is relatively straightforward. The dance does feel quite strained when stepping it out, but once you dance it to the music and 'feel the beat', it flows quite nicely. One of those dances you actually need to dance rather than doing a sequence of steps, which is why I'd give the dance a higher difficulty level than the choreographers. Some early versions of the dance have the restarts and tags on the wrong walls, so make sure you get a recent sheet. 2 tags and 2 restarts. In Dreams - Janet Thorpe [4w,32c]; 5/2006 Beginner/improver to rock 'n roll ("In Dreams" by Roy Orbison). A basic cha cha for the most part. Has two rolling shuffles where the turns can be dropped and just shuffle back twice to make it a bit easier for the non-turners. Little floor movement. Good for introducing the cha cha rhythm to beginners, especially since the beat is on the slower side. No tags/restarts. Sweet Sweet Smile - Fi Scott & Johnny Two-Step [4w,32c]; 2005 Improver to pop ("Sweet Sweet Smile" by Sharon B [Footsteps]). There are several country alternatives for the music. A simple little dance that's been around almost long enough to qualify as a classic. Watch out for the pivots - the only part of the dance that's not syncopated (so there's a temptation to syncopate them as well). The two rolling shuffles starting with a 1/2 turn back may feel a bit odd at first. Non-turners can just shuffle back twice and omit the turns. No tags/restarts. Toes - Rachael McEnaney [4w,32c]; 2/2009 Upper beginner to country ("Toes" by Zac Brown Band [The Foundation]). The dance has a long intro (about a minute) - you don't start on the lyrics but when the heavy drum eventually kicks in, although since there are several restarts in the music but none in the dance and the dance doesn't phrase terribly well with the music, you could start earlier, getting an extra wall. Steps flow well. The rolling shuffles can be done as vanilla shuffles (ie no turns), if needed. No tags/restarts. La Secret - Robbie McGowan Hickie [4w,64c]; 4/2009 Intermediate to opera-pop ("La Voix" by Malena Ernman [single]). The step sheet says this is a phrased dance, but it is really just a 64 count dance with two restarts (short walls) and a tag (long wall). Phrased traditionally means a dance with Part A, B etc, which is definitely not the case here! If the music seems familar, it's a pop mix of an operatic song by the same composer who wrote the original version of the song for the dance "Life Love Liberty". The dance and the music have something of the same feel as that dance. Dance has a nice lovely feel to it that very neatly matches the music. It does move a bit around the floor, but not too much. The last 16 counts of the dance feel a lot slower than the rest and give you a chance to catch your breath - it's one of those high energy dances. Counts 33-48 likely warrant a bit of extra attention when teaching the dance. Two restarts and two tags (one done with one of the restarts). Back in Style Waltz - Gordon Elliott [2w,48c]; 7/2009 Improver waltz to country ("Back in Style" by Dean Brody [Dean Brody]). A fairly straightforward waltz with just the basic waltz sequences. Shouldn't be too much trouble for upper beginners. The dance is a bit on the fast side for a waltz, but not terribly so - it's slow enuf to be done with the proper waltz styling. A couple of rolling waltzes, which can be done without the turns to make the dance a bit easier, if needed. One tag and one restart. And We Danced - Gordon Elliott [2w,32c]; 7/2009 Intermediate to country ("And We Danced" by Brad Paisley [Who Needs Pictures]). A nice smooth, sweepy dance which flows well. Nothing difficult with the steps. A couple of rolling shuffles which can be done as vanillas for the non-turners. 17&18 is a side-ball-cross, not a rock, recover, as elsewhere in the dance. Two restarts. Shotgun - Rhonda Mathieson [4w,64c]; 2/2009 Improver to country ("Shotgun" by The McClymonts [Chaos and Bright Lights]). A smooth flowing dance with not much floor movement. Most of the dance follows a 1,2,3,hold beat. The 3/2 turn on counts 27-30can be replaced by a 1/2 turn for non-turners, otherwise should be suitable for upper beginners. One restart - note on the restart change the weight (insted of the hold) before starting the next wall. Don't Let This Moment End - Nadia Friel [2w,64c]; 5/2009 Intermediate to pop ("Don't Let This Moment End (Radio Edit)" by Gloria Estefan [The Essential Gloria]). A lively and bouncy number, both the music and the dance. Moves around the floor quite a lot and is very reminiscent of Wait a Minute both in feel and floor coverage. Dance has a lot of turns, twists and rolling shuffles. Most of the turns would be difficult to leave out so definitely not a dance for those who don't like turns. Flows quite nicely. Three restarts. Cowgirls Don't Cry - Bill Larson [4w,48c]; 4/2009 Improver to country ("Cowgirls Don't Cry" by Brooks and Dunn [Cowboy Town]). The important thing to note with this dance is that the choreographer does not count the wall when there's a restart. Thus after doing the 2nd wall, you start the next wall, restart after 8 counts and then begin the 3rd wall (ie: don't count the restart wall). Rather confusingly, the wall of the 2nd restart is counted (the 2nd tag is done facing the front at the end of the wall following the 2nd restart). Alternatively consider the 1st restart to actually be a tag. The sheet on kickit has the restarts and tags hopelessly mixed up, so best to get an original sheet (eg the copy on this site). If in doubt, follow the music! Dance flows well and has a nice feel to it, tho' there is a bit of floor movement. Note count 23 is a hinge turn flowing into a side shuffle. Tags and restarts (the 2nd tag consists of 8 counts of holds - clear in the music). Let's Swing - Terry Hogan [4w,32c]; 5/2009 Improver to swing rock 'n roll ("Miss Kiss Kiss Bang" by Alex Swings Oscar Sings {Alex C. & Oscar Loya}]. A lively swing number. There're a couple od dances going around locally to this track. This one's a cracker and hopefully it'll end up on top. There's not much floor movement and the dance suits the music extremely well. Nothing overly tricky with the steps. The step sheet says it is an intermediate level dance but it's really only improver level and shouldn't be too difficult for the better beginners. One 16 count tag that's done twice and seems longer than a whole wall! The 2nd time you do the tag, hold for 8 counts until the beat and lyrics kick back in before starting the next wall. You and I - Oli Geir & Hugrun; [phrased]; 7/2009 Intermediate to pop ("Someday" by Hera Bjork [Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 09]). An unusual dance thanks to an unusual song. The song is in two parts, with drastically different tempo and style. The first part is slow and almost ballad like, the 2nd part is typical latin-pop and fast. Technically a phrased dance, it's really two totally different dances joined by a short tag. You do the first part twice, then the tag, the music changes and you finish off the dance repeating the 2nd part. The tempo change is sudden and will likely take a while to settle down. Part B is pretty straight forward and nicely fits the music. Nothing particularly tricky with the steps and by itself would likely be considered an improver dance. On count 14 make a 1/2 spin right. Part A is a bit unusual and may take a while for the steps and the music to mesh (probably not the 1st week). The count is odd and there're lots of holds scattered throughout, tho' it does feel smoother when dancing to music compared to walking thru'. Note the pivot on count 10 does not have a weight change (keep weight on the left). After the 1/2 hinge (49-50) make sure you then rock the right over the left (it's very tempting to do a side-ball-cross). Mad About Mambo - Tim Gauci [2w,32c]; 7/2009 Beginner/improver to latin-pop ("Mega Mambo" by Ahos y Mancini [Latin Party]). Good beat in the music and the music and feel of the dance is very reminiscent of Crazy Foot Mambo. Make sure you get the right version of the song (3.48 long), aparently there's a longer version. Nothing tricky with the steps and while the dance is heavily syncopated, the beat is not fast and the syncopation is very obvious in the music - it was actually taught as a '64' count dance with holds. Note the two side mambo's in 17-24 end with a step together, tho' if you cross over or behind it shouldn't make much of a different. Just don't tap. One restart. Love You Waltz - Gordon Elliott [4w,48c]; 6/2009 Beginner waltz to country ("Dont Think I Can't Love You" by Jake Owen [Easy Does It]). With a tag this is probably more an upper beginner dance, although it is a fairly basic waltz with a lot of repetition. The turn can be left out of the rolling weave and the weave and 5/4 turn can be done with just a 1/4 turn to make the dance a bit easier. Even with the turns, the dance is on par with Waltz Across Texas for difficulty and incorporates all the same step sequences. One tag, which starts off moving forward. Mojo Rhythm - Rob Fowler [4w,48c]; 2/2009 Improver dance to country ("That's How Rhythm Was Born" by Wynnona Judd [The Other Side]). There is an alternative track on the same album, "Don’t Throw Your Mojo On Me", which has a restart. An extremely popular dance in 2009 across the US and the UK. As of July '09 it is only just starting to make an appearance locally. Music has a good solid beat and the dance is a touch on the quick side. The 1st 8 counts is repeated leading on the opposite foot. The 1/2 pivot followed by a 1/2 lock shuffle is perhaps the trickiest part of the dance and did cause some trouble in class, especially with the weight transfer. Do the 2nd 1/2 turn before you do the lock shuffle back. The rolling 3/2 vine forward at the end can be done with just a 1/2 turn, if needed. Moonlight Kiss - Maggie Gallagher [4w,64c]; 1/2009 Intermediate to country ("Moonlight Kiss" by Raul Malo [Lucky One]). The music is a bit reminiscent of that for "Crazy Foot Mambo". There are several versions/mixes, one has a fake ending. If you use this one, just keep dancing since there's at least one more wall. This dance really demands that you dance with the rhythm - throw you hips around. Full turns can be added in at several places, if desired. Apart from the 1st 16 counts 2 weaves) the dance has a mambo count (1,2,3,hold) throughout. The twisting slow shuffle (41-44) is similar to that in "At the Hop". The weave right (49-52) feels a bit odd at first coming straight after two pivots and did cause a bit of trouble in class. The end of the dance flows very nicely into the start of the next wall. A simple tag done 4 times (once with a restart) - just hip bumps. Go Mama Go - Kate Sala & Robbie McGowan Hickie [4w,64c]; 3/2009 Improver to country dance-club music ("Let Your Momma Go" by Ann Tayler [Let Your Momma Go]). I can't think of any other way to describe the music! A bit on the pacy side. Flows well and has a mambo count (1,2,3,hold). The beat and music is infectious and the dance nails it beautifully. Nothing overly tricky with the steps. The turn on the rolling vine forward (45-48) can be omitted, leaving "step, lock, step, hold". The wall ends with 3 holds - add styling as desired. One tag, obvious in the music. U Turn - Robbie McGowan Hickie [4w,32c]; 3/2009 Improver to country ("Your Heart Turned Left (And I Was On The Right)" by Jason Allen [Wouldn’t It Be Nice]). A smoothly flowing dance with a 1,2,3,hold count throughout. Nothing tricky with the steps and shouldn't be too much of a challenge for an upper beginner class. The dance is a touch on the quick side. Note on the 2nd Monterey you hold on the last beat. No tags etc. Make My Day - Francien Sittrop [4w,32c]; 12/2008 Improver to pop ("Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps" by Pussycat Dolls [Doll Domination]). Dance has an 8&1 count throughout which is the 'hardest' aspect of the dance. Has a cha-cha rhythm (2-3,4&5). May fit to the original Doris Day version, but you'd need to check the phrasing. The music needs to be turned up loud in order to hear the beat which is a bit difficult to hear at times. The full unwind turn (count 7) can be replaced with a step together for non-turners. The two hold-ball-crosses (22-25) may cause a in class at first. The dance ends with a side shuffle which includes the 1st count of the next wall. No tags etc. Cool Chick - Robbie McGowan Hickie [4w,64c]; 5/2009 Improver to rock 'n roll ("Please Mama Please" by Go Cat Go [Billy, Vol. 1 – Various Artists]). Has a 1,2,3,hold count throughout, for the most part and flows well. Nothing difficult with the steps and there's no syncopation, so should be fine for a beginner class. Note the Charleston has a kick and hold rather than the usual point and hold. The cross struts and slow sailor sequences (33-48) are done to the diagonals. No tags etc. Chica Boom Boom - Vikki Morris [4w,32c]; 6/2009 Upper beginner to swing ("Boom Boom Goes My Heart" Alex Swings Oscar Sings [Heart 4 Sale]). Dance flows well and has a nice smooth feel. Not a novice dance (has syncopation and jazz boxes), but a useful dance for introducing jazz boxes to new dancers (it has a vanilla jazz box and one with a turn). Good strong beat in the music. No tags etc. Let's Start Livin' - Rosalie Mackay [4w,64c]; 10/2008 Easy intermediate to country ("Let's Start Livin'" by Vince Gill [Famous First Words]). This dance has a lot of repetition (sequences of 2,4 and 8 counts). Flows well and there's a good beat to the music. There is, however, quite a bit of floor movement. The last 16 counts is much the same as "Who Did You Call Darling". No syncopation. No tags or restarts, tho' there is an ending. Shouldn't be too difficult for upper beginners. Holding On To Yesterday - Peter Metelnick & Alison Biggs [4w,32c]; 3/2009 Intermediate to country ("I Told You So" by Carrie Underwood & Randy Travis). There's also a Jan Wyllie dance to this song going around locally. The music has a slowish beat but the dance is heavily syncopated. The count is probably the most difficult part of the dance the count is 8&1 throughout), plus the beat is a bit hard to pick up in the music. There's another version of the song by Randy Travis (solo) which is sloghtly faster and has a much more distinct beat in the music. Not only is this other version better to dance to, you also leave out the tag. Nothing overly difficult with the steps, tho' there are quite a few quick turns. The spin at the end seems awkward when walking through, but it flows naturally into the start of the next wall. One tag. That's What I Like About You - Michael Vera-Lobos [2w,64c]; 8/2008 Intermediate to country ("That's What I Like About You" by Trisha Yearwood [Love Songs]). A very turn intensive dance with more than a bit of joint stress (especially the twists in the 2nd set of 8). Has a bit of pace to it and a moderate amount of floor movement. Quite a few full turns, which can be easily left out, if needed, likewise 3/2 turns can be replaced with 1/2 turns. The two touch, unwind's in sequence feels a bit odd at first. Counts &33 caused a bit of trouble in class, so extra attention there wehen teaching may be needed. Western World - Rosalie Mackay [2w,64c]; 11/2008 Intermediate to country rock ("Western World" by Lee Kernaghan [The New Bush]). For non-Aussies, Lee Kernaghan was the face of modern country long before Keith Urban, with a music career stretching back to 1979. There's a moderate amount of floor movement in this dance. It flows quite nicely and suits the music well, which has a good solid beat. The 1st 16 counts are fairly easy, it's the next 16 that are the hardest part of the dance, especially the count. Not so much as tricky as unusual, requiring a bit of practice to nail down. On both scuffs towards the end of the wall, scuff to the left side so the following steps flow smoothly (which move to the left). Each wall flows quite nicely into the following wall. Easy tags/restarts that're obvious in the music. Infinity - Jennifer Hughes [2w,48c]; 8/2008 Intermediate to country ("Infinity" by Adam Brand [Get Loud]). A smooth, nicely flowing dance with a slowish beat. Has a 1&2,3&4 count throughout (with a few extra &'s), but because the beat is slow, the dance isn't 'helter skelter'. The two rock-rock-rock&hook sequences may feel odd at first, but should settle down quickly. The 1/2-1/4-cross (31&32) is essentially a backwards shuffle with a 3/4 turn. Two restarts (obvious in the music). There is a 3rd restart (less obvious) in the music, just dance thru' it, it's not in the dance. U Turn - Robbie McGowan Hickie [4w,32c]; 3/2009 Easy intermediate to old style country ("Your Heart Turned Left (And I Was On The Right)" by Jason Allen [Wouldn't it Be Nice]). A simple number from one of the most prolific and successfull choreographer's around at the moment (it seems at times every 2nd dance arriving in Australia from foreign parts is one of his! Nothing tricky with the steps and should be ok for anything from upper beginner and up without much trouble. The full turn forward (13-14) can be omitted, instead walking forward, if needed. Heavily syncopated, but the music isn't fast. The two 1/4 turns near the end (29-30) are the only non syncopated steps, which may catch people out. Note the Monterey's end with taps and not steps. Can be done to the older George Jones version of the song, tho' it's a bit slower - pick whicherver one suits the class better. Words - Darren Mitchell [4w,40c]; 7/2008 Improver to pop ("Words" by Father David [Clasicos de Los 80's]). Quite a turn intensive dance for what is otherwise a pretty simple dance. On the 1/2 and 3/4 lunge turns, push off on the leading foot going into the turn to make it flow more neatly. The tag is two pivot turns which means you actually do three of them (dance starts with a pivot turn), which does feel a bit odd at first. Restart plus the tag done twice, all obvious in the music. A Beautiful View - Carp Sullivan [4w,36c]; 3/2009 Intermediate to country ("No One Has Eyes Like You" by Billy Currington [Little Bit of Everything]). Note early versions of the sheet (including Kickit) have the wrong number of counts. Quite a few turns and sequences where you turn one way and then reverse direction to go the other way. Not a terribly joint friently dance, especially the 1/2L pivot followed by a forward shuffle with a full R turn (omitting the turn is a lot easier on the knees). Note the 2nd and 3rd set of 8 are all to the diagonals. One tag, which is really a restart with an added turn. Hooked - Noel Bradey [2w,48c]; 1/2008 Intermediate/advanced to country ("You Had Me From Hello" by Kenny Chesney [Everywhere We Go]). This is something of a sleeper, doing the rounds a year after it was first released, which is only fitting since the song dates back to the 1990's. The dance has a nice flow to it although it is deceptively quick sicne the music 'seems' slow. The dance is heavily syncopated and has a LOT of turns. The first 8 counts is perhaps the hardest part of the dance, especially with the count. The cross-1/4-1/4's (3rd bracket) seemed to cause some trouble in class, tho' others found them easy. The cross-ball-1/4-spin (&8&1) may also need a bit of extra practice and it comes very quickly! One restart. Teach Me to Waltz - Gordon Elliott [2w,63c]; 7/2008 Easy intermediate waltz to country ("Teach Me to Waltz" by Greg Holland [Let Me Drive]). Yes, the dance is 63 counts. A slowish dance with a nice waltz feel to it. The rolling weaves, first rolling left and then rolling right (25-31) seem a bit strange at first. The step, point and Monterey sequence does seem a bit out of place, if only because it doesn't seem to flow like a waltz (at least the 1st week). The dance ends with a step, slow drag and then a step together, not a touch as would seem natural. 2 restarts. My Harley - Penny Kelly & Elizabeth Bocci [4w,312c]; 1/2009 Easy intermediate to country ("Harley McTaggart" by Tania Kernagan [Higher Ground]). Dance has very little floor movement and suits the music very nicely. The first 10 counts may be a bit tricky with some at first with two toe struts, a kick-ball-change, ONE toe strut and another kbc. The 1/4 hitch and then 1/2 hitch can be a bit difficult when walking thru', but at dance place flows nicely. After the 2nd kick-ball-change, don't forget to step (count 11) before the kick - it's easy to do a "kbc, kick". Easy tags, tho' the pivots are a bit quick. Soco Waltz - Tom Glover [2w,48c]; 11/2008 Improver waltz to country ("Being Drunk's a Lot Like Loving You" by Kenny Chesney [When The Sun Goes Down]). Nothing tricky with the steps and the dance has a very nice waltz feel and rhythm. Some of the weight changes may cause trouble (the unwinds do not end consistently with the weight, some on the leading foot and some not). Not much floor mvoement. Make sure you move forward when doing the three twinkles so that you end each wall back at the starting spot on the floor. No tags or restarts. You Can't Hurry Love - Karen Jennings [2w,32c]; 1/2009 Improver to country ("You Can't Hurry Love" by Dixie Chicks [Runaway Bride Soundtrack]). The song is an old pop classic done with a faintly country feel and has a nice bouncy feel. Nothing tricky with the steps, tho' the dance may feel a bit jerky at first until you pick up the rhythm. Note all the pivots are step-turn-steps. The 1st half of the dance is noticably quicker than the 2nd half, although the whole dance is heavily syncopated. One tag and one restart. Rivers of Gold - Gordon Elliott [4w,64c]; 3/2009 Improver to pop ("Rivers of Gold" by Fame Factory [Best of the Fame Factory]). Song has a good beat to it and there's only a moderate amount of floor movement. Yes, counts 2-3 are holds which may take a bit of getting used to and is probably the hardest part of the dance. Rolling shuffles can be done without the turns for the non-turners. There's a temptation to do a rock, recover instead of the mambo on 31&32. No tags or restarts. It's You - Robert Fletcher and Michelle Palmer [4w,48c]; 9/2008 Intermediate/advanced to pop ("It's You" by Westlife [Back Home]). The dance has an 8&1 count throughout with the sequence 2,3,4&5 etc. Perhaps the most difficult part of the dance is that it will likely take a few weeks for the dance and the music to start working together (more or less, depending on the dancer). The first week you'll likely be left there scratching you head, but persistance is rewarded in this case and the two do work together with practice. Counts 8amp;9 do seem awkward and put a fair bit of strain on the joints, but the rest of the dacne flows fairly smoothly. I'm sure dancers who want to persist and find the turn awkward can improvise. On counts 38-39 make sure you rock forward - it's quite tempting to rock back instead, which makes the following steps difficult. The last 8 counts is very turn intensive and likely warrants extra care and time when teaching. The dance had a fair few sudden direction changes, but the music is slow and you can generally get a lunge in before the direction change, to help push off in the opposite direction. 2 restarts and a tag. Somewhere Somehow - Samantha Dixon, Allan Kenny and Kelvin Dale [4w,32c]; 4/2008 Intermediate to country ("Somewhere Somehow" by Drew McAlister [There to Here]). The 1st 8 counts of this dance is a bit fiddly and will likely require a bit of practice to settle down. This is followed by an easy set of 8, then curiously there's a difficult bracket and the dance ends with an easy bracket. The 3rd bracket ends with 3 turns all in opposite directions - watch out for the weight changes. Dance flows quite well from one wall into the next. There are several full turns which can be omitted for the non-turners. Not a terribly joint friendly dance. One tag. Somebody - Michael Vera-Lobos [2/4w,40c]; 11/2008 Intermediate to contry ("Somebody" by Reba McEntire [Greatest Hits]). A lovely smooth dance that suits the music, but is one of those "momentum" dances where you have to dance rather than just follow the steps. The diagonal's section seemed to cause some bother in class, trying to get the steps right and facing the right direction as well. The first week or two may be a bit confusing on the floor. The 1st 8 counts is essentially 4 sailors with drags and totalling a 3/4 turn right. For the non-spinners, just replace the full turn on count 10 with a step forward. Counts 17-24 is similar to the sequence from Carl Sullivan's "Mixed Emotions" and likewise is done to the diagonals. The "1/4R" turn on 23&24 is really a 3/8 turn, ending up facing the opposite side. The full turn triple (31&32) can again be left out for the non-turners or to lower the difficulty level. It has a right turn, which can feel a bit odd at first. Make sure you lunge a bit after the preceeding hinge so the spin flows more naturally. The rolling shuffle near the end (37&38) likewise may feel a bit odd at first - do a vanilla shuffle forward if necesssary. The short tag changes the dance orientation from 12:00/6:00 to 9:00/3:00 (and vice versa when done again), hence making it a 2/4 wall dance. Note that the tag ends moving to the left but the dance starts moving to the right, so it may help to end the tag leaning slightly to the right. The sequence is wall & tag, normal wall, wall & tag, wall & long tag, wall & tag, normal wall to finish, so it's really more like a 44 count dance with a restart (walls 2 and 5) and a 4c tag (wall 4), so don't let the "special event" on almost every wall turn you off. When You're Single - Noel Bradey [4w,32c]; 6/2008 Easy intermediate to country ("When You're Single" by Chuck Wicks [Starting Now]). A nice little classic cha-cha beat dance (1,2,3&4) for the most part. Count 2 is a step together, not a drag as would seem normal, so make sure of the weight change. On counts 11-14, start the turn on the sailor, it makes the dance flow a bit more smoothly. Dance is on the slow side and is smooth and mellow, matching the song. Not for those who demand a lot of adrenaline in their dances. Nothing tricky with the steps. One restart. Float Ya Boat - Luke Watson [4w,32c]; 2008 Intermediate to dance-club music ("The Way I Are" by Timberland). The dance is fast and funky, tho' the music is definitely not for everyone. It will mostly appeal to the younger crowd. Does fit the music, tho' not terribly joint friendly. All bar one of the turns is to the right. Make sure you finish the heel bumps (3&4) with the weight on the left foot and the hip bumps with the weight on the right. No tags or restart, tho' it does really demand a funky style. Already Gone - Lyn Booth [2w,48c]; 1/2009 Improver waltz to country ("Already Gone" by Sugarland [Love On The Inside]). Most of the dance follows the "1-2-3-4, slow drag" sequence. Nothing tricky with the steps, as befitting an improver level dance so it should be ok for a beginner class with a bit of patience. A bit on the quick side for a waltz. One restart and a simple tag done twice. Boogie Back to Texas - Joshua & Julie Talbot [4w,48c]; 10/2008 Intermediate/advanced to country ("Boogie Back To Texas" by Asleep at the Wheel [10]). The dance is quite fast. QUITE fast. But manages to flow nicely. The speed and some tricky footwork really push the level past the straight intermediate that's on the sheet. There's a fair bit of floor movement, but with the difficulty level it will likely never pack the floor, so this shouldn't be the problem it would be with an easy dance. Quite turn intensive. Note counts 7&8 are a kick-ball-cross, not a kick-ball-change .. getting your feet in the right positions is essential for the next steps. The heel bounces (39-40) end with the weight on the left, you'll need to push off the left foot after the last bounce to start the turning vine to the right. As an easy option, omit the turn on counts 13-14 and instead step L to L side, cross R behind L and continue the dance. Similarly on counts 18-20 omit the full turn and step R to R, cross L behind R step R to R and continue the dance. These turns and the resulting direction changes are the hardest part of the dance and dropping the spins significantly lowers the difficulty level. No tags or restarts. Wanna Be Elvis - Robbie McGowan Hickie [4w,32c]; 10/2008 Improver to pop-rock ("Elvis Tonight" by Jason Allen [The Twilight Zone]). A fairly easy dance. Nothing tricky with the steps and not much floor movement. Shouldn't be too challenging for upper beginners. The dance flows well and has a nice feel. Note that count 22 is a drag and step (with a weight change) - forgetting to step onto the right foot caught a few in class. Sorry, the music isn't by Elvis. One dead easy tag done twice (some hip bumps). Baker Street - Pat & Lizzie Stott [4w,64c]; 11/2007 Easy intermediate to pop ("Baker Street" by Undercover [Bravo Hits 2]). Dance is quite smooth and flows very nicely. Nothing particularly tricky with the steps, tho' the second half is noticably more difficult than the first 32 counts and will likely warrant a bit more attention when teaching - nothing difficult as such, just a matter of memorising the sequences. The 2nd last set of 8 are all rocks and turns. No tags or restarts. Viva La Vida - Linda Burgess [4w,48c]; 12/2008 Intermediate to latin-pop ("Que Viva La Vida" by Belle Perez [Greatest Hits]). A very heavily syncopated dance, which is a trademark of this choreographer. The dance has to be done with a latin feel and there're a number of optional latin-style hand and body movements on the sheet. Fast paced and not much floor movement. Definitely only for the "newline" dance crowd. One tag. Someday (When you're not so pretty) - Lyn Booth [2w,phrased]; 12/2008 Intermediate to country ("Someday" by The Sunny Cowgirls & Adam Brand [Dust Will Settle]). A phrased dance with a tag and a restart plus plenty of pace, which pushes this into the solid intermediate range even tho' the steps are not terribly difficult. The dance demands to be danced with attitude, especially part A (you can replce the holds with heel taps etc for extra styling). The dance starts almost as soon as the music, so make sure everyone's on the floor before the music is started. Nothing overly tricky with the steps tho' there are a few sudden direction changes which do manage to flow with the dance. There is a bit of floor movement. The step-tap-ball-heel etc sequences (17-24 in part B) are done to the respective diagonals, but on count 24 (tap together), you end facing the front, which does feel a bit unnatural at first. Several tags and restarts. Little Ol' Kisses - Darren Mitchell [4w,64c]; 9/2008 Beginner/improver to rock 'n roll ("Little Ol' Kisses" by Julian Austin [What My Heart Already Knows]). Pretty basic stepwork with this dance - with a bit of persistance it shouldn't be too much trouble for upper beginners. The first 32 counts of the dance are almost entirely vines with a few pivots and step, taps. A moderate amount of floor movement during the first 32 counts - may need to take small steps with the vines to minimise floor movement. The second 32 counts has almost no floor movement and is mostly pivot turns. Plenty of opportunity for extra spins for the turners. No tags or restarts. Cowgirl Connection - Jim Lucas [4w,46c]; classic Improver to country ("Como Se Dice" by The Sweethearts Of The Rodeo [Buffalo Zone]). One of the many old classics that has never gone away. The dance doesn't phrase to the music, but that's par for the course for dances from the 90's. If you dance to the music, just ignore it when the music says "next wall"! The direction changes going into some of the shuffles may take a bit of practice to feel comfortable. Don't forget the tap on count 15 - this is the spot that caused the most trouble in class .. it's very easy to forget the tap. No tags/restarts. My New Life - John Offermans [4w,48c]; 3/2007 Beginner to rock 'n roll ("High Class Lady" by The Lennerockers [Wild Wild Wild]). A lively dance and matchign song. Nothing difficult to watch out for in the steps, tho' it does move around the floor a fair bit. Dance has a bit of pace to it, but not too much pace to trouble beginners. Perhaps not a dance for novices, but suitable for every other level and the dance is infectious enough that even advanced dancers should give it a go. No syncopation and no tags/restarts. Bossy Boots - Robbie McGowan Hickie [2w,68c]; 11/2008 Intermediate to country ("Boots" by Joey & Rory [The Life Of A Song]). Dance does seem to be something of a grab bag of step sequences (a bit of this, a bit of that and a bit of the other that all jumbled together). The first 16 counts moves around the floor a fair bit. There's nothing really tricky with the steps, so improvers and upper beginners should be able to pick it up with a bit more practice, especially since it is on the slowish side. Don't forget the tap on count 7 - it's easy to leave it out. One restart. Fill Me Up - Chris Watson [4w,32c]; 4/2008 Improver to dance club pop ("Ooh Ooh Baby" by Britney Spears [Blackout]). Fairly easy stepwork in this dance although the last 8 counts is a bit tricky and may likely need extra attention when teaching to improvers or upper beginners. Watch out for the holds on the rock/hips & clicks. On the pacy side. A lively track with a bouncy feel and the dance and music seem quite well matched. 2 restarts. Pieces Don't Fit Anymore - Travis Taylor [4w,48]; 7/2008 Intermediate waltz ("Pieces Don't Fit Anymore" by James Morrison). A fast waltz, for those who like their waltzes fast. Has quite a nice feel when done slowly and flows well but the rapid pace IMO stops it being a waltz and rather it's a linedance that happens to have a waltz count. There're a few full turns that can easily be left out for the non-turners. There's no syncopation, which always kills a waltz feel, IMO. Nothing really tricky to watch out for in the stepwork, just fast. 1 tag. Get Trashed - Robbie McGowan Hickie [2w,64c] Intermediate to country ("Let's Get Trashed" by Mica Roberts & Toby Keith [Beer For My Horses]). A hard rockin' country track, what else would one expect from Toby Keith? On count 4 it may help to kick to the R45 rather than hitch, which makes the following full turn a bit easier. The weave to the left ending with a "kick" is more a sweep, which is what many dancers end up doing. The 8 count sequence near the end containing the toe-heel's (Dwight's) is a bit busy compared to the rest of the dance and may take a week or two to settle down comfortably. Dance is quick but there's not much syncopation. The music does seem to go in a different direction from the dance a number of times, which can cause trouble, especially towards the end - it might help to count out the dance during the music more than one would normally do. An easy bridge done every wall after the 1st two. Never Ending Love - Maria Tao [4w,32c]; 7/2008 Intermediate to pop ("Never Ending Song Of Love" by The Osmond Brothers). A very heavily syncopated dance that's a bit on the quick side. Might help to slow the music down the first time. Dance has an 8&1 beat. There's a non-syncopated Charleston near the end of each wall which is a good spot to catch your breath, the rest of the dance has a bit of a frantic feel. There's not much variation in the music and it's very easy to get a tad mixed up, skipping steps or even sequences, so you need to stay focused on this one. No tags/restarts. Break Each Other's Heart - Michael Vera-Lobos [4w,32c]; 9/2008 Upper intermediate to country ("Break Each Others Hearts Again" by Reba McEntire & Don Henley [Reba Duets]). This is one of those "feelie" dances done to a "feelie" song. It's also a dance that needs to be danced, using your momentum with lots of lunges and push turns, rather than just stepping out the steps. Got a mixed reaction in class with some loving it and other's, well, the opposite. Dance has an 8&1 count. The dance starts rolling backwards, ending in a lunge, which is a tad unusual. The dance as a whole is definitely on the tricky side and will need a fair bit of practice to become smooth. A few sequences are similar, so you need to keep focused or you may suddenly find yourself doing the wrong part of the dance. One restart & two tags. My Veronica - Peter Metelnick & Alison Biggs [4w,64c]; 3/2008 Improver to old time rock 'n roll ("Veronica" by Barbados). A very smooth rhumba rhythm dance that neatly fits the music, tho' watch out for the few steps that don't strictly follow the rhumba beat (1-3,hold). Nothing difficult with the steps and with some practice shouldn't be too challenging for beginners. Beat is a bit pacy. No tags/restarts. Moments - Brett Jenkins [2w,48c]; 5/2008 Intermediate/advanced to country ("Moments" by Emerson Drive [Countrified]). This is a tricky dance that wont apeal to everyone. A slow, feelie dance that requires you to dance (use your body and momentum) rather than just do the steps. If you just do the steps the dance will flow like, well, the proverbial lead brick. But 'feeling' the dance, it soon develops a lovely and smooth flow. A typical Brett Jenkins dance with lots of syncopated turns. Two restarts. Louisiana Stomp - Tracie Lee & Fredd Knopp [2w,64c]; 10/2008 Improver to country ("Louisiana Rendezvous" by Adam Harvey). There were a few dances to this track that came out locally a few years ago. I've not seen any of them done in some time, but this may still be a floor splitter. This one's a simple, lively number that starts with a hop and keeps that theme up throughout. Nothing tricky with the steps and should be ok for a beginner class with not much trouble. One restart. Amame - Robbie McGowan Hickie [4w,64c]; 8/2008 Easy intermediate to Spanish pop ("Amame" by Belle Perez [Gipsy]). Probably more an improver dance, tho' a bit harder than most dances of that category, so may be a bit more challenging for beginners. A rather sweepy dance that flows nicely and suits the music. make sure you start the dance crossing behind and not over. The cross and full unwind is the hardest part of the dance and will likely cause the most trouble for beginners (as it did in class). A easy option is to cross, hold (no turn) and then go into the side rock. The dance definitely needs to be done with a latin feel. No tags/restarts. Catch the Rain - Peter Metelnick & Alison Biggs [4w,64c]; 2/2008 Improver to pop ("Sunshine In The Rain" by BWO [Halcyon Days]). A simple dance that shouldn't trouble most beginners. The first 4 counts did seem busy in comparision to the rest of the dance, but the remainder of the dance flows nicely. No tags/restarts. Tango Cha - Jo Thompson-Szymanski & Deborah Szekely [4w,32c]; 6/2008 Intermediate to a tango, naturally ("Tango" by Jacci Velasquez [Love Out Loud]). Dance has an 8&1 beat. Most of the dance is pretty straightforward and fairly easy stepwork. The dance ends with a "drunken sailor" sequence: 3 sailors run together and a samba, all done in 6 counts. Very fiddly and there's a lot of fudging. This last sequence pushes the dance from improver up to straight intermediate. IMO you really need to have some experience in latin dancing to pull this one off and look smooth (or a natural latin dance style). No tags/restarts. Never Loved Before - Joshua & Julie Talbot [2w,64c]; 3/2008 Intermediate to country ("Never Loved Before" by Alan Jackson & Martina McBride [Good Time]). This isn't one of those slow and feely AJ tracks, rather it's more reminiscent of his livelier honky tonk numbers. A few spots in the dance to watch out for but for the most part it's pretty straightforward. On counts 3-4 the heel stays off the floor (it's a swivel on the ball of the foot). Make sure you end with the weight on the left after the knee pops (24). Counts 19-20 were the only ones that caused any trouble in class. Has the sailor, sambas, sailor sequence out of Hillbilly Nation. If you've done that dance it shouldn't be a problem - if you haven't, this will be the trickiest part of the dance, by a long shot. Doing 4 sailors is a workable cheat. Dance flows well. Two restarts, both during instrumentals, and one tag. Things She Likes - Rosalie Mackay [4w,64c]; 9/2007 Beginner/improver to country ("Things That bring Me Down" by Amber Lawrence [The Mile]). There's an upper level dance going around to the same song (Fine Things - Sandy Kerrigan), so this should do as a floor split for easy and open dancers. This one is reminiscent of old style line dancing with fans, taps etc. There's no syncopation in the dance and the first 16 counts is basically "Step, tap". The "point, cross, behind, point, hold" is the only spot, if anything, that should trouble improvers. The rest of the dance is pretty basic. Music is a tad on the quick side. Two restarts. One Way Love - Fred Knopp [4w,64c]; 2/2008 Intermediate to country ("Don't Tie My hands" by The McClymonts [Chaos and Bright Lights]). Not quite advanced inetrmediate as the sheet says, IMO. Music will likely be hard to find outside of Australia, but any store with a decent country section here in Oz should have the CD. Dance moves around the floor a lot! So be careful. The dance is also faster than the music would suggest. Counts 41-44 are, well, different, and may take a bit of getting used to. Arguably the hardest part of the dance. On count 44 it helps to lean slightly forward so going into the followng forward shuffle feels smoother. Ditto on the drag (31-32) - a common problem in class was to go backwards instead of forward on both counts 45 and 33. The last 4 counts is just a rocking chair with hips to the diagonals. No tags/restarts. Younger Men - Hedy McAdams [4w,64c]; 2/1996 Intermediate to country ("Younger Men" by K.T. Oslin). A classic that's still done regularly on the local dance floors. Don't be put off the sheet - it's not really a phrased dance with 8 parts, the choreographer has just numbered each section of 8. It would also be considered easy to mid intermediate by today's standards. Dance has a lot of repetition, a good dnace beat and only a moderate amount of floor movement. There's a lot of sytling and extra actions - see the sheet for some, but a lot are local variations. Count 16 is more of a hop/rock than a traditional rock/recover. Count 48 is another rock/hop back. No tags & no restarts but the dance still phrases well to the music. Shimmy Shack - Simon Ward & Justine Shuttleworth [4w,64c]; 3/1997 Intermediate to pop music ("The LOve Shack" by The B52's [Cosmic Thing]). This one just goes to show that newline linedancing is nothing new! The dance is full of shimmy's (pbviously), body rolls and so forth. For obvious reasons Simon's been called "Rubber Legs". Not one of the more frequently done classics, but it's been hanging on all these years, especially amongst the younger dancers who really go overboard with the styling (I'm sure I've seen them do it and bend backwards with their shoulders touching the floor!). Still, the more you style it, the better it looks. The double rocks (33-36) seemed a bit odd at first - both in the same direction (you feel like wanting to do a rocking chair). Not much floor movement. It doesn't phrase terribly well with the music, but who cared back then? There's one tag, but more for styling than phrasing, tho' it does fit the music neatly. The holds in the tag can take a bit of getting used to. Firecracker - Robert Lindsay [4w,56c]; 8/2007 Easy intermediate to disco ("You Set My Heart on Fire" by Helena Paparizou [Iparhi Logos]). Dance is a bit on the quick side and has a good solid beat (typical of disco music). For those wanting to fill in the intro, apparently you can fit in the tag twice and then flow into the dance itself. This dance has lots of hips and is definitely meant to be done with a lot of attitude and styling. Watch out for the side lunges for those with dicky knees. The coasters following the lunges seemed to quickly become sailors, even during the walk-thru'. They do feel smoother as sailors. The pivot on count 38 does not have a weight transfer - make sure the weight stays on the left foot (hint: lean back slightly). After the dip (39-40) make sure the weight is still on the left foot. For those who prefer to do something other than the dip (it is a strain on the knees), you could try a shimmy, twists or a rock R forward and recover onto the L. Just make sure you end with the weight on the left foot. The rest of the dance is fairly straightforward. Note the dance ends with a "hold-ball", which may end up being fudged as a plain step together. One fairly simple tag. Velvet Waters - Whakaoriori Shufflers [2w,64c]; 3/2008 Easy intermediate to pop ("Velvet Waters" by Dale & Phillipa). This dance is actually a lot easier than a first look at the step sheet may suggest - in a large part because the sheet does not always use standard terminology (a step, pivot is described as a "step, recover weight" which normally means a "rock step, recover"). The directions on two of the turns are also missing - count 52 is a 1/4 right pivot turn and count 58 is a 1/4 left pivot turn. The cross-shuffles (counts 3-8) all move in the same direction and ditto for those on counts 11-16. This did cause confusion in class with lots of "tanglefoot"! Dance moves a fair bit around the floor. The 3/2 turning shuffle (27&28) can be done as a 1/2 turn if desired. The dance is fairly smooth despite all the hinge turns and there're optional Maori-style hand actions (tho' not on the sheet which is travelling around Sydney. Check the sheet on my site for the hand actions or watch the YouTube video). Avoid the full 1/2 turn on the hinge turns to minimise knee strain, if that's an issue. Very mellow music, on the slow side. One restart, obvious in the music. One Woman Man - Kevin & Maria Smith [2w,64c]; 11/2007 Easy intermediate to country ("One Woman Man" by Josh Turner [Everything Is Fine]). A nice, lively track and a great dance for a packed floor or a demo since there is virtually no floor movement at all (but it still manages to flow fairly well). The 'side, drag, together' sequences (9-10, 13-14) may take a bit of getting used to - the count feels like you should be shuffling. The 1/2 turn and tap (15-16) is essentially a cross b/h and unwind. The music slows down towards the end and then speeds up. You need to keep in time with the beat (ie: slow down and then speed up), don't just dance thru' it. Theres also a false ending in the music - the dance continues until the music stops. Two restarts, not terribly obvious in the music. Everlasting Love - Jennifer Hughes [2w,64c]; 2/2008 Intermediate to disco ("Everlasting Love (Alternate Mix" by Gloria Estefan [Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me]). A *very* shuffle intensive dance (there're 15, including a few sailors). Watch out for the hold on count 6 - it's easy to dance thru'. The dance moves fairly well, but is a touch on the fast side. After the twists (count 35) make sure you end with the weight on the left - it helps to lean forward. The same applies on the other foot (count 43). The sequence repeating on the other foot did cause some confusion in class initially. The last two counts are a bit "abrupt" in feel and may take a few tries to settle down. One tag done twice and again after the restart. Swept Away - Robert Fletcher and Karen Jennings (2w,50c]; 9/2007 Intermediate/advanced to pop ("Drowning by Backstreet Boys [Greatest Hits - Chapter One]). This is one of those "feelie" songs and fortunately the dance fits the bill admirably - very sweepy and flowing which will probably take a while to settle in, if only because of the difficulty level. Definitely not for every class. A fairly turn intensive dance and very syncopated, but the music is slow and despite the turns its a very smooth dance. The 2nd last set of 8 is the trickiest part of the dance and warrants extra time and attention when teaching. Of course every class is different. One tag and one restart. Oklahoma Wind - Rosalie Mackay [4w,64c]; 10/2007 Intermediate to country ("Does the Wind Still Blow in Oklahoma" by Reba McEntire & Ronnie Dunn [Duets]). Onld time country music from a master of that genre. A pleasant change from all the new-line stuff. The dance does move around the floor a bit (so watch for the furniture). Counts 41-48 seemed somewhat fiddly the first week and caused a bit of grief in class, so extra care here when teaching. The 1/2 turn near the end also caused some trouble in class (cheat: step, pivot and shuffle fwd), otherwise a fairly straightforward dance. The music slows down near the end, the dance also slows down tho' since the beat vanishes the dance floor tended to get a bit chaotic. No tags or restarts. Two Lonesome Hearts - Lyn Booth [4w,64c]; 1/2008 Intermediate to country ("Two Lonesome Hearts" by Zachary Hunter [In Your Dreams]). This is a bit of a surprise - the choreographer didn't think it would ever go anywhere (so decided not to teach it), but now it's starting to make it's way around so time for a catchup in class. A great country-rock song. Not much floor movement and the dance flows fairly well without any awkward or sudden turns. While the 2nd set of 8 starts off the same as the 1st, it ends differently which caused a bit of confusion in class the first few times. The rock sequence (33-40) may need a bit more attention when teaching, especially the & steps. Watch the weight transfer after the unwind (32) - the weight stays on the left. 1 tag and 1 restart. Without You - Carl Sullivan [2w,40c]; 12/2007 Intermediate to country ("My World is Over" by Kenny Rogers and Whitney Duncan [single]). I found this dance a bit mixed. The first 24 counts flowed very nicely but the remainder of the dance *just* falls short of that high standard. Having said that there're a lot of successful dances that're no better than the 2nd half, so it's worth persisting. The dance is heavily syncopated (tho' the music is slow) and the few non-syncopated steps tended to catch people out in class with the temptation to syncopate those as well, especially the "rock, recover" (17-18). Counts 19-24 are sort of turning shuffles. Sort of! A trouble spot in class. Note that the final turn near the end is on the & count it's part of a ball-step). The "back-sweep, back-sweep" (37&38&am;) could probably be done just as two steps backwards to simplify things. Two restarts - the first is obvious, the 2nd less so. Bringin' Da Noise - Mark Simpkin & Kate Moore [2w,64c]; 11/2007 Intermediate to dance club music ("Bringin' Da Noise" by NSYNC). The music for this one will definitely not be to everyone's taste. Probably more aimed at the younger crowd. Dance does have a lively feel to it, typical of the choreographer's previous output. A bit on the fast side. An easier alternative for the jumps (35&36&) is to point the right to the right side, make a 1/4 turn and hitch the right. Make sure the weight ends on the right foot after the knee pops (45-48). Two restarts, both in the same place. 1st is easy, the 2nd is hard to pick in the music. It's Good to Be Us - Linda Wolfe, Robyn Groot, Gary & Cheryl Parker [2w,64c]; 10/2007 Intermediate to country ("It's Good to Be Us" by Bucky Covington [Bucky Covington]). This is certainly an unusual dance in its feel and the step combinations. It's also quite fast, especially the syncopated sections. It will probably take a few tries, maybe even a few weeks, for this dance to stop feeling awkward, but do think about persisting since first impressions can be wrong! After the two kick-ball-changes, make sure you end with your feet apart, to make going into the following sailors feel smoother. Counts 33-40 will likely need extra care when teaching (it caused the most "grief" in class), especially with the weight transfers. 1 restart. I Only Want To Be With You - Linda Burgess [4w,48c]; 12/2007 Improver to pop ("I Only Want To Be With You" by Dusty Springfield). Nothing difficult with this dance and it flows quite well. It should appeal to the older dancers who know who Dusty is! Moves a bit around the floor, but not too much (so watch the furniture). Dance beat is a bit on the slow side, but just right for the difficulty level. May be a bit of challenge for the average beginner, but should be achievable with a bit of practice. Two restarts. No Matter What - Fred Knopp [2w,48c]; classic Easy intermediate to pop ("No Matter What" by Boyzone [single]). When this came out back in the 90's it was considered intermediate/advanced. How times have changed! A smooth cha-cha rhythm that nicely suits the music - apart from the last wall when the music heads off into the sunset. Just finish the dance off at the beat of the rest of the song. The 1/4 turn/twist rock, recover (17-18) seems to be mostly done as a vanilla rock, recover by those who've been doing it for years. It's certainly easier on the knees and ankles! An old classic that still continues to fill the dance floors. A bit on the slowish side. No tags or restarts (of course!). Run With It - Kevin & Maria Smith [2/4w,32c]; 9/2007 Improver to country ("Run With It" by Victoria McGee [single]). This is a simple little dance with a nice feel to it, however the sheet may be hard to get hold of (I have an original copy on this site). It's only two walls, but with the restarts you end up doing the dance to all 4 walls. There is a left Monterey which is rare and may trouble those more used to doing right Monterey's and make sure you end the dance with a step together, not a touch. Apart from that there's nothing to really watch out for. Counts 1-2 seemed to flow better doing a brush forward and then a brush back across the left foot, but that's just a personal preference - and definitely not official! *g* Shouldn't be too difficult for an upper beginner class, tho' the 2/4 walls may be a bit confusing for that level. 2 restarts. Out of the Blue - Luke Watson [2w,48c]; 2007 Intermediate waltz to country ("Second Chance" by Trisha Yearwood). A very nicely flowing waltz that almost perfectly nails the waltz style. Has a bit of floor movement, butyou really do need some for a good flowing waltz. On the "cross, back, side" just before the unwind, make sure you end with your feet apart - makes the unwind easier. Keep your weight on the left after the 2nd unwind - you might need to tap the ball of the right to balance. Dance ends with a hold/drag which did catch some out in class, going into the next wall early. The restart caused the most trouble in class - the extra 1/4 turn doesnt seem much on the sheet but can take a bit of practice to nail down. The beat fades out soon after so it may be helpful to call the beat for the first few weeks after this point. A real "feelie" number. One tag, one restart. Sweet Sweet Smile - Johnny Two-Step & Fi Scott [4w,32c]; 10/2005 Improver to pop ("Sweet Sweet Smile" by Scooter Lee [Walking On Sunshine] or "Sweet Sweet Smile" by The Carpenters). A fairly basic dance that was very popular around the world back in 2005/2006 but for some reason never took off in Australia at the time. Ever since then it's been slowly making its way around the country. Not much floor movement. The 1/2 turn and backwards shuffle (with a direction reversal) does seem strained and did catch some out in class even after a few tries. No tags/restarts. Hard Workin' Man - Sobrielo Philip Gene [4w,64c]; 8/2007 Improver to country ("Hard Workin' Man" by Brooks & Dunn [Hard Workin' Man]). A great country track from those masters of country with a nice lively beat - but not too fast. Nothing tricky with the steps and there's a lot of repetition - almost every sequence is done twice in a row. Not much floor movement. This one has slowly been going around the traps since the choreographer introduced it to Sydney back in 2007. One of the few country-music dances he has choreographed. There are optional hand movements. Two restarts. No Quitter - Amanda Moore & Linda Wolfe [4w,72c]; 9/2007 Intermediate to country ("I Ain't No Quitter" by Shania Twain [Greatest Hits]). This was one of the most popular dances at Tamworth 2008. A bit on the quick side (160bpm) but certainly not fast. There is a short intro. The tag may take a bit of getting used to. Counts 9-16 seemed to bother some in class - they are just rock forward, recover with a 1/2 turn, repeated several times. Counts 33-40 is perhaps the hardest section of the dance and certainly caused the most trouble in class - there is an easy option on the step sheet. Watch out for count 16 - there is a weight change. A few in class kept doing a touch/brush instead (a common beat in the dance is 1,2,3,hold/brush). One tag done twice. Oh Suzannah - Chris Watson & Bill Larson [4w,32c]; 10/2007 Upper beginner to country ("Oh Suzannah" by Southern Culture [On The Skids]) Music is a bit on the fast side and a tad longish. Nothing tricky tho' watch for the slide together (count 14) - there's a weight change. There're two shuffles and two rolling vines so strictly speaking it's not a beginner dance. Lots of traditional slaps and claps. One of the dances chosen for the 2008 Royal Easter Show demonstration. No tags/restarts. Two Steppin' Blues - Tracie Lee [2w,68c]; 1/2008 Easy intermediate to country ("Two Step Your Baby's Blues Away" by Marsha Britton [Hayride]). Nothing tricky with the steps - apart from the holds, not all of which are immediately obvious. Dance doesn't really have a 2-step feel to it, but it does floow well. Not much floor movement. The slow coaster at the end seemed to want to be a forward coaster, at least the first week, so it may help to lean back slightly after the preceeding slow side-ball-cross. One restart. NIMBY - Maggie Gallagher [4w,64c]; 4/2007 Intermediate to counry ("Your Backyard" by Burton Cummings [The Best of Burton Cummings]). A nicely flowing dance with just the right amount of bounce to it. Pace is on the quick side but there's no syncopation, so it's not "too fast". The extended weave (8 counts) moves a bit across the floor but otherwise there's not much floor movement. The first hold (count 20) caught some out in class for a while. There was also the temptation to do the "kick cross"s as single counts rather than 2. The count in the first 24 counts is a bit unusual, breaking familar sequences (eg: a 4-count Monterey is done on counts 7-10). No tags/restarts. Losing You - Errol Colomb [4w,32c]; 11/2007 Intermediate to country ("My Greatest Fear" by Randy Travis [Black Dog Soundtrack]). A very typical Randy Travis track, however the music is only available on the album soundtrack, which is hard to find. Dance has a straight cha-cha count - keep this in mind since the count seemed to cause the most trouble in class. Counts #&4 is essentially a 5/4 rolling shuffle, similarly 11&12 is a full turn rolling shuffle. Be careful of the weight change after the unwind - that caused some trouble in class. The turns on 25-28 are, of course, optional. And finally, counts 31&32 is just a sailor with a sweep. No tags or restarts. East To West - Larry Hayden [2w,96c]; 3/2006 Easy intermediate to dance-pop ("From Coast to Coast" by Modern Talking [America]). This dance was a huge hit elsewhere in the world in 2006 and after a long wait several Sydney instructors are finally picking it up. The dance is a bobby and lively number with a moderate amount of floor movement, tho' it does seem almost every 2nd sequence is a kick-ball-change (it's not quite, really). There's a lot of repetition in the dance with sequences being repeated on the opposite foot. 9-20 is a bit fiddly and caused the most trouble in class. Keep in mind that 13-16 is really just a jazz-box. The sheet doesn't give the direction of the coaster (19&20), but presumably it's a back coaster. The "kick-ball-change, step, tap" sequences felt unusual at first and may require a bit of practice to settle down. The two 1/2 turn sailors towards the end felt awkward and a bit of a strain on the ankles. A cross, unwind and step together flows quite nicely (and gently), but you didn't hear that from me!o tags or restarts. Bible and a Bus Ticket - Linda Wolfe, Robyn Groote, Gary & Cheryl Parker [4w,32c]; 10/2007 Easy intermediate to country ("A Bible and a Bus Ticket" by Colin Raye [Direct Hits]). Nothing tricky with the steps and the class had no trouble with this one (class ranges from improver to advanced). The choreography flows fairly well tho' 10-16 seemed a bit rushed after the previous steps the first few times and one of the rolling shuffles requires a sudden direction reversal. The rolling shuffles are, however, optional and the 2nd one does roll to the right, even if the left feels more natural (IMO at least). One of those "feelie" dance and song combinations, tho' some may find it "too slow". One tag. Boom Boom Boom - Ross Brown [4w,48c]; 5/2007 Improver to latin-dance track ("El Bum-Bum" by Carlitos {La Mona} Jimenez [El Original Bum-Bum]). Hmm... not sure about the song title. The group is actually from Argentina and is an example of the "Cuarteto", a type of dance-hall music played by a quartet. Probably not to everyone's taste. Certainly, well, different. Dance travels a bit, especially the hinge turn shuffles (17-24). Nothing tricky with the steps and there is a fair bit of repetition with a number of sequences being repeated on the other foot. A lively dance that flows well and didn't cause any trouble in class. Music sounds something like a Kiwi Hakka is about to break out in spots! The only thing in the dance that seemed to trouble people was the hold - quite a few repeatedly left it out. Two tags. The Here And Now - Charlie Mifsud [32c,4w]; 4/2007 Beginner/improver to country ("Living In The Here And Now" by Darryl Worley [Here And Now]). Dance has a few shuffles so strictly speaking it's not a beginner dance, but it shouldn't pose much trouble for any but the greenest of novices (there were a couple of 3rd-week dancers present who picked it up easily). The only thing to watch out for are the holds. One tag, which is optional if you're not worried about the phrasing. Not Like That - Robbie McGowan Hickie [4w,32c]; 5/2007 Intermediate to hip-hop dance music ("Not Like That" by Ashley Tisdale [Headstrong]). Sheet says beginner/intermediate level, but this is definitely not for beginners .. or improvers either I daresay. A bouncy number with a heck of a lot more than 32 steps (54 as it happens) - only two counts are non-syncopated. A tad on the quick side, tho' it doesn't feel rushed. Not that hard once you've learnt the dance but it seemed to cause quite a bit of trouble in class, especially counts 7-12. Make sure you end count 8 with the right (with weight) crossed over the left and that count 10 is a tap, not a step together. These seemed to be the biggest problems. Lots of optional body movements. No restarts/tags. Can't Touch That!! - Linda Burgess and Travis Taylor [2w,40c]; 10/2007 Intermediate to dance-club music ("Can't Touch It" by Ricki-Lee [radio edit]). Another heavily syncopated dance (65 steps) and one definitely not recommended to try on a fast floor (lots of direction changes which require a bit of friction), especially with the quick beat. Dance is an unusual mix of traditional country linedance step sequences (hitches, scuffs, scoots etc) with, well, very much non-country music. A very common mistake in class was to syncopate the rock fwd, recover (25-26). 27-28 is a 3/2 rolling shuffle back - you can replace it with a 1/2 turn shuffle if desired. The scoot on count 40 can be replaced with a scuff (or even a hold). On 37-38 there're only 3 hip bumps, not 4 as many in class wanted to do. One tag and one restart. Roll On - Tracie Lee [4w,48c]; 8/1997 Easy intermediate to rock 'n roll ("Keep Me Rocking" by Shanley Del). A classic from the mid 90's that's enjoying a revival across Sydney. A great rock 'n roll track (it was a fav demo dance for a R&R/linedance group back in the 90's). Nothing tricky with the steps, tho' the dance is quick! The rolling shuffles (9-12) are optional, just shuffle forward if you'd prefer. The sheet has only one turing shuffle, but the choreographer taught it as two 1/2 turn shuffles - so do as you prefer I daresay. On the twists (17-20) flick the right foot behind the left leg after the last twist so the following shuffle to the right side flows much more nicely. Make sure your weight ends on the right after the hip bumps. The stomp (37) does not have a weight change. The step, pivot (39-40) will likely end up as a cross and unwind at dance speed. No tags or restarts. The dance ends with a stomp instead of the last strut. She's Gone - Noel Bradey [2w,60c]; 8/2007 Intermediate to country ("Speed of Flight" by Tracy Lawrence [For the Love]). The music for this one is very country, so may not appeal to the newline crowd. Dance flows quite well and has a nice waltz rhythm apart from two syncopated steps (a pet peeve of mine). Like most of Bradey's dances, it is a bit quirky in spots (not a criticism, just means you need to focus on the dance). Does move around the floor quite a bit. There's a shuffle and a ball-cross that breaks the waltz rhythm. For those like me who prefer no syncopation in waltzes, I'm sure you can work out a variation (there's a hold before the ball-cross which makes that one easy). Note that the sweep is a single count - a common mistake in class was to do a 2 count sweep and then have to do a bit of quick footwork to catch up. Quite a few turns, especially in counts 37-48. One tag and one restart. Come On Over - June Hulcombe & Barbara Willshire [2w,32c]; 9/2007 Improver to country ("Come On Over To My Place" by Daniel O'Donnell [The Jukebox Years]). No, not to the Shania song! The sheet says this is a beginner dance, but with sailors and a turnign shuffle it's definitely more at the improver level, tho' with a bit of practice it should be do-able for upper beginners (who've already been introduced to sailors). A fairly basic dance and nothing particularly difficult in the steps, tho' the first sailor did feel a bit strained coming straight after a turning shuffle - at least on the first week. Not much floor movement and the music is a touch on the slow side. No tags or restarts. Take Me to Paradise - Gordon Elliott [2w,64c]; 10/2007 Intermediate to reggae ("Isle of Paradise" by Blue Lagoon [Blue Lagoon]). This one got a mixed reception in class. A bit reminiscent of Reggae Cowboy, if only for the music. The dance isn't terribly joint friendly with a few abrupt direction changes, however since the music is slowish, this isn't a big problem. Dance is also quite turn intensive and unfortunately for the non-turners none of the turns are full turns that can be easily left out. Watch the weight transfers after the unwinds - they caught quite a few out in class. Not much floor movement. Note that the last 4 counts is essentially walking on the spot, making a full turn. The turns can be a bit confusing. Make sure you have the latest dance sheet - some early drafts are floating around givign it as a 2 wall dance; it's definitely got 4 walls. Watch the long intro - start on the main vocals. No tags or restarts. Get Your Feet Down - Michelle Chandonnet [2w,phrased]; 6/2007 Intermedate to country ("1,2,3" by Ann Tayler [Home To Louisiana]). One of those dreaded phrased dances, this one with 4 parts. Still, the steps are for the most part fairly basic .. if not for the phrasing it'd likely be an improver dance (don't let the "advanced" on the sheet scare you off). The step, tap, scuff sequence towards the end of part D is the only particularly tricky part, step-wise, and deserves a bit of extra attention when teaching. The dance is quick (182bpm) and has a bit of floor movement. There's also a lot of repetition. Note that the sheet on kickit is wrong for the 3rd set of 8 in part C - the step summary is correct, not the detailed steps (get an original sheet, either from my site or the choreographer's). No tags or restarts and the sequences are not that painful. Easy Listening Radio - Barbara Hile [4w,32c]; 7/2007 Upper beginner to country ("Thank God for the Radio" by Alan Jackson [Who I Am]). A mellow AJ track, a bit on the slow side but well suited for beginners. Nothing tricky with the steps. has shuffles, pivots and a kick-ball-change so more an upper beginner dance. Still, the dance is slow enuf that this could be used as a teaching dance. Not much floor movement. No tags/restarts. Heard It In A Love Song - Carl Sullivan [1/4w,64c]; 9/2007 Intermediate to country ("Heard It In A Love Song" by Mark Chesnutt [Heard It In A Love Song]). A rumba count dance. A bit fiddly but with a bit of practice it settles down and flows fairly well. Not much floor movement. Lots of touches, holds, points etc. Dance is a bit quickish, but not fast. With all the restarts you end up dancing to all 4 walls even tho' it's really a 1 wall dance. The stepsheet says there's only one restart, however at the top of the sheet it says to leave off the last 8 counts every chorus (every 2nd wall). Doing the full 64 counts returns you to 12:00. Me, I'd call these restarts, making at least 4 restarts in the dance. To consider it a 2 wall dance with one restart, as the sheet states, you'd have to count it as a 120 count dance (1-64 + 1-56 = 120 counts). Oscillation - Noel Brady [2w,64c]; 8/2007 Intermediate to latin ("Vaiven" by Chayanne [Chayanne]). This one screams out to be done with a latin style! A cha cha rhythm to the music and the dance follows this pretty closely. On the two unwinds make sure your weight ends on the right foot. On the "step, step together", make sure the second step is actually a step and not a touch. The full turn after the two lockl shuffles is essentially done on the spot. Note that the last 16 counts of the dance are highly turn intensive but once you get the feel of it, they flow extrremely well. The last 16 arguably is the hardest part of the dance and warrants extra attention when teaching. Not much floor movement. One restart. My Love 4U - Tim Gauci [4w,64c]; 4/2007 Improver to country ("My Love for You" by Daniel O'Donnell [Until The Next Time]). A fairly basic dance with a rumba rhythm. Apart from keeping track of the 3/4 turns and making sure the weight is on the left foot after the hip bumps there's nothing to really watch out for. A bit on the slowish side. One tag - just hip bumps. 4 The 1 - Michael Vera-Lobos [4w,72c]; 7/2007 Intermediate waltz to country ("In the Arms of the One Who Loves Me" by Ty Herndon [Right About Now]). This one got a mixed reception in class - some loved it, others, well, didn't. Mostly for the same reason - lots of turns and a real thinker of a dance. Another nice flowing waltz to follow up on Champagne on Ice, tho' I doubt it'll have as much appeal. The beat is a bit on the quick side for a waltz, but it just manages not to feel rushed. The hardest part of the dance is getting all the turns and directions right - more than a few left the floor confused, mid-dance. Note the 'pivot' (31-33) does not have a weight transfer - keep on the left foot. 34-36 totals a 3/4 turn - it's tempting to do a full turn instead (and 36 ends facing the diagonal!). On count 48 it's important that you drag the L towards the R with the heel off the floor so you can go into the next sequence, which involves a direction reversal. 49-60 caused a fair bit of trouble in class - just remember each set of 6 totals a 3/4 turn to the left, for a total 3/2 turn left. The last 12 counts are two figure 8's - not quite as bad as they look on the sheet of walking thru' the first time. Two tags. Big Dog Daddy - Linda Pink [4w,48c]; 7/2007 Improver to country-rock ("Big Dog Daddy" by Toby Keith [Big Dog Daddy]). Song has a great rockin' beat, tho' it's a bit on the quick side. Still, shouldn't be too fast for improvers to get their feet around (there were a few in the class and they had no trouble). To counter the pace there's no syncopation and not much floor movement. The only 'tricky' spot are counts 17-20 and specifically count 20 - make sure you rock/recover back rather than step together. Otherwise a fairly basic dance. One tag, one restart. The restart is hard to pick in the music. Show Me Yours - Maggie Gallagher [4w,48c]; 1/2007 Intermediate to dance-club music ("Show Me Yours" by Rick Guard [Hands of a Giant]). Nothing overly difficult with the steps tho' the 1st 8 counts are pretty turn intensive and include a sudden direction change. After that the dance settles down. Note there's a false start in the music - the intro is 22s. No tags or restarts however there is a 'funnel' (as the choreographer describes it) on the 6th wall you skip counts 37-44. If Only - Tracie Lee [2w,64c]; 8/2007 Intermediate to country ("If I Could Only Fly" by Joe Nichols & Lee Ann Womack [Real Things]). A slow and, well, rather sedate track which may have limited appeal with the "newline" crowd. The dance itself is one of those which require concentration with an unusual count and a few odd steps. The sailor on 9&10 did tempt some into doing a cross-samba instead. Counts 32-48 are the hardest part of the dance (especially with the music) and deserve extra attention when teaching. Notably getting all the ball-steps right. The ball-spin and shuffle forward (&19-21) caused a fair bit of trouble in class. If necessesary, leave out the spin and just do a ball-step followed by the shuffle, all moving in the same direction. Make sure the shuffle ends with a slight lunge forward since the following steps move backwards. The rocking chair (28-32) is really a series of diagonal hip bumps. No tags or restarts tho' there is an optional ending. In Your Dreams - June Hulcombe & Barbara Willshire [2w,64c]; 5/2007 Intermediate to country ("In Your Dreams" by Zachary Hunter [In Your Dreams]). Music is a bit on the slowish side. The dance flows quite well and all the turns fit in naturally. The first 16 counts of the dance are done to the diagonals. The heel-ball-cross sequences (41-48) felt a bit unusual at first, but settled down with a bit of practice. On 49-56 make sure you step (and have a weight transfer) on the "together's" - they are not slide and taps. On the wall after the last tag the music fades in and out a few times - just keep on dancing thru' to the end of the dance. One restart, two tags. Where You Gonna Go - Linda Burgess [4w,64c]; 9/2007 Intermediate to country ("Where You Gonna Go" by Toby Keith [Honkytonk University]). A quiet, modest track from TK, not his usual heavy rock beat. Dance flows well from one wall to the next, tho' some of the turns felt strained the first week. The dance does move a *lot* in the 3/9 o'clock direction, especially the hinge shuffles - the choreographer prefers dances that move a lot. On the two unwinds, make sure you end with the weight on the correct foot - quite a few got caught out in class. No tags or restarts. Baby Blues - Travis Taylor [4w,48c]; 3/2007 Improver to country/rock ("Blues About You Baby" by Delbert McClinton). The choreograher labelled this as a beginner dance, but with a brisk pace, syncopation and a number of non-beginner steps, the average beginner would seriously struggle with this dance. Definitely improver to easy intermediate level. Has a good beat and a 'honytonk' feel. Nothing notably difficult with the steps, tho' watch the weight transfer after the twists. No tags/restarts. Kiss An Angel - Margaret Murphy [2w,64c]; 7/2007 Easy intermediate to country ("Kiss An Angel Good Morning" by Alan Jackson [Under the Influence]). The song is a bit on the slow side, but it has a good solid beat - it's hard to go wrong with an AJ track after all! Dance has a rumba rhythm (1,2,3,hold), tho' the "hold" is usually a touch. Apart from counts 8-16 the dance is quite easy. 8-16 is a sequence of step, touches with turns. Sounds easy, but is a bit tricky. The sequence is entirely "step, tap" and you could make the dance easier (for beginners) by replacing the sequence with three step back, tap, then a step forward, tap. One restart. Where I Come From - Marian Culpan [2w,64c]; 4/2007 Intermediate to country ("Where I Come From" by Lee Kernaghan [The New Bush]). A nice country-rock song with a good solid beat. Dance starts on the lyrics, not the heavy beat. The dance may take a few tries to flow properly. Looks like Marian's been taking lessons from her dance partner, the first 32 counts of this dance are all to the diagonals! Apart from the turn on count 32, counts 17-32 are a repeat of 1-16. Count 16 is a pivot turn, however I found a pencil turn felt better and was a lot nicer on the ankles. Quite a few in class had trouble going into the sailor after count 32. I found it helped to point the left foot sligthly to the side after the pivot, making the sailor feel a lot more natural (doing a sailor from the feet together is a bit awkward). Be careful of the weight transfer onto the right foot count 40 - it was a common mistake in class to end on the wrong foot. COunts 41-56 are a "bit fiddly" and will likely require a bit of extra attention. One tag and one restart. Cadillac Ranch - anonymous [2w,46c]; prehistoric Easy intermediate to country ("Daddy Laid The Blues On Me" by Bobbie Cryner [Bobby Cryner/Steppin' Country Vol. 3]). One of those 'ancient' classics that refused to die. Once upon a time this was called an advanced dance. now it shouldn't be too much trouble for an improver class, especially if you leave out the full turns. One word of caution - the dance does not phrase to the music. It really does NOT phrase! The dance has quite a few local variations, such as knee splits instead of the two triples (3&4,7&8). Make sure you keep an eye on the weight transfers - that'sd really the only tricky thing with this dance. Oh, and it's fast. Losing at Loving - Josh & Julie Talbot [4w,32c]; 5/2007 Intermediate to country ("Losing at Loving" by Blue Country). A nice rockin' beat to the song. The dance is a tad on the quick side and does move around the floor a fair bit. The first 1/2 of the dance has a lot of heel's and has something of a 90's line dance feel. Nothing notably tricky with the steps, tho' watch out for the hold on count 14. 2 tags. Don't Try to Pick Me Up - Rosalie Mackay [4w,32c]; 6/2007 Improver to country ("Don't Bet Your Boots" by Jean Stafford [Let the Dance Begin]). The music sounds like one of those really rockin' country songs that gave rise to many of classic dances of the 90's. Dance flows well and doesn't have much floor movement. Nothing really difficult with the steps. Short intro, only 4 counts. WHile the song is less than 4 minutes long, the dance does go for something like 14 walls which can get a bit monotonous after a while .. might be an idea to fade the song out after the tag on the 11th wall. Two tags. Boobyalla - John Bishop [4w,64c]; 5/2007 Easy intermediate to country ("Boobyalla" by Donna Fisk & Michael Cristian [Joyride]). The dance flows fairly well and there's not much floor movement. Nothing particularly difficult with any of the steps - shouldn't be too much challenge for improvers. Tho' there're quite a few similar sequences so you'll need to focus a bit on just where in the dance you are. The choreographer has a video of the dance on YouTube for those who need to see how it's done. At the end of the wall it helps if you finish leaning slightly to the right so the side shuffle starting the next wall flows more naturally. One restart. Part-Time Lover - Dee Musk [4w,32c]; 2/2007 Improver to pop ("Part-Time Lover" by Stevie Wonder [A Greatest Hits Collection 1996]). A nice little dance that fits the music and only has a moderate amount of floor movement. Quite a bit of repetition. The music has a false ending about 2/3rd's the way thru' - just keep on dancing. The two kick-cross-ball-side sequences were the only ones that caused any trouble in class (improvers to advanced) and may take a while to nail down. Myself, I foudn the two 'slow' pivots to feel rather odd since the rest of the dance is syncopated. No tags/restarts. Bread On The Table - Maggie Gallagher [2w,64c]; 9/2006 Intermediate to country ("Bread On The Table" by Tom Wurth [Tom Wurth]). Here's something rare these days - a country music dance from the UK! Worth looking at just for that. The dance does move around the floor a fair bit and it's a tad quick(!). There is a fake ending in the music, just keep on dancing thru' it and it comes back in. The heel grinds can be replaced by cross' for the joint conscious (making counts 3-12 a weave). The only sequence in the dance that caused trouble in class was counts 49-56 and that'll likely take a few weeks to settle down. The rest of the dance is fairly straightforward. One tag and one restart/tag. Why Can't I - Robert Fletcher & Michelle Palmer [4w,32c]; 5/2007 Improver to country ("Why Can't I" by Ronnie Milsap [My Life]). A fairly simple cha-cha dance for the country crowd. Dance flow fairly well and there's not much floor movement. The turning cross-shuffle (3&4) may seem a bit odd walking thru', but it flows well with the music. There did seem a tendency in class to add an extra turn on count 5 (ie: repeat 1-4). The count on 17-22 also caught some out, for some strange reason doing a sailor on counts 19-20. The rolling turn back (13-14) can of course be done as two walks backwards. One restart. Love Today - Mitchell Burgess [4w,32c]; 6/2007 Intermediate to hip-hop disco ("Love Today" by Mika [Life In Cartoon Motion]). At least that's a good enuf description of the music - definitely not for everyone. Dance moves quite a bit around the floor. Counts 21-24 can be done just as heel twists, but make sure you end with the weight on the right foot. The last four counts may need a bit of extra practice. One tag, done twice. My Love 4U - Tim Gauci [4w,64c]; 4/2007 Improver to pop ("My Love for You" by Daniel O'Donnell [Until The Next Time]). A rumba count dance (1,2,3,hold) with a slowish beat. Flows quite nicely and without anything tricky in the steps, tho' the 1/4 turn on count 7 felt a bit odd at first. 1 tag, clear in the music. Dance Our Way - Peter & Liz Heath [2w,64c]; 3/2007 Intermediate to old style pop ("The Old Fashioned Way" by Helen Reddy [Long Hard Climb]). Make sure you have a signed sheet - there are sheets floating around with mistakes. A funky little number that fits the music perfectly. It may work with other covers of this track. not much floor movement. The dance is a mix of can can and foxtrot. Strange, but it works. Counts 6 & 14 are cross overs, which may feel odd at first. Counts 29-50 are the hardest part of the dance and will likely need extra time teaching. This is the foxtrot part (slow, quick, quick). The sequence is a total of 5/4L turn. Counts 33-48 can be fudged by "1/4L turn, hold, step together, step together", tho' this does spoil the dance. No tags/restarts. You Are My Destiny - Gordon Elliott [64c,4w]; 5/2007 Intermediate to pop ("Destiny" by Jordan Hill & Billy Pointer [Destiny - Jim Brickman]). A slowish song, tho' the does feel a bit quicker in spots (where there're no holds/drags). The two main things to keep in mind with this dance is that every drag is a full count in itself and secondly that the dance is very turn intensive.. There are, however, quite a few full turns which can be easily left out (and a few places where thrillseekers can add extra turns). The dance does flow well to the music, tho' it travels around the floor quite a bit. One restart. Not Lost - Brett Jenkins [4w,32c]; 5/2007 Intermediate to caberet-pop("Lost" by Michael Bublé [Call Me Irresponsible]). yet another Bublé track. This one's more a lullaby than a dance track and the music garnered a fair few negative comments in class. Still, the dance is smooth and suits the music. A typical Brett Jenkins dance, full of his signature 1-2& sequences with a turn on the & count. Apart from the count, the only thing that caused any trouble in class was the side rock, recover (21-22) - more than a few rocked behind (continuing in the line of the dance) rather than to the side. Three restarts, fairly clear in the music. Steelin' the 2 Step - Rosalie Mackay [4w,64c]; 6/2007 Intermediate to country ("Steelin' the 2 Step" by Jean Stafford [Let the Dance Begin]). Music is very similar to the choreographer's earlier dance "Just a 2 Step". Didn't seem to be much of a two step feel to this dance, but maybe that was just me. There is a lot of syncopation and it did seem a bit rushed at times (at least the first week). The points and scuffs (9-24) likewise seemed fiddly the first week and do take a bit of practice to nail down. Has a couple of reverse 3/4 turns, which seem to be all the rage lately. One restart. Blue Note - Jan Smith [4w,32c]; 2/2007 Improver to country ("Big Blue Note" by Toby Keith [HonkyTonk University]). Been around for a while, but I missed it when it came out. Caught it in revision. Hard to go wrong Toby Keith for a good rockin' country dance track and this one lives up to that expectation. Dance flows very well and has a very nice feel. Nothing complicated with the steps, tho' keep an eye on the flick - it's a full count. Not much floor movement. Should be ideal for an upper beginner class. No tags/restarts. Free & Easy - Linda Burgess [4w,32c]; 6/2007 Easy intermediate to country ("Free & Easy" by Dierk Bentley). Dance has a bit of pace to it but nothing excessive and it doesn't feel rushed. Quite a few full turns which could be left out to drop it to near improver level. The twists at the end may take a few tries (I found a hold & click then three quick twists felt a lot better). For some reason quite a few in class went to do a right turn on counts 23&24, so watch for this. The music whimpers out at the end and there's no ending for the dance so either finish early when the beat finishes or improvise. Two tags and one restart, not terribly obvious in the music until afterwards. Hot Doggin' - Carl Sullivan [4w,32c]; 3/2007 Intermediate to country ("Hot Doggin'" by Catherine Britt [Too Far Gone]). In a word, this one's frantic. Still, while the dance is fast it's not actually rushed. Not many turns (only 4!), but heavily syncopated, so definitely more than the "easy intermediate" the original sheet claims. I did this one at an open class and the improver/easy int dancers really struggled. Note that this dance does feel quite fiddly while walking thru', but it fits together nicely and flows well to the music. The two heel grind-side's (25&26&) will likely get simplified to a cross-ball-cross-ball. Apart from that there's nothing overly tricky in the steps (just quick). Three restart/tags and one vanilla tag. While it does feel odd, the restart/tag is on count 15 (making the short walls 19 counts with the tags). This will likely take a bit of practice to get right - most of the class stuffed up the restarts the first week. Hush - Bill larson [4w,32c]; 10/2006 Improver to pop ("There's A Kind Of Hush" by The Carpenters). Should be able to find the music on many of the Carpenter's "Best Of" collections. The dance has four turns including two turning jazz-boxes. Technically it's probably an improver dance, but it shouldn't pose much of a challenge for most beginners. A reasonably smooth dance and not too fast. Good for introducing turning jazz-boxes. The dance has a fair bit of repetition and does move around the floor a fair bit. No tags or restarts. Somebody Save Me - Josh Talbot [4w,32c]; 6/2007 Intermediate/advanced to country ("Somebody Save Me" by Chalee Tennison [This Woman's Heart]). A nicely flowing dance to one of those "deep and meaningful" slowish songs. Worth the effoft to pick the dance up, but certainly not for all dancers (only those looking for a challenge). Make sure you rock forward on count 9 - quite a few in class went to rock back instead. Make sure you don't change the weight after the pencil turn. The pencil turn is also quite quick. You could replace it with a step forward and drag to make it easier. The last 8 counts seemed to cause the most trouble in class. Doesn't look too bad on the sheet, but does tend to get confusing when trying to dance it. One tag, one restart. I Wish - Tom Glover [2w,64c]; 3/2007 Easy intermediate to country ("I Wish That I Could Fall In Love Today" by Blaine Larsen [A Tribute to Barbara Mandrell]). The dance is quite a bit faster than a listen to the music would suggest. Still, the music has a nice dance beat and the dacne doesn't feel rushed. A lot of repetition throughout the dance. It's not clear on the original sheet but counts 19-22 is a 1/2R Monterey turn (the sheet says "pivot" for some reason). Count 28 is essentially an unwind turn. Nothing overly difficult with the steps, tho' overall probably a bit above improver level. No tags/restarts. Is It So? - Maggie Gallagher [4w,32c]; 3/2007 Intermediate to pop ("Say It Isn't So" by Gareth Gates ["Go Your Own Way”]). The count of the dance may take a week or two to mesh with the music - the first week many in class had trouble keeping to the beat. The music itself is not exactly inspiring, but musical tastes vary considerably. Still, the dance moves nicely. The triple on counts 5&6 was taught as a rolling shuffle. The sheet vaguely says a triple. In the dance video, the choreographer turns 1/2 backwards and steps forward on her right foot, then basically does a half pivot. Counts 25&26 are described as a turning coaster but IMO it's really just a turning shuffle. One tag. Cowboy Up! - Tim Gauci [2w,48c]; 4/2007 Intermediate to country ("Cowboy Up" by Jill Johnson [The Woman I've Become]). This is a fast dance - the choreographer describes it as "fast and furious" - believe it! Still, having said that, the dance has been well choreographed to handle the pace and it does not feel rushed. No sudden direction changes and not much floor movement. A few things to watch out for when teaching ... On counts (27&28), finish the sailor facing to the left diagonal. That makes the next step (a cross over) feel natural. If you remain facing the front, then a cross behind feels natural. The "1/2 pivot" on counts 41-42 is strictly speaking not a pivot since there's no weight transfer. To make sure you end with the weight on the right foot, you might try a slight scuff or kick with the left as you turn. One tag, prtty obvious in the music. Mountain Of Love - Margaret Murphy [2w,48c]; 4/2007 Upper beginner/improver to country ("Mountain Of Love" by Johnny Rivers). There was another dance to this track that was popular years ago. This dance is pretty basic with a few extra options on the sheet. A lot of repetition - most of the dance consists of 4 counts, then repeated on the other foot. Not much floor movement. Shouldn't be too much challenge for upper beginners. Two restarts, not terribly obvious in the music. No Getting Over Me - Tim Gauci [4w,32c]; 3/2007 Improver to country ("There Ain't No Getting Over Me" by Ronnie Millsap [Album 40 #1 Hits]). A fairly simple dance with a cha-cha count for most of the dance. COunts 5-8& felt quite quick in comparision to the rest of the dance, one could almost say they felt out of place, at least the first week. However I had the same initial impression about the tag in Tim's "I Gotta Brand New Girlfriend" and that's certainly a hit on the dancefloor. This quick section is the only part that would likely trouble improvers. One simple tag. A Gigolo - Robbie McGowan Hickie [4w,40c]; 3/2007 Intermediate to Europop ("Gigolo (English Version)" by Helena Paparizou [single]). A fast dance and it definitely feels fast. The music will definitely not be to everyone's taste! If it's a remake then it's a very loose remake. The dance is heavily syncopated, so a lot more steps than the 40 counts would suggest. Dance would definitely suit those who prefer a latin styling in their dancing. Not much floor movement. One tag. It's Just Something - Samantha Dixon & Kelvin Dale [4w,64c]; 4/2007 Easy intermediate to pop ("Something that my heart does" by The McClymonts [The McClymonts]). Dance is quicker than the music would suggest. The steps are fairly basic however the dance is very turn intensive. Leaving out the worst of the turns would drop it to improver level. On the two 1/2 turns in the last set of 8 make sure there is no weight transfer (they are not pivots), maybe with a low kick or scuff of the left foot as you turn. Chunks of the dance have been taken from Tush Push, Heart Like a Wheel and Gypsy Lady. Two restarts, both clear in the music. The Best Man - Samantha Dixon & Kelvin Dale [2w,48c]; 4/2007 Intermediate to country ("The Best Man" by Blaine larson [Off to Join the World]). Dedicated to the father of one of the choreographer's. A slowish "feelie" dance (and song too) which seems to be going down well. Dance has a lot of turns, however the 'worst' of them are optional on the sheet (plus the sheet also has some extra options). The count on the weave in the 1st set of 8 can be a bit fiddly at first and may need a bit of extra time teaching. The two sequences near the end with the back dorothy's followed by forward coasters can take a bit of getting used to - it helps to lean slightly forward on the back dorothy's so the fwd coaster seems natural. The dance has a few lunge turns which bothered some at first and may be an issue on slick floors. One restart, obvious in the music. Cry To Me - Paul McAdam [2w,32c]; 2/2007 Easy intermediate to cha cha pop ("Cry To Me" by Solomon Burke [Dirty Dancing Soundtrack]). The music seems slowish but the dance is deceptively quicker. There's also an alternative track, also pop, for those who'd prefer to dance to the Rolling Stones. Dance has something of an abrupt and jerky feel to it, which suits some. has an 8&1 count, which would be the trickiest part of the dance. No tags or restarts. Coz I Don't Want To - Travis taylor [4w,32c]; 2/2007 Easy intermediate to country ("I Don't Want To" by Ashley Monroe & Ronnie Dunn). The music sounds quite Brooks & Dunnish, which is no surprise. The dance doesn't move around the floor much and flows quite well. Nothing particularly tricky with the steps and should be quite do-able with an improver class. Two restarts, neither terribly obvious in the music, at least on the first week. New Dreams - Robbie McGowan Hickie and Karen Hunn [postscript] As a postscript to the earlier review, the dance goes very well to "Mambo Italiano" by Bette Midler. Better than the tracks suggested on the sheet. Mambo Italiano is a tad faster and has a nice dance beat and adds a lot more life to the dance. That's Amore - Pam Smith [phrased]; 4/2007 Intermediate to pop ("That's Amore" by Patrizo Buanne). Interesting, definitely interesting. That sums up this dance and the music as well. A phrased dance with part A as a waltz and part B as a rumba (1,2,3,hold). The music for the former is the traditional Italian version, but the rumba part is done to a rock 'n roll beat. The dance flows reasonably well tho' it is a tad on the quick side. A good part of the waltz section is done to the diagonals. The only part that caused trouble in class were the two sequences "step fwd, hold, step fwd, hold, rock BACK, recover, step fwd, hold" with more than a few rocking forward. It's perhaps easier to think of the rock, recover as something like a ball-step. While not on the original sheet, when dancing the waltz part (it's only done completely one) there's an extra count after the 1/2 unwind (count 60) - it's in the music. Either slow the turn down or hold for one count before resuming. The dance is somewhere on YouTube if you need to see how it's done. If the idea of a phrased dance is likely to give the class the screaming willies, it can be quite easily described as a 4 wall, 64 count dance with a 97 count intro and a 60 count finish (and no tags or restarts!). You can convieniently forget to say how long the intro is to make it even more palatable. *g* The various sections of the dance are very clear in the music. One tag. This Crazy Life - Cathryn Proudfoot [4w,64c]; 5/2007 Intermediate to pop ("Everything" by Michael Buble [Call me Irresponsible]). A quieter Buble track than many that have been used for linedances, tho' not exactly on the slow side. The dance moves around the floor a bit and has several full turns (7-8,23-24) which can be easily left out, if needed. On count 25 make sre you step forwardand not to the side after coming out of the full turn (it's very tempting), otherwise the next step doesn't quite work. The "back, drag, kick-ball-change" sequent (41-44) felt quite odd at first, tho' t should settle down with practice since it's just unusual. Apart from that there're no idden surprises in the dance. One tag and one restart/tag. Suddenly I See - Mitchell Burgess [2w,44c]; 4/2007 Improver to pop ("Suddenly I See" by K.T. Tunstall [single]). I'm told this is the theme music for the TV show "Ugly Betty", having never seen the show I'd not know. There's not much of a dance beat to the music and it certainly wont appeal to everyone translated: quite a few did not like the music). The first 8 counts of the dace feel quite rushed, but the restof the dance flows well and is nicely paced. There's not much floor movement. Nothing really difficult with the stepwork. If needed, the side mambo's can be fudged as a point to the side and then stepping together. Two tags which're just repeats of the last 4 counts of the dance, tho' IMO doing 12 counts of "point and hitch" seemed a bit too excessive, but it does keep the difficulty level down I guess. Baby's Got My Number - Samantha Dixon & Kelvin Dale [4w,26c]; 1/2007 Improver to country ("Baby's Got My Number" by South Sixty Five [South Sixty Five]). A smooth and fairly simple dance that flows quite well with something of a cha-cha rhythm. The hinge turns and side shuffles towards the end are the "hardest" part of the dance and set the difficulty level. Otherwise nothing difficult in the steps. The dance has done quite well in 2007 at choreography competitions. One Tag and one restart. Just A Two Step Away - Rosalie Mackay [4w,64c]; 12/2006 Easy intermediate to country ("Love Is Just A Two Step Away" by Jean Stafford [That Says It All]). A pretty traditional country track which may not appeal to the pop crowd. Dance is fairly straightforward, tho' there're a few spots to watch out for ... in the "walk forward, 1/2 turn and slow shuffle forward" sequence, make sure you weight stays on the left foot after the turn (it's NOT a pivot turn!). To make it easier, it's a good idea to life the right foot slightly off the floor on the turn (or scuff etc). On the 3/4 turn (37-40) make sure you do three steps - more than a few people did a pivot or unwind turn and ended with their weight on the wrong foot. One restart. 'Bout Them Cowgirls - Rosalie Mackay [4w,64c]; 2/2007 Intermediate to country ("How 'Bout Them Cowgirls" by George Strait [It Just Comes Natural]). This one may take a few tries to feel comfortable and even then there a few steps that feel, well, 'different' (or odd, depending on one's point of view). While it's a standard count, the unwind and weight change (5-6) seems quick. Make sure you end with the weight on the left foot. The walk backs (29-30) felt distinctly different, coming straight after a forward coaster. This generated more than a few comments in class. But eventually most get used to it. On the heel switch sequence (45-48) make sure you shift the weight onto the right foot on the count before and don't tap (if you tap, just omit the following & count). One restart and one bridge. Beautiful Girl - Tom Glover [4w,32c]; 3/2007 Beginner to pop ("(Mi Carino) Maria" by Daniel O'Donnell [Until The Next Time]). No question about it, this is definitely a beginner dance - no syncopation, only three pivot turns and no tags or restarts. Plus the music is slowish. Not much floor movement and flows well. A good dance to introduce pivot turns to beginners. Come Anytime - Robbie McGowan Hickie [4w,64c]; 1/2007 Intermediate to disco ("Come Rain Come Shine" by Jenn Cuneta [Radio Edit single]). For those not into disco there's a country alternative tho' the music does not phrase. The main song is very reminiscent of a popular disco track from the 70's tho' I can't quite place it (I tended to avoid disco back then). The dance is apparently quite popular in parts of the USA. Fits the music fairly well tho' there're a few spots to watch out for. The 3/4 unwind may challenge those with crook joints, especially on slow floors (3/4 unwinds seem to be the flavour of the month at the moment). The two rock back, recover's 920-24) caught many in class out with the strong temptation to do the second as a forward rock. Not much floor movement. Personally I found the cross shuffle (57-58) felt better as a behind-side-cross, at least the first week. No tags/restarts. Two More Bottles Of Wine - Lu Olsen [2w,68c]; 12/2006 Intermediate to country-rock ("Two More Bottles Of Wine" by Martina McBride [Wild Angels]). A rather active dance which takes a few tries before it starts to settle down. Don't be put off by the odd (awkward even) feel while walking thru'. This is one of those dances that only feels good when you are dancing it to the music. The difference is quite striking. Quite a few unusual step sequences. The heel and toe twist sequence (25-30) probably warrants the most attention whilst teaching. An easy cheat for the modified Monterey sequence (57-62) is to do three 1/4R Monterey turns, especially on a slow floor. No tags/restarts. Who Knew - Mark Simpkin [2w,32c]; 4/2007 Upper intermediate to country ("Didn't You Know How Much I Loved You" by Kellie Pickler [Small Town Girl]). Pickler is another product "American Idol" and very reminiscent of Kelly Clarkson, tho' a tad more country. The music does tend to get quite loud towards the end, so watch the volume. The dance is very turn intensive, tho' two of the full turns could be left out (5-6 and 31-32) if needed (tho' it'd spoil the dance). If you don't like turns, then this dance is probably not for you. The dance flows very nicely, however it's one of those "momentum dances" where you need to dance rather than do the steps - otherwise it won't work. The dance is heavily syncopated but fortunately the music is slow so it doesn't feel rushed or 'busy'. Two restarts. The stepsheet has the 2nd restart on the 6th wall. If you follow the usual practice of numbering the restart wall (ie: wall 1, 2, 3 with restart, wall 4 etc), then the 2nd restart is on the 7th wall. The stepsheet does not include the restart walls when numbering the walls. A Woman's Heart - Ronnie James [4w,64c]; 3/2006 Easy intermediate to pop ("Woman's Heart" by Chris De Burgh [Ultimate Collection]). Yet another Chris de Burgh track! The dance flows nicely and has a cha cha feel to it (most of the time). The rock forward (without a recover!) followed by a back coaster feels odd the first few times. Not much floor movement. There's only a TWO count intro. It might be an idea starting on the 2nd wall (count 34), facing 9:00, rather than racing to catch the start. It's hard enuf starting the music and getting into position in front of the class, let alone getting onto the floor from your seat! One restart/tag. Beer In Mexico - Carl Sullivan [2/4w,64c]; 4/2007 Upper intermediate to country ("Beer in Mexico" by Kenny Chesney [The Road and the Radio]). As usual with Carl, a fair bit of this dance is done to the diagonals (sooner or latter he'll do an 8 wall dance). Plus it's a 2/4 wall dance - switching walls after a restart. The dance is quick and has something of a busy feel to it. Definitely not recommended for slow floors given the number of comments I heard afterwards about sore feet and knees. On count 22 (and 30) don't step too far away from the anchored foot otherwise it feels awkward going into the next sequence. On 57&58 there's a tendency to do a side-ball-cross instead of a sailor (it just seems natural), but that doesn't work with the following step. Two restarts. Someone 2 Love - Tim Gauci [2w,3c]; 10/2006 Intermediate/advanced to country ("Someone to Love" by Shayne Ward [Shayne Ward]). This one definitely takes a few tries to the music before it starts to go anywhere, but IMO persistance is well rewarded. Perhaps the ahrdest thing about this dance is the count. Once you get your head wrapped around that, the dance flows quite naturally. Fairly turn intensive, tho' some of the turns can be easily left out. The dance is also another of those "momentum" dances that you have to dance. The end of the dance flows neatly into the start of the next wall so don't worry if it feels odd there while walking thru'. The music is slow, but with all the syncopation the dance has a touch of pace. One restart. Send Them Love - Linda Burgess [2w,32c]; 12/2006 Intermediate to country ("Send Them Love" by Melinda Schneider [Stronger]). This is one of those dances where you need to use your momentum to get the best flow out of the dance. But when you do it's quite a nice dance. The music is slow enough that the direction changes don't feel awkward. Dance has a bit of floor movement, but nothing excessive. Quite turn intensive, especially counts 25-32, but the full turns can be easily left out for non-turners and improvers. You feel a bit off balance at the end of the wall, but it flows into the next wall. The lock shuffles (5-8) do seem to call for spins. One tag and one restart (the restart is also the same as the finish). A Little Bit Of Life - Linda and Mitchell Burgess [4w,32c]; 12/2006 Intermediate to country ("A Little Bit Of Life" by Craig Morgan [A Little Bit Of Life]). A nice rock and roll country track. Typical of the choreographer, the dance is heavily syncopated. Fortunately the music isn't too fast for the dance. The full R turn on 7&8 coming out of the L pivot felt awkward at first with the direction change, but settles down (or just leave out the full turn). Counts 9-16 caused trouble in class. Make sure you step forward on count 13 before shuffling forward (14&15). Yes, the count is odd. The twists (17-20) can be replaced by applejacks etc. Two restarts, one tag. Honky Tonk Lover - Lyn Booth [2w,64c]; 12/2006 Upper intermediate to country ("Honky Tonk Lover" by Chris Campbell [CDX Vol.351 August 2004]). Quick, very quick. Definitely not for the faint hearted. The dance does suit the music and despite being fast, doesn't feel rushed. The 3/4 Monterey will likely end up being fudged as a touch back and unwind. Has a bit of floor movement, but not enough to pose a problem. Nothing overly difficult with the steps, just the pace. The shuffle on 55&56 seemed a bit odd at first, even tho' it looks simple on paper. No tags/restarts. This I Promise You - Lu Olsen [2w,32c]; 10/2006 Intermediate to pop ("This I Promise You" by Ronan Keating [Bring You Home]). Apparently one of the most requested dances at the socials at Tamworth 2007. Seemed to go down well in class (no walk off's etc). The song is only 82 bpm, but the dance feels faster than that. At least on the first week, the dance did put a lot of strain on the left ankle, so something to be careful of. Make sure you end with the weight forward on the right foot on count 8 - this caught some out in class. Counts 10-15 are essentially 3 sailors moving backwards (with a 1/4 turn on the last), so the 8 count sequence becomes "out-out, sailors & 1/4 turn, 1/2 turn". The rocks and hooks (17-20) also troubled some in class. A couple of full turns which can be omitted for non-turners. One restart/tag. The music slows down on the restart wall, but don't slow down the dance pace. The hold is about two counts. Thirsty Work - Terry Hogan [2w,64c]; 2/2007 Intermediate to country ("My Best Drinkin'" by Mark Chesnutt [Savin' The Honky Tonk]).Another cracker of a dance from that most unretired of retired line dancers. Dance suits the music quite well. Has some sudden direction changes, but the music isn't too fast, so that shouldn't be a problem. The count in the first 8 is unusual and will likely take a while to feel comfortable. The rest of the dance is fairly straightforward. Counts 25-32 is turn intensive and can be confusing for some, especially with turns first right then left. Dance has a bit of floor movement, but nothing excessive. One tag which is really just the first 8 counts of the dance ending with a scuff instead of a cross. Hard for the Money - Adrian Lefebour [4w,64c]; 12/2006 Intermediate to pop ("She Works Hard for the Money by Young Divas [Young Divas]).A fast dance, but nonetheless manages to flow quite well and doesn't feel rushed. Dance does move around the floor a bit, but not enuf to cause problems unless the floor is packed. Some of the turns can be left out for the non-turners and there's plenty of opportunity for extra styling and turns for those so desiring. Counts 17-32 are the trickiest and definitely warrant extra attention when teaching. The hitch-ball-step's felt odd the first week and many ended up doing kick-ball-steps. There was a tendency in class to do a cross shuffle on counts 47&48 rather than a forward shuffle. The music goes off-track about 2/3rd's the way thru' the song. Try not to do a restart (it's temnpting!), just count the beat and dance thru'. The music eventually comes back on track. Those nostalgic for the 1970's might try the Donna Summer version, tho' I don;t know if it phrases. Two restarts. Birth Of The Blues - Carol McKee [4w,32c]; 12/2006 Easy intermediate to blues ("Birth Of The Blues" by David Campbell). A smooth dance for a smooth song. Not much floor movement and definitely a dance where you can ham it up (just follow the music!). The first 8 counts are the trickiest and will likely need more than one or two walk thru's before it feels right. The rest of the dance is pretty basic. Counts 4-7 are really just two kick-ball-steps, the second with body twists. You feel like you're in a chorus line with this dance! :) Two tags. Love The Way - Ian St Leon [4w,48c]; 11/2006 Easy intermediate to pop ("Tu Compania" by Keith Urban [Love, Pain & The Whole Crazy Thing]). Sounds like Urban is following in the steps of Shania Twain in changing music style. Music has a nice funky feel to it, quite different to what oen would expect from Urban. The dance nicely suits the music, duplicating its funky feel. Has a bit of pace, but not really fast (111 b/m but heavily syncopated). Dance starts off with the diagonal diamond shuffle sequence from Reggae Cowboy - keep track of where you are meant to face! The last few counts have some direction changes, so make sure you get the momentum right. One restart. Wake Up Dancing - Cathy Pugh and Penny Kelly [4w,24c]; 2/2007 Improver to country ("Wake Up Dancing" by Odiss Kohn). A 24 count dance has to be for novices? Don't bet on it! It may only be 24 counts, but it is heavily syncopated ad has quite a few 'ball' steps. It's esy to forget the 'ball's in the "ball-shuffle, ball-coaster" sequence. If you forget the first, just drop off the second and you'll be back on the correct foot after the coaster. Apart from that the dance is fairly straightforward and the music is "classical" country, a bit on the slow side. Even tho' the sheet has te dance as "beginner/intermediate" (ie: improver), it's more than tempting to up the difficulty level given the extensive syncopation, a 3/4 turn on an & count and two restarts. Champagne On Ice - Michael Vera-Lobos [2w,96]; 3/2007 Intermediate to pop ("A Woman's Needs by by Tammy Wynette And Elton John [Without Walls]). Call me biased, but you can't beat a finely crafted waltz for a dance with flow. And this one fits the bill admirably. Mind you, it's only with the music that this is fully apparent. Dancing it to the music, it's almost as if it is forcing you to dance it as a waltz (ie: with rise and fall). A pleasant change from a long string of waltzes in the past year that have been waltzes only because of the count. All the full turns can be easily omitted for the non-turners. There're a number of step & drags (on the one count) - the drags could be left off if needed, they're really just styling. The music is a tad quick and some of the drags can be hard to fit in, at least on the first week. The song is off a Tammy Wynette "duets" album released in 1994. One restart/tag (replace a drag with a 1/2 turn sweep). Not Forgotten - Rosalie Mackay [4w,32c]; 9/2006 Easy intermediate to country ("Forgotten" by Collin Raye [Twenty Years of Change]). A smooth dance. I found the 3/4 unwind (15-16) to be a strain on the right ankle, tho' this should only bother those with ankle problems. On the coaster and drag (19&20) make sure you drag the right across the left on the last count - this makes going into the lock-back-toe feel natural. Replacing the toe with the more common heels seemed to be a common problem. The two full turns in the last set of 8 can be reasily left out for non-turners. One restart and a 2 count hold bridge. Call Me Irresponsible - Carol McKee [2w,64c]; 1/2007 Easy intermediate to jazz ("Call Me Irresponsible" by David Campbell). Don't get jazz in line dancing, but this is a cute dance that fits well to the music, especially when done with feeling. Not much floor movement and nothing joint unfriendly. The dance does have a lot of turns, some of which can be left out if needed. Music may not be to everyone's taste. One restart. Bridges To Your Heart - Brett Jenkins & Josh Talbot [2w,64c]; 2/2007 Intermediate to country ("Building Bridges" by Brooks & Dunn [Hillbilly Deluxe]). An odd dance, which seemed a common reaction in class. Whether practice will fix this or not... The turning shuffle sequence (25-32) will likely take a few weeks to feel comfortable, tho' they are fairly straightforward. Counts 32-40 seemed to cause the most trouble in class, especially the ball-crosses. Dance has quite a lot of floor movement. One tag and one restart/tag. Burn It - Chris Watson [4w,32c]; 8/2006 Improver to disco ("Disco Inferno" by Marcia Hines). Pretend you're on the sicso floor (if you can remember and/or want to!) - this dance even comes with disco style hand and arm movements, complete with a signature John Travolta tag. John and Olivia eat yer hearts out! Basic stepwork and not much floor movement. Dance does suit the song, but the music won't be for everyone! One tag. Custom Made - Jennifer Hughes [4w,32c]; 1/2007 Intermediate to country ("Custom Made" by Andy Griggs [Freedom]). A nice rockin' track with a good solid and uncomplicated dance beat (no fading out of the music and so forth). Dance flows and moves well. Lots of turns, tho' as usual some can be left out or simplified - the turning triple at the end can be done as a vanilla coaster, as per the original stepsheet. The first 16 counts are fairly straightforward, the second 16 is where it gets tricky, especially the dorothy followed by the hook turn. Dance feels odd at first but quickly grows on you and got quite a positive reaction in class .. once it was done to the music. Three restarts, obvious in the music. Mr Pinstripe - Simon Ward [2w,32c]; 5/2006 Easy intermediate to big band ("Mr Pinstripe Suit" by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy [Big Bad Voodoo Daddy]). A lively dance that moves well. There's only one way to do this dance and that's with attitude - lots of it. The kicks on 6& and 8& are really just styling - some will end up skipping them and going straight into the next step, a cross. The Charleston is on the left lead, which will confuse some since Charleston's are almost always on the right. The last 4 counts sounds confusing during the walk thru', but I didn't notice anyone in class havign trouble when the music came on. Very little floor mvement. One restart, tho' I'm not sure how necessesary - we missed it once and didn't notice it until the 5th or 6th wall when it was remembered there was one somewhere. Best Day - Stephen Paterson [4w,64c]; 3/2000 Intermediate to country ("The Best Day" by George Strait [Latest Greatest Straitest Hits]). Certainly fet easier to learn this time around. The trickiest thing is to come to grips with the count: "1,hold,3,hold&5,6,7,8" throughout. Once you get this, the dance flows quite smoothly. Once you are comfortable with the steps, the holds 'vanish' and instead of "rock, hold, recover, hold" you "slow rock fwd & drag, slow recover & drag" and for the 2nd set of 8 you end up doing "slow 1/4 turn & drag/sweep, slow 1/2 turn & drag/sweep". The first 16 counts are the trickiest - the rest is fairly smooth sailing, especially with a lot of repetition (abiet on the opposite foot). On counts 25-29 and 33-37 make sure you emphasise te sways and pushes so the momentum works with the dance. Despite the music sounding slowish, the dance is fairly quick. Two tags and a 4 count hold 'bridge' (at the end of which you resume the dance on the word 'dad'). Out of Control - Michelle Henson & Matthew Price [2w,68c] Intermediate to country-rock ("She's Crazy for leaving" by Rodney Crowell [Greatest Hits]). A real old classic that keeps resurfacing. The biggest thing to watch out for is the speed - it's quite fast. On counts 1-8 when you step forward to the diagonals, twist you body to face the same diagonal. Count 20 is often done locally as a jump to the left side. The swivets (21-24) can be replaced by whatever's comfortable. 36-40 is actually a slow sailor & tap. 53-60 is probably the hardest part of the dance. Easier options include replacing the hitches (59,63) with a low kick forward or touching the right toe on the floor and doing a traditional unwind and also omitting the hitch. This allows to to retain your balance much more easily. No tags/restarts, although you drop 4 counts on the last wall. Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off - Colleen Satchell [4w,32c]; 6/2006 Improver to country ("Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off" by Joe Nichols [The Early Years]). An unfortunate choice of a dance name. One of two dances to this song being done locally, both about the same difficulty level. This one flows well, has a ncie feel and doesn't have much floor movement. No awkward steps, tho' make sure you end the unwind (7-8) with the weight on the right foot. That caught a few out. A fair few opportunities for more advanced dancers to add styling. One restart. No Dancin' Today - Linda and Mitch Burgess [4w,64c]; 10/2006 Intermediate to disco ("I Don't Feel Like Dancin'" by Scissor Sisters [single]). I'm not sure about the choice of song title for a dance! Song has a latin beat to it and is quite lively, tho' definitely not for everyone. Not much floor movement, but the dance is quick. May take a few weeks to get comfortably up to speed. Spots to watch out for ... the two syncopated step-step-pivots caused a fair bit of trouble in class (it's not a step-pivot-step). The step-tap-step-tap etc sequence troubled almost everyone in class, even after a few tries to the music some still had trouble with it. The ball-step back (&61) feel very quick. One tag and one restart, fairly obvious in the music. Listen to the Radio - Carl Sullivan [2/4w,64c]; 9/2006 Intermediate to country ("Listen to the Radio" by Lee Kernaghan [The New Bush]). Carl doesn't do many slow dances, but those he does are almost always brilliant and big hits and this one's no exception. A smoothly flowing dance with a bit of floor movement, but nothing excessive. Watch out for the direction change in the fugure 8 (25-32) - it's not the normal figure 8 - quite a few continued turning to the right. Carl's signature diagonals of course make an appearance, but not too painful. Quite a few turns and note that the restart turns the two wall dance to the other two walls. One restart. Leaving of Liverpool - Maggie Gallagher [4w,32c]; 6/2006 Improver to irish music ("Leaving Liverpool" by Sham Rock). A nice little dance that flows well. The second set of 8 is the 'hardest', the rest of the dance is fairly straighforward. While not difficult, quite a few in class had trouble remembering to do the stomps (9-10). Very similar in feel and music to Irish Stew and about the same difficulty level. No tags/restarts. Texas Girl - Lyn Booth [4w,32c]; 7/2006 Upper beginner to country ("There's A Girl In Texas" by Trace Adkins [Dreamin' Out Loud]). A smooth dance with a good pace for upper beginners and improvers. A good range of steps, but doesn't feel like a grab bag of step's thrown together. Flows well and not much floor movement. Going into the next wall after the restart felt a bit un-natural at first. One restart. New Dreams - Robbie McGowan Hickie & Karen Hunn [4w,64c]; 7/2004 Easy intermediate to mexican pop ("You Don't Have To Go" by The Derailers). There're two alternative tracks, "Sweet Maria" by The Cheap Seats [Sweet Maria] and "What You Mean To Me" by Chris De Burgh [The Road To Freedom]). The last is the one used locally. Quite a few turns - if you leave out the full turns, the dance shouldn't be too much trouble for improvers or maybe even upper beginners (the option of dropping the turns is on the sheet). A bit slowish and moves aorund the floor quite a bit. The music used locally (and in New Zealand apparently) could do with a bit more life. That Good That Bad - Tracie Lee [4w,64c]; 10/2006 Improver to country ("That Good That Bad" by Mark Chesnutt [Heard it in a Love Song]). A quickish dance with very little floor movement. CHoreographed as a 64 count non-syncopated dance so it could be done as a 'beginner' dance at a workshop, but feels more like a 32 count syncopated dance. The back 'lock shuffles' caused some trouble in class - people seemed to be doing them in every direction but backwards at first! Two restarts, tho' remember to point forward after the restart for the first count of the next wall. Dance With Me - Errol Colomb [4w,32c]; 8/2005 Improver to pop ("Dance With Me" by Orleans [Dance With Me]). I can't place it, but I'm sure this is a cover of a better known pop song (for some reason the Bee Gee's come to mind). Will probably fit the original (or another mix) if you can't get the Orleans' track. Apart from the rolling weaves, the dance is fairly easy and shouldn't trouble improvers - leave the rolls out and it should be easily do-able for upper beginners. The side rock, recover, side-ball-cross (5-8) felt strange the first few times, but one gets used to it eventually. A moderate amount of floor movement (so watch the furniture and the edge of the stage!). No tags/restarts. Cry Yourself a River - Maddison & Tom Glover [4w,48c]; 6/2006 Improver/easy intermediate to pop ("Babys Gone Home" by The McClymonts [EP]). Steps are fairly easy, tho' the dance is fast - the speed would be the only thing that should challenge improvers, but it shouldn't be out of their reach with practice. Steps flow naturally and there's not much floor movement. Has a VERY short intro (maybe 2 counts), so be on the floor before the music starts! Two restarts. Brave - Mark Simpkin & Kate Moore [2w,64c]; 4/2006 Intermediate/advanced to country ("Brave" by Jamie O'Neil [Brave]). A lot harder to walk thru' than to dance - one of those dances wich makes a lot of use of your momentum. Until you get to flow it can feel awkward. There're a lot of turns, many of them on the & count (tho' the music isn't all that fast). The fulls turns can probably be left out to make it a bit easier (especially for the non-turners). On the other hand, there're a few optional extra turns (not on the sheet). The full unwind (22) is easier if you begin the turn a bit earlier (the sheet is ambigious as to just when you turn) - do a 1/4 turn on the side-ball-cross and complete the turn and go into the sways. Similarly for the unwind on count 28. This dance isn't for everyone, but if you use your momentum right, it flows quite nicely. But with all the direction changes if the floor is too fast or too slow, it will likely cause some joint strain. One tag. Junkyard Dog - Kerry Bailey [4w,32c]; 2006 Improver to rock ("Bad Bad Leroy Brown" by Jim Croce [The Jim Croce Collection]). The sheet for this is very hard to find. I've only ever seen a rewrite by a local instructor. An old classic track which has had a fair few dances done to it over the years. This one's upper-beginner to improver - it has one turn and two syncopated heel switches. The rest of the dance is pretty much just vines and taps. Going into the next wall feels a bit odd - you have the right heel forward at the end of the wall and the next wall starts stepping the right foot forward. Not much floor movement, tho' it's quick. No tags/restarts. The Chosen One - Simon Ward [1w,54c]; 10/2006 Intermediate waltz to pop ("Taller, Stronger, Better" by Guy Sebastian [single]). One wall dances seem all the rage lately. With half of this dance to the diagonals, that's perhaps not a bad thing. Dance has something of a waltz flow, but there are some sudden direction changes and there were some complaints afterwards of sore joints. Counts 8 and 19 are something of a lunge/rock, but don't lunge too far. Some are replacing the hold (27) with a second kick.. Note there's NO weight change on count 35. Beware that the volume of the song tends to rise quite a bit in the middle, so either keep your hand near the volume or resist turning it up at the start. Got a mixed reception in class. One tag and three restarts. Hurts So Bad - Julie Dowse [2w,64c]; 6/2006 Intermediate to pop ("Hurts So Bad" by Anthony Callea [Anthony Callea]). A nice, smoothly flowing dance. There are a few sudden direction changes, but the music is slow enough they they don't break the flow. This is a dance that you can put the whole body into and not just the feet). The sailor (25&27) feels a bit awkwasrd at first, following the cross-ball-side. This did cause some trouble in class. The hinge turn sequence (35-40) seemed to cause the most trouble, so definitely extra teaching time there. One restart. Love You Like That - Ian Dunn [1w,phrased]; 6/2006 Easy intermediate to country ("Love You Like That" by The McClymonts [The McClymonts]). Yep, another one wall dance. An interesting dance - phrased with two parts and a tag done several times. When the music sows down, you do part B, when it's fast, you do part A - so all you need to remember is when to do the tags, and they're pretty obvious in the music. Dance has a nice boucy feel. Those who want to omit the scoot (4) can scuff or tap across instead. The last full wall (and tag) is double time. Either hold for 6 counts while the singer counts you in for the last full wall or do the tag (at double time) - or anything else. This is omitted on the original sheet, but it is there in the music and has been confirmed with the choreographer (who holds for 6 counts). Would You Go With Me - Carl Sullivan & Tracie Lee [2w,52c]; 1/2007 Intermediate to country ("Would You Go With Me" by Josh Turner [Your Man]). This is a bouncy dance but manages that without feeling jerky. The trickiest thing about this dance is the pace - it's quite quick. That and the tag. Counts 27&28 is essentially a triple/cha sequence with a 3/4 turn. The 3/4 turn on counts 35-36 is done on count 36 (the original sheet reads that it's done on count 35). The scoot (&41) is optional, just step to the side and tap. Personally I felt the scoot spoiled the flow of the dance, but each to their own. The tag does feel awkward and will likely take a bit of getting used to. It looks simple enough on paper, but even the choreographer's have trouble with it. Just make sure you end with the weight on the left foot. One tag. Heart Of An Angel - William Brown [4w,48c]; 7/2006 Improver waltz to pop ("Heart Of An Angel" by Modern Talking). There's a country alternative, butthere was another waltz done to that locally not long ago. The dance is fairly simple, tho' there're quite a few hook-waltz's, so may be too challenging for many beginners. I found the two turning waltzes at the end to be awkward, at least the first week. One tag done twice (no tags with the country track). Don't Say You Love Me - Robert Fletcher & Michelle Palmer [2w,32c]; 10/2006 Easy intermediate to a remake of a classic pop song ("Io Che Non Vivo (You Don't Have To Say You Love Me)" by Patrizio Buanne). Dance has quite a few quick turns (on & counts), but the music is slowish, so none of the turns are overly quick. Watch the weight change on the unwind - that caught some out in class. Has a very short intro, just 4 counts. A remake of an old Dusty Springfield song, tho' I don't know if the phrasing is the same. The Buanne track did not appeal to everyone in class. Three restarts and a tag - despite the sheet saying "beginner/intermediate", I'd not recommend this for a beginner class! White Lightning - Maureen Reynolds [2w,64c]; 10/2006 Improver to county ("White Lightning Hit The Family Tree" by Chris Young). A nice lively dance that flows quite well. While not tricky, some had trouble with the "heel, together, stomp x2, rock, recover" sequence. It does take a few tries to nail it down. Not much floor movement. Two tags, which're just sequences taken from the dance. You're The One That I Want - Linda Burgess [4w,32c] Improver to pop ("You're The One That I Want" by John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John). Another lively dance, this time to the original version of a well known song from the Grease soundtrack. Dance has been around for a few years but has been recently ressurected. Not much floor movement and the dance suits the music, tho' it's heavily syncopated (as are most of the choreographer's dances). Counts 25-30 are turn intensive and the hardest part of the dance. Three tags. Make Love To Me! - Stephen Paterson [2w,48c]; 9/2006 Improver to pop ("Make Love To Me" by Sanne [Cowboy's Sweetheart]). A fairly simple dance. Has a few ball-steps, so it may ne a bit tricky for beginners. Flows ok, tho' counts 25-30 may not be to everyone's taste. Not much floor movement. Two restarts. Just Ledoux It - Kevin and Maria Smith [1w,64c]; 8/2006 Easy intermediate to country ("Good Ride Cowboy" by Garth Brooks [single]). In memory of that legend of country music, Chris Ledoux, who died recently. The dance fits the music quite well and is remisicent of 90's line dancing with slaps (well ok, a slap), touches and claps. Very little floor movement and flows well. Count 27 felt awkward at first, but after a few tries to the music, it settles down. Some are teaching the dance with a 3/4 pivot on count 8, followed by a side shuffle, rather than the 1/2 pivot, followed by a 1/4 turn into the shuffle. It looks the same, so it's probably just a matter of how you wish to call it. Counts 13-14 are a side rock, recover & 1/4 turn. Dance ends with three toe struts, tho' again some are teaching it slightly differently with heel, toe, heel struts. One easy restart. Dance With Me - Terry Hogan [4w,48c]; 9/2000 Easy intermediate waltz to country ("You With Me" by Anita Cochran [Anita]). I forgot learning this back in 2000, but it quickly came back. A very smoothly flowing and graceful dance which nicely fits the music. Moves around the floor a bit, but nothing excessive. Stepping back on count 18 feels odd at first - you feel you should do another 1/2 turn instead. Counts 37-39 are a waltz forward with an optional full turn. Plenty of opportunity for the more proficient dancers to add styling. Music slows down near the end - just slow down the dance to finish facign the front at the end of the song. Five restartsm but all pretty clear in the music. It Ain't Over - Linda Burgess [4w,64c]; 8/2006 Intermediate to pop ("It Ain't Over" by The Robertson Brothers). Dance fits the music well and there's not much floor movement. The song is a trifle overlong and there's a long intro (enuf time to go have a cuppa!). Counts 5-8 takes a bit of practice to feel comfortable. There's a strong tendency to cross over on count 6 rather than behind. Counts 39-40 are a coaster with a 1/2 turn, tho' I found it felt smoother to touch back, do a reverse 1/2 pivot and step forward (on the coaster count). Three restarts. Bubba Mia - Michael Vera-Lobos [2w,72c]; 4/2006 Intermediate to disco ("Mamma Mia" by The ABBA Teens). One for the ABBA fans, even tho' it's by a cover band. Quite a lively dance with a bit of floor movement. Quick and lots of turns, so be careful of doing it on a Quick floor. Dance sheets has it as a phrased dance, but it's really just several tags and a restart ('phrased' generally implies several parts), so don't let the 'phrased' put you off. Apart from the pace and the turns, there's nothing tricky with the stepwork. Three tags, one restart. Feeling Good - Michael Vera-Lobos [4w,44c]; 4/2006 Upper intermediate to pop ("Feeling Good" by Michelle McMannus [The Meaning of Love]). A tricky dance, but once you get it, the dance flows very nicely indeed. A very smooth dance. There're quite a few sudden drection changes, but because the music is slow, you have time to change your momentum and they do not pose a problem, tho' on count 30 (1/2 pivot turn), it's a good idea to lunge slightly forward at the end of the turn so you can more easily go into the rolling backwards shuffle. The intro seems longer than the 8 counts on the sheet - you start just before the heavy beat (at least we did). You will need to focus on where you have to face (thanks to all the turns), at least the first week or few. The first 9 counts are the trickiest, so need the most care when teaching. The only real downside is that towards the end, the music really goes out the window and it's difficult to pick up where to resume the dance after the holds (4th wall). One restart, one tag and a bunch (sheet doesn't say how many) of holds on the same wall as the tag. Hips Don't Lie - Mitchell & Linda Burgess [4w,32c]; 7/2006 Easy intermediate to pop ("Hips Don't Lie" by Shakira] The music will definitely not appeal to everyone - it'll either be loved or hated on the basis of the music, I suspect. A lively dance! The dances does move around the the floor quite a bit and with quite a few sudden direction changes, you'll need a slow floor. There were quite a few complaints about sore joints afterwards. Has some novel step sequences I've not seen before. The last 8 counts is pretty turn intensive. No tags/restarts. Pity about the music tho'... A Quick Goodbye - Noel Bradey [2w,64c]; 8/2006 Intermediate to country ("Your Coffee's On The Table" by Terrie Lea And The Mustangs [Solitary Tear]). An indie Aussie artist, so the music will be very ahrd to get. Cntact the choreographer, who'se licensed to sell copies. There's a very short intro, maybe 8 counts. Dance flows fairly well and suits the music. There is a bit f floor mvement. Counts 27&28 is sort of a coaster cross with a 1/4 turn. It caused the most trouble in class. Counts 31&32 are a cross shuffle, tho' there's a strong temptation to do a behind-side-cross. Counts 51&52 and 55&56 are shuffles moving slightly forward with a *LOT* of hip action. The non-hippers may want to just shuffle forward (with or without spinning). One tag. Solo Humano - Debbie Ellis [2w,40c]; 7/2005 Easy intermediate to latin pop ("Solo Soy Un Ser Humano" and "El Rey Del Dancing" by David Civera [Perdoname]). Both tracks are off the same album. According to the grapevine, there are several versions of the song being used and some are starting the dance facing the back - so be careful of local variations a bit more drastic than the occasional added turn! Dance has a nice mambo feel to it, tho' the music will definitely not appeal to everyone. The last four counts were the only ones to cause trouble in class. part from that, t's almost an improver level dance. One restart, depending on the music used. Push The Button - Peter Metelnick & Alison Biggs [4w,64c]; 9/2005 Easy intermediate to pop ("Push The Button" by The Sugababes [single]). Nothing particularly tricky with this dance, tho' make sure your weight is on the left foot after the unwind on count 64. There is a fair bit of repetition with several sections done twice on the opposite foot. This can be confusing for some at first. Not much floor movement. The music is rather monotonous (sounds like dance club music), but presumably some like it. As usual, watch out for the holds - the dance is littered with them. No restarts or tags. It's a Beautiful Life - Cathryn Proudfoot [2w,64c]; 5/2006 Intermediate to country-rock ("Awful, Beautiful Life" by Darryl Worley [Darryl Worley]). Song has a good solid beat to it and the dance nicely suits it. Not much floor movement and the 'worst' of the turns can be left out. It is a bit quick tho'. The dance is a bit reminiscent of the choreographer's earlier dance "Wanna Be Me", especially the start. The second set of 16 is almost the same as the first set, just on the other foot. The pivot on count 32 ends with the weight back on the right foot. This s different from a normal pivot and caused a fair bit of trouble in class with people ending with the weight on the wrong foot. Tis best to emphasise there's no weight change. Counts 37-40 also caused a fair bit of trouble in class, so again extra care when teaching. Counts &43 is essentially an out-out. On count 55, make sure you rock to the side - a rock forward seems more natural at first. Three tags. Note the music really slows down during the 3rd tag. Slow down to match the music. The next wall starts about 2 counts before the heavy beat resumes. I Loved Her First - Tom Glover [4w,48c]; 8/2006 Easy intermediate to country ("I Loved Her First" by Heartland). A fairly well flowing waltz that is slow enough to dance as a waltz, tho' it does move around the floor a fair bit. Counts 25-36 are the hardest and may need extra attention when teaching, especially with all the turns. It doesn't feel natural at first, but after a few tries to music, settles down for most dancers. Make sure you step straight back on count 31 - there's a tendency to cross behind, which complicates the following steps. Count 24 is really a 3/4 pivot, but since there're restarts on count 24, it's written as a 1/2 pivot to preserve the wall sequence. Three restarts, not too obvious in the music at first. Games That Lovers Play - Tom Glover [4w,32c]; 8/2006 Improver to 40's pop ("Games That Lovers Play" by Raul Malo [You're Only Lonely]). The singer is the lead from the Maverick's, but sounds nothing like the group. Unfortunately the music was very poorly received in class, tho' apparently it's doing well elsewhere. The dance is fairly straight forward and there's nothing challenging in the steps. The count for 25-32 is a bit unusual. A bit of floor movement. Might go down better with a more lively song? No tags/restarts. S.O.S. - Chris Watson [4w,64c]; 6/2006 Easy intermediate to dance-pop ("SOS" by Rhianna [single]). A rather active dance with lots of kicks and hitches. A bit stressful on the joints, but that probably depends a lot on the floor. The dance will likely appeal to the younger crowd, both for the dance itself and the music. The side rocks (37-38 and 43-44) troubled a few - there was a tendency to point instead of rocking, not that that would affect the flow of the dance. Note the hitches and scoots (27-30) are on distinct counts) Otherwise, nothing tricky about the steps - just quick. No tags/restarts. Before the Devil Knows - Gordon Elliott [4w,64c]; 7/2006 Intermediate to country rock ("If You're Going Through Hell" by Rodney Atkins [single]). A good rockin' dance track, tho' a tad on the quick side. Dance flows fairly well, tho' there is quite a bit of floor movement. The rolling shuffles (7&8 and 49&50) are optional - the non turners can do vanilla shuffles. Note that 7&8 is a shuffle and not a triple step, as on the sheet (ie: it moves). During counts 17-32, every set of sets starts with a cross behind. It might help to emphasise this since quite a few in class got a tad confused, crossing over instead of behind, and in most cases in this dance, the two are not interchangable. A 'cheat' for counts &63-64 is to touch the left forward and do a 3/4 sweep. Feels better, IMO. No tags/restarts. Same Ol' Love - Reagan Lyon-Pacitti and Margret Pacitti [4w,64c]; 2/2006 Improver to rock 'n roll ("Same Ol' Love" by- Rob Wilson [Rough Around The Edges]). Nothing difficult with this dance. The heel-toe sequence is probably the hardest part, such as it is. Has a bit of pace and a fair bit of repetition (everything's done twice). Shouldn't be too much trouble for upper beginners. One tag. I Gotta Brand New Girlfriend - Tim Gauci [4w,32c]; 4/2006 Improver to country ("Brand New Girlfriend" by Steve Holy [single]). Nice song and the dance flows very well, with hardly any floor movement. Nothing difficult with the dance, tho' it has a bit of pace to it. Has two tags, one of which (done every 9:00 wall) is the 'hardest' part of the dance - the dance itself has only minimal syncopation, whilst this tag is completely syncopated. It's literally twice as fast as the dance itself and does seem to come out of the blue. Even so, the dance shouldn't be too difficult for upper beginners to pick up. Note that the song has a looooong intro. There's no ending, however if you do a 1/2 pivot on count 28 (on the last wal), the dance will end with the music, facing the front. Hoe Down - Jessica Lamb & Adrian Lefebour [4w,64c]; 3/2006 Intermediate to country ("How Down Come Sundown" by The Woolpackers). Yee haa!! Ahem. This one'll set the "new image" of line dancing back a decade or so. Very much a 90's style dance (and song). Mind you, it went down very well in class. Not much floor movement and despite a lot of knee work, it wasn't a joint strainer. It s fairly quick tho'! Be careful of the quick start (the intro is only 8 counts). The dance is harder than it looks on the sheet and you really need to concentrate (at leats the first week or two). The heel and rock sequence (9-16 and 17-24 on the other lead) will probably take a bit of practice to get the heels, toes, hooks and steps right. On counts 33 and 37 make sure you step far enough to do all the swivels. The last 16 counts caused the most trouble in class. Quite a few kicked on count 49 and had to add an extra hop to get onto the correct foot. Counts 51-56 caused trouble with the odd count - for most it would probably be better not to count this part. One tag done twice. Memories - Michael Vera-Lobos [4w,64c]; 5/2006 Intermediate to slowish country-pop ("Making Memories of Us" by Keith Urban [Be Here]). Urban sang this at his wedding and it's quite a nice song. However, IMO it's not suited to a dance having erratic phrasing and almost no beat (before you crucify me, other's shared the same opinion). Still, with practice , less suitable songs have worked eventually. The dance itself flowed fairly well and wasn't all that difficult, tho' there was a quite a bit of floor movement. Counts 25-32 (especially the weight transfers) and the hinge sequence (53-56) caused trouble in class and deserve extra attention when teaching. A few full turns which can be left out for the non-turners. One tag, one restart. Nothing Much - Gary & Cheryl Parker, Linda Wolfe and Robyn Groot [2w,72c]; 6/2006 Intermediate to pop ("Nothing Much Happens Round Here" by Chris de Burgh [Quiet Revolution]). A fairly quick dance. It didn't seem to flow at teaching speed, but at dance speed it flowed fairly well. not much floor movement and it got a good reception in all the classes I've done it at. Counts 29-40 caused some trouble in class and warrant extra attenmtion when teaching, especially the weight changes. Note that the two twist sequences are almost mirror images. Counts 41-48 are straight out of Tush Push. Make sure you lean to the right on count 56. Feels like there should be claps on counts 68 and 72 - most classes seemed to end up adding them. Two restarts which turn the two-wall dance to the side walls for a few walls. The Impossible - Brett Jenkins [2w,48c]; 1/2006 Advanced to country ("The Impossible" by Joe Nichols [Man With A Memory]). Not quite an impossible dance, but it's certainly tricky. Flows fairly well, but the music seems to be more a listening track than a dance track, at least on the first week - there's not much of a beat. The count is unusual (lots of odd syncopation), which caused a fair bit of trouble in class. Lots of turns, so not a dance for the non-turners. The 3/2 shuffle and ball-rock recover sequence, done to the diagonals, caused the most difficulty in class. Fortunately the dance pace is fairly slow. Two tags and one restart, tho' lacking a strong beat they ain't always obvious. Sweet Meant To Be - Ian St Leon [4w,64c]; 3/2006 Improver to country ("Sweet Meant To Be" by Carlene Carter [Hindsight 20/20]). A sweet little dance that fits the music quite well, flows nicely and doesn't have much floor movement. Plus it's country with a good solid dance beat - what more could you ask for? A lot of repetitrion (on the opposite lead), which can be a bit confusing at first. I felt the rock forward (29-30) after the figure 8 sequence took a bit of getting used to (it seemed more natural to rock behind at first). A bit challenging for upper beginners, but shouldn't be out of the reach of many at that level. Dance finishes facing the front at the end of the song, which is another bonus. Two restarts. Ideal Fate - Sandy Kerrigan [4w,32c]; 5/2006 Easy intermediate to pop ("Flying Without Wings" by Westlife [Westlife]). Flows well and suites the music - tho' the music wont be to everyone's tastes. There's not really any beat for the first two walls (just an acoustic guitar), so picking up the beat will likely be difficult at first (count until you get it!). Counts 17-24 were the only steps that caused any trouble in class, tho' the count itself may be a challenge for improvers (there's a fair bit of odd syncopation). On counts 19-21 the right foot stays in place while you turn and rock/step onto the left. The music fades towards the end. Just keep dancing and finish the wall facing the front. No tags/restarts. Here I Am - Robert Fletcher & Michelle Palmer [2w,64c]; 5/2006 Intermediate to country ("Here I Am" by Billy Currington [Doing Something Right]). Placed in a recent choreography competition in the beginner/improver section, but this is definitely an intermediate level dance and probably beyond many improvers. Still, it's a nicely flowing dance. On count 17 make sure you step back - quite a few stepped forward, which makes the next few steps awkward. This was the only spot that caused trouble in class. Counts 35-40 moves quite a bit along the floor, but there's not much movement in the rest of the dance. 51-52 may need a bit of extra attention in class. Two restarts and one bridge (mid-wall tag), tho' not too clear in the music. There's More To Me - Peter Fry & Sandy Allen [2w,64c]; 5/2006 Upper Intermediate to country ("There's More To Me Than You" by Jessica Andrews [Now]). A word of warning with this dance - it turns a lot and with a bit of pace it's definitely not for those who don't like turns. Flows quitewell, tho' make sure you push back on count 31 otherwise the turn on count 32 will feel very awkward (it's similar to the turn in "The Fifth Wish", also by Peter). This spot may need a bit of practice in class. A fair bit of floor movement across the line of dance, but given the difficulty level of the dance, this probably wont be much of a problem. Suggest you end the dance on count 8, replacing the second coaster with a sailor and 1/2 turn left to end facing the front. One tag and one restart. Falling again - Kelvin Dale & Samantha Dixon [4w,32c]; 4/2006 Upper Intermediate to country ("Falling in love again by Nick Lachey [SoulO]). The music has a slowish pace, but thanks to a lot of syncopation, the dance has a bit of speed to it. The important thing with this dance is to make sure you use your momemtum throughout - otherwise it wont flow and will probably feel quite awkward. Using one's momentum, the dance flows quite nicely. For this reason I'd call this one a dancer's dance (ie: it'll help a lot to have had some instruction on how to dance rather than just how to memorise steps). The stepwork is tricky and it certainly feels a lot longer than 32 counts (it has 50 steps). Don't forget counts 2-5 are fully syncopated - it was easy to miss out a step. On count 6 make sure you hitch the left foot moving forward (to 12:00). There's no & count between 29 and 30, which makes it feel ike there's a hold there. That's normal. Another turn intensive dance - and it's a good idea to keep track of just where you are supposed to be facing. One restart. Just Seventeen - Lyn & Iain Booth, Linda Burgess [4w,32c]; 7/2006 Easy intermediate to pop ("I Saw Her Standing There" by The Beatles [Please Please Me]). I've not come across a linedance to the Beatles before (tho' I have done one to the Monkey's) - there are quite a few on Kickit. Dance has a nice 60's feel to it, especially with the twists - put some styling into it if you can remember the 60's (or can fake it). Has a bit of pace to it, tho' there're quite a few holds throughout. Note that count 25 is a step forward - a step back seems more natural and troubled many in class. Just lean slightly forward at the end of the preceeding shuffle and it'll flow. COunts 41-52 troubled some in class for a while, so extra attention there when teaching may be warranted. One restart. Neither One Of Us - Lyn Booth [2w,64c]; 7/2006 Intermediate/Advanced to country ("Neither One Of Us" by Linda Davis [Some Things Are Meant To Be]). The sheet says intermediate, but this is definitely an upper level dance, what with the tricky count, heavy syncopation and all the turns. Even tho' the music is a bit slowish, all the syncopation gives the dance a bit of pace. Counts 15&16 are essentially a shuffle qith a 3/4 turn left. Counts 17-24 deserve extra attention when teaching. Note that count 21 is a rock forward to the left diagonal - yu really just rock your weight onto the foot since the previous count has the left heel touching forward. Ditto for count 25. The quick pivots (&31&32) tend to end up as a cross and 3/4 unwind - t tended to feel smoother this way. No tags or restarts. If You Ever - Carl Sullivan & Tracie Lee [4w,48c]; 8/2006 Intermediate/advanced to country ("If You Ever Feel Like Lovin' Me Again" by Clay Walker [Say No More]). Dance was originally written back in June, but was drastically revised and re-released. Sheet says it's an intermediate dance, but it's really upper intermediate at the least, so don't be tempted to teach it to a low intermediate class unless you want to spend a long time revising. The count is unusual and there're some quite tricky turns. Some liked it straight away, but most seemed undecided. The choreographer's themselves were quite unhappy with the first version. There're a number of optional turns noted on the sheet, plus a few others which can be replaced - the full turn on 32& can be replaced by a step-ball in place. Ditto for 38&. The rolling shuffle and turn (14-16) can be replaced by a cross shuffle and step to the side. Counts 7&8 are just a triple (cha cha) on the spot with a full turn (as per Tracie Lee), but make sure you end with the weight forward on the left. Be careful of the count in 17-24 - quite a few got this mixed up in class. Count 25 is a step and drag - a number in class inadvertantly stretched this out over 2 counts. Counts 25-40 caused the most trouble in class, so extra attention there when teaching is warranted. Two restarts. Lucille - Carl Sullivan [3w,96c]; 4/2006 Intermediate/advanced waltz to country ("Lucille by Billy Currington [Doin' Something Right]). This is a tricky waltz that'll sort the sheep and goats out. Having said that, it's not as hard as the dance sheet looks. The dance is quickish, but even so manages to flow quite well and it's possible to add a waltz rise and fall style to the dance. A fair bit of repetition and it does move around the floor a fair bit. Remembering all the tags and restarts is probably the hardest part of the dance, however they're all obvious in the music. The 12-count turning waltz section (counts 73-84) is the part the choreographer considered the hardest and gave a lot of extra attention to when teaching. The mid wall tag (done on every chorus) caught a lot of people out and will certainly need to be called for a while. 4 restarts and 5 tags. Tequila Blues - Noel Bradey [2w,64c]; 4/2006 Easy intermediate to country ("Not Enough Tequila" by Terri Clark [Life Goes On]). Nice song. Dance moves around the floor a fair bit. The rock forward after the two cross shuffles will need extra attention - a majority of those in class rocked to the side instead, even after doing the dance a few times. The left Monterey is unusual (they're almost always right's) and may need extra practice. There's also a tendency to do a left turn on count 57 rather than a right, so emphasise this. No tags/restarts. Heartbreaker - Kate Sala [4w,64c]; 1/2006 Intermediate to hip-hop ("Heartbreaker" by Blue Lagoon). There's an alternative track, but the main track is the one people are using. A fairly straight forward dance which nicely fits the music and doesn't travel a lot. Extremely popular in the UK (where they go in for this kind of music). When you do the rolling vine forward (12-16), make sure you end stepping the right foot to the side or to the diagonal and not together - the following sailor is very awkward to do if you step together. Make sure you get the direction of the full turns near the end right - it's easy to turn the wrong way. Dance has a bouncy/funky feel to it, which matches the music. The music itself wont appeal to everyone (especially not the country crowd) - maybe another version would fit the dance? One restart. Brighter Day - Gordon Elliott [4w,64c]; 3/2005 Intermediate to a pop-dance song ("A Brighter Day" by Helena Paparizou [My Number One]). Dance has a nice cha-cha rhythm, tho' this vanishes in the last 24 counts. The last 8 ocunts seemed overly rushed to me. The two full turns in opposite directions (41-48) caused a fair bit of trouble in class - tho' non-turners could easily leave the turns out and just walk forward. No tags/restarts. Heavenly Body - Nadia Friel [2w,84c]; 9/2005 Intermediate to country ("A Heavenly Body" by Travis Sinclair [Rush]). An independent artist (I think), so the music will be difficult to get, especially outside of Australia. Dance has a bit of a bounce and well suits the music. I wasn't too keen on it, but it went down quite well in class. Counts 17-32 may need extra attention when teaching and troubled some in class. The hip rolls (53-56 and 69-72) can be substituted as preferred. A fair bit of repetition and a bit of floor movement, but nothing excessive. Has a mid-wall tag (ie: a bridge) done twice in the same wall. No other tags/restarts. Hillbilly Nation - Kelvin Dale and Samantha Dixon [4w,64c]; 4/2006 Intermediate to country ("Hillbilly Nation" by Cowboy Crush). As of May the music is only available on advance, so will be difficult to obtain. A bouncy and fast dance which nonetheless manages to flow fairly well. Has a bit of floor movement, but nothing that hould cause any trouble. Counts 17-24 are straight out of "Be Strong" and the unwinds on counts 41-44 and 57-60 are from "Lovestruck". These unwinds caused the most trouble in class, although the samba-sailor sequences weren't too far behind! The rest of the dance is fairly straight forward with quite a bit of repetition on alternate foot leads. On count 30 (the 1/2 hinge) step forward to the right diagonal otherwise the following sailor can be quite a struggle. Quite a few instructors are having trouble picking when to start the dance (the original sheet had a mistake) - the start is, however, on the obvious spot, 16 counts after the heavy beat starts (you start a few counts before the lyrics). Just listen to the music. It's there, honest! One restart. It Matters - Jon Peppin [4w,32c]; 3/2006 Beginner/improver to country ("All That Matters Now" by Graeme Connors & Elizabeth Lord [Country Duets]). Independent Aussie artists, so the music will be hard to find. Dance is a slowish and very smooth cha-cha. No awkward steps and quite nice to do, tho' some of the more advanced dancers considered it "too boring", even tho' there's plenty of opportunity for styling and extra spins. The two step-lock-step sequences in the first set of 8 were taught as cross-shuffles by the choreographer (who had plenty of floor space). If there is any movement forward, it'd be pretty slight. The two 1/2 pivots can be replaced by a rocking chair and the 3/2 turn at the end can be done as a 1/2 turn for the non-turners. One simple tag done three times. The dance shouldn't be beyond the capacity of an upper beginner class. Up to No Good - Jessica Lamb [2w,86c]; 9/2004 Intermediate/advanced to country ("Down in Mississippi by Sugarland [Twice the Speed of Life]). One for the speed freaks - it's fast and energetic. Atheletic even. Technically it's an 86 count dance, tho' only one vanilla wall is done. Definitely a good idea to learn this to slowed music, if you can. The hardest thing is the pace, but tricky spots to watch out for: the cross behinds in counts 17-24 felt awkward the first week. Going from the heel switches to toe touches behind (25-32) will definitely take a bit of practice. The samba on count 40-43 is slow, owever there's a strong tempatation to syncopate it since it follows two fast sambas. The hip rolls (55-64) can be done as the usual preference. make sure on count 68 you step together - there's a strong tendency to touch. A tag done twice, a bridge (mid wall tag) done twice and the last wall omits the first 64 counts. All The Way - Jennifer Hughes [4w,32c]; 3/2006 Improver to country ("All The Way" by Lonestar [Lonely Grill]). Like many of Hughes' dances, the start of this one can be, well, confusing when you first encounter it. The first 8 counts are very reminiscent of the start of her earlier dance "From There to Here". Quite a bit of practice will probably be needed to nail this sequence down. After that the dance is pretty straightforward. Not much floor movement and a nice song, which suits the dance. One tag done five times. Wouldn't Have Missed It! - Stephen Paterson [4w,32c]; 2/2006 Easy intermediate to country ("I Wouldn't Have Missed It For The World" by Ronnie Milsap [The Essential Ronnie Milsap]). Got a mixed reception in class with a few walking off the floor. Only one tricky spot and that's the cross samba (7&8) - make sure after the unwind (count 6) that the weight is back on the left and the right touching slightly forward to the right diagonal. Quite a few ended the unwind with the feet together or the right slightly back, making the samba quite fiddly. The back-lock-back (25-26&) was taught as a lock-shuffle rather than a back dorothy. Make sure the turn on count 28 has no weight transfer! One restart and a simple tag done three times. Language of Love - Brett Jenkins [4w,68c]; 5/2006 Intermediate to mexicam-style country ("I Don't Know What She Said" by Blaine Larsen [I Don't Know What She Said], also on single). Music sounds a bit like the Mavericks. Dance flows fairly wel most of the time, tho' counts 33-36 seemed rough (practice?). not much floor movement. Watch out fr confusing the rock behinds with the touch behinds - that seemed a common problem in class. There's also a tendency to hold on count 5 (it ain't one!). The holds and weight transfers also caused some trouble in class - there're slides, drags, holds and step togethers. Keeps you on your toes, figuratively that is. Two restarts, not all that obvious in the music the first week. How 'Bout You! - Linda Burgess [4w,64c]; 5/2006 Upper intermediate to country ("How 'Bout You" by Eric Church [Sinners Like Me]). According to the artist's website, the album is not due for release in the US until July .. but the choreographer has used several tracks off the album, so it may be out already. This is one quite quick and on top of that it's completely syncopated (so take a few deep breaths before you start!). Will likely need a fair bit of practice before it starts to feel comfortable (a fair few walked off the floor syaing it was too fast). A bit of floor movement, but not too much. The full turns are all optional (which'll make it a bit easier), as too are the twists. Begin the 1/4 turn for the coaster (3&4) on count 2 - this makes the coaster flow better. Watch out for the weight transfers on the unwinds and twists. After the unwind on count 22, end leaning slightly to the right so going into the right shuffle feels more natural. Nothing really tricky with the steps, just very fast. No tags/restarts. Gentleman's Waltz - Tim Gauci [4w,48c]; 9/2005 Beginner/improver waltz to country ("Jim Reeves Waltz Medley" by The Deans [Multiplication]). Nice to see some traditional olde style country, even if it's not the original Jim Reeves. A sweet little waltz that fits the music nicely and doesn't travel around the floor much. Probably too challenging for a novice class, but should go down well with anything above that. The 3/4 turn on counts 22-24 did trouble a few in class (ending up facing the wrong wall). The song is a tad longish. No tags/restarts. Water of Love - Jennifer Hughes [4w,64c]; 3/2006 Intermediate to pop ("Water of Love" by The Judds [Their Finest Collection], [River of Time]). I know the Judds are country artists, but this is a pretty close cover of the Dire Straits track of the same title. Don't know if the dance will phrase to the original, but it sounds like it may. Doesn't move much around the floor and the dance goes well with the music. On count 2 lean slightly back so doing the back coaster feels more natural. Counts 25-32 are probably the trickiest part of the dance and deserve extra care when teaching. Count 48 is a recover, but it feels more natural going into the following steps if you drag the left towards the right at the same time. The rock back (59) will take a bit of geting used to (a forward rock feels more natural). Two restarts, however the choreographer has called them tags (ie: they are not counted as walls). If you chose to do them as restarts, then the second is done on the 6th wall and not the 5th. You'll Never Know - Peter Fry [2w,64c]; 2/2006 Intermediate to country ("You'll Never Know" by Mindy McCready). Another nicely crafted dance from Peter Fry. This one has quite a few quick unwind turns, which may cause some trouble - the dance is best done on a fast floor. On the full unwind, make sure you end with the weight on the right foot, so you can go into the left shuffle - it might help if you lifted your left foot slightly off the floor as you complete the unwind. The full turns can easily be omitted for the non-turners. The full Monterey turn at the end dd trouble a few in class, even on the second week. The scuff and 1/4 turn (36&) is more a scuff & hop tho' most seem to quickly omit the scuff and do the 'hop' on count 36. One tag. It's Up To You - Kim Ray [2w,32c]; 1/2006 Improver to a pop cha-cha ("It's Up To You" by Barbra Streisand [Guilty Too]). A lot like the music for "Come Tomorrow", by the same artist. Has a bit of floor movement. Note that the step-ball at the end of each wall merges with the step at the start of the next wall to make a forward shuffle. The full turn (9-10) following the 1/2 pivot does cause a bit of ankle strain and is a bit tricky - make sure you end the twist with the weight on the right foot! An easy option would be to twist 1/8L, then back to centre, making sure you finish with the weight back on the left foot. Myself, I found that the dance did not fit the music. Other's may disagree (feel free). No tags/restarts. Waltz Of Old Mexico - Marian Culpan [4w,102c]; 10/2005 Intermediate/advanced waltz to country ("The Seashores Of Old Mexico" by George Strait [Somewhere Down In Texas]). On walking thru' this felt a lovely waltz, flowing quite smoothly. The music, however, is fast. Too fast IMO (the dance feels way too rushed) - at least the first week. Be careful of the holds - they caught a fair few in class, as they usually do. Ignoring the diagonals, counts 16-18 is really a 3/4 turn, likewise the pivot on counts 30-33 is also a 3/4 turn. I found that at the dance speed, this second turn quickly became an unwind rather than a pivot. Counts 49-51 is done as a "touch behind, unwind turn, point". There's no hold - the sheet has the touch and unwind on the one count and a hold at the end. This sequence felt particularly quick since the previous and following sequences are all 1-2-hold. The 1/8 turn at the end is ideally done going into count 1 of the next wall. Don't be put off by the 102 counts - there's a lot of repetition. No tags/restarts. Siempre Cha Cha - Phil Dennington [4w,64c]; 3/2006 Easy intermediate to pop ("What You Mean To Me" by Chris De Burgh [The Road To Freedom]). A pretty straight forward cha cha, tho' the music may not be for everyone. The cross steps in 9-16 are 'sassy' walks. The turn on 21-22 feels unusual - a left turn feels a lot more natural to do, but after doing it a few times it settles down. Omitting the full turns should leave the dance easily achievable by most improvers, maybe even upper beginners. Be warned tho', te dance does travel a lot. No tags/restarts. Bosa Nova - Phil Dennington [4w,64c]; 7/2005 Improver to pop ("Blame It On The Bossa Nova" by Jane McDonald). Looking to be the dance of the year in the US, at least on how widely it's being taught, however it's yet to take off locally. A basic rumba rhythm for those who have any familarity with ballroom dancing. The hardest part of the dance for improvers would be the holds and the 1/2 left turn near the end following the pivot. Has a fair bit of floor movement, but not as much as his other dance done locally (above). Note that there is an incorrect sheet for this dance circulating the internet, which has the dance as 48 counts and syncopated in the last 16 counts (with a few steps missing). No tags/restarts. Baby, It's Alright - Rosalie Mackay [4w,64c]; 12/2005 Intermediate to country ("It's Alright" by Trisha Yearwood [Jasper County]). Depite the slowish b/m, with the syncopation, the dance feels fairly quick - however, the song is fairly short, just over 2 mins long. Not much floor movement. A few things to watch out for when teaching - the last 8 counts has a lot of turns and will probably need a lot of extra care, tho' leaving out the full turn should simplify the dance somewhat. A few found the kick on count 8 to be easy to forget, but a bit of practice easily fixes this. Note that the two sailors (49-54) are not syncopated - a few in class instinctively did these syncopated. Watch out for the end of the song - there's a fake ending. The dance continues to virtually the last beat. No tags/restarts. Lil Miss - Ian St Leon [4w,64c]; 1/2006 Intermediate to hard rock ("Round & Round" by The Bodyrockers [So Fresh 2005/2006]). A line dance to head banger music? Well I guess if you can dance to opera, you can dance to anything. Nothing all that difficult with the steps of this one and despite the quick feel to the song, the dance beat itself isn't all that fast. A bit reminiscent of dances such as "Kryptonite". Watch out for the hold and the "kick, hitch, 1/4 turn & cross-ball-step" section, which'll definitely require extra attention. Probably a dance for the boys. Flows fairly well and there's not much floor movement, tho' the tag does travel a bit sideways (the full unwind in the tag does tend to catch you by surprise the first few times). One tag, one restart. Come Tomorrow - Michele Perron [4w,32c]; 9/2005 Intermediate to pop ("Come Tomorrow" by Barbra Streisand and Barry Gibb [Guilty Pleasures]). The trickiest thing about this dance is the count in the first set of 8, in particular counts 5-8 which're "5&a6,7&a8", tho' many will probably fudge it as "5&6&7&8&". There's also a lot of syncopation throughout the rest of the dance - fortunately the beat is slow. This dance is a real grower - most people didn't like it the first week, but the more it's done, the greater its appeal. The dance has a graceful feel and after a while starts to flow quite nicely. There're a few easy options omitting full turns. The last few counts (28-32) felt rushed at first, but settled with practice. Three restarts. River Of Love - Hollis Clark [1w,32c]; 3/2005 Improver dance to a country song ("River Of Love/El Rio Amor" by John Arthur Martinez [Lone Starry Night]). The sheet says this is a beginner's dance, but with turning and cross-shuffles, this is more an improver dance. The dance pace is a bt slow and there's a lot of repetition (most sequences are repeated), so it shouldn't be too much of a challenge for upper beginners whove already been introduced to the concept of shuffles and are ready to move onto shuffle variations - especially sicne it's a one wall dance. A nice cha-cha feel to the music, which the dance reflects for the most part. No tags or restarts. You Need a Man - Darren Mitchell [4w,32c]; 2/2006 Easy intermediate dance to a country song ("You Need A Man Around Here" by Brad Paisley [Time Well Wasted]). Note that the original stepsheet has the music details wrong - the song is not "A Man Around Here" and "Alcohol" is a single off the same album, not the album title itself. That aside, the dance is a slippery number that'll require a bit of concentration until it's nailed down. Not much floor mvoement and a fair bit of repetition, however the beat is a bit unusual, there're a lot of ball-steps and the dance itself has a bit of pace. Will probably be a bit of a challenge for improvers. Flows well and there're no awkward steps. The first 16 counts caused the most trouble in class. Make sure that count 16 is a step and not a tap! The only question I have is what's wrong with the spiders? No tags or restarts. Young Hearts, Run Free - Linda Burgess [4w,32c]; 2/2006 Intermediate dance to a disco song ("Young Hearts, Run Free" by Gloria Estefan [Desperate Housewives]). This one doesn't look at that hard on the sheet, but did cause a fair bit of trouble in class. Note that the turns on counts 10 and 14 are *not* pivots (as quite a few in class did). The syncopation on counts 26-30 also caused a bit of trouble at first, but settled down after a few tries. The biggest trouble was going into the next wall - almost everyone skipped the kick-ball-change and went straight into the mambo. Even after doing the dance to music a few times this still caused a few hiccups, so extra attention there is very much warranted. The dance suits the music and there's very little floor movement. Apart from the early hiccups mentioned above, the one problem with this dance is that the music will definitely not appeal to everyone. Disco fans to the dance floor please! Two restarts. The Magic is There - Sue Coats [2w,32c]; 9/2005 Upper beginner dance to pop-folk ("The Magic is There" by Daniel O'Donnell [Love Songs]). There is a more upbeat alternative for those who've not already done another dance to the song ("Mambo Italiano" by Bette Midler [Bette Midler Sings The Rosemary Clooney Songbook]). While a beginnerish dance, this one did cause a bit of trouble amongst the more proficient dancers doing the wrong steps and getting sequences mixed up (the beginners, tho', had little trouble). The music didn't seem to phrase, despite several taps, but I suspect that's more the music than the dance. Not much floor movement. Music seems a bit slowish, but the dance beet is deceptively quicker. Three easy tags (none with the Bette Midler track). Dilemma - Peter Fry [4w,48c]; 9/2005 Upper intermediate to country ("Complicated" by Carolyn Dawn Johnson [single]). This is a like it or love it dance, mostly because of the music which is slow and 'dreary' according to quite a few in class. Mind you, I liked it and thought the dance suited it quite well, but it wont appeal to those who like their dances fast. The count takes a bit of getting used to and the choreography is distinctively non-traditional .. ie: it's a tricky dance that will probably only be appreciated by the upper level dancers. Dance has a lot of momentum changes necessesary to keep the flow, like Fry's earlier "The Fifth Wish", tho' it's easier than that dance. A bit. There're several ball-unwinds - the count on these caught a few out. The 1/2L pivot (count 38) ends on a rock/step. This is not too clear on the sheet, but is essential go onto the next steps. No tags/restarts. Men Are Like Shoes - Linda Burgess [4w,64c]; 1/2006 Easy intermediate to pop ("Shoes" by Shania Twain [Desperate Housewives]). Even tho' Shania's been quite popular in line dance circles over the years, this song got a very mixed reception in class (partly for the music, partly for the lyrics). The dance has a few spots to watch out for. The 3/4 pivot (count 32) seems very quick, more a spin than a pivot, in order to be ready for the heel grind. The scoots can all be left out to simplify the dance, just doing the hitches. Likewise the 5/4 vine at the end can be done as a 1/4 vine for the non-turners. There's not much floor movement. The phrasing is lousy, however the choreographer decided to forgo phrasing since too many tags & restarts would be needed to phrase (other choreographer's who picked this song did the same). Mixed Emotions (a.k.a Love & Hate) - Carl Sullivan [4w,64c]; 2/2006 Advanced to country ("I May Hate Myself in the Morning" by Lee Ann Womack [There's More Where That Came From]). Definitely an advanced dance, despite the intermediate rating on the sheet, so this wont be for everyone. A lot of syncopated turns, ball-steps and diagonals (reminiscent of his earlier dance "That's a Lie"). Fortunately the music is slow, so the dance doesn't feel rushed and actually has a nice feel. Quite a few full turns which could be left out, if necessesary, to make the dance a bit easier. The second set of 8 will likely need extra attention when teaching - it troubled a fair few in class. The next set is a figure 8 that appears in quite a few dances (such as "Destiny"). Things then get quite tricky with the next 16 counts being to the diagonals and a different one almost every 2nd beat. It's cruical here that you keep track of where you should be facing! This caused the most trouble in class. The start of the dance does feel awkward coming out of the previous wall, at least the first week. One restart which is clear in the music, tho' the footwork did cause some trouble. Fly Baby Fly - Jan Wyllie [2w,32c]; 12/2005 Improver to pop ("Fly On The Wings Of Love" by The Olsen Brothers [Wings Of Love]). Interesting music - it's Swedish, but don't think Abba. Dance flows fairly well and has a nice cha-cha feel. With syncopation and restarts it's not really a beginner dance, tho' upper beginners shouldn't have too much trouble with it. The 1/2 turn following the pivot at the end is the only tricky part, as such, the rest of the dance is pretty straight forward. There're some turning shuffles, but the turns could be left out to make it easier for beginners. Not much floor movement and the dance is a bit on the slow side (tho' Kickit and the choreographer disagree as to the bpm). Two easy restart/tags. It's Only Make Believe - Tracie Lee [2w,48c]; 4/2006 Intermediate to country ("It's Only Make Believe" by Collin Raye [Twenty Years & Change]). According to the choreographer, the dance does not phrase with other covers of the song. The dance is qute a bit faster than the slow music would suggest and is probably more upper intermediate. Has a 1-2& count throughout, tho' this isn't all that clear on the original stepsheet. The spin on counts 2&3 seemed to trouble many - it's sort of a side shuffle with a full turn. Non turners could omit the turn quite easily. The dance seemed rough in a few places on the first week (eg. the syncopated pivots), but with practice you should pick up the rhythm and the dance flows quite nicely indeed, especially with all the sweeps. On count 36&, just keep turning after the pivot and swing the leg around. Counts 37&38 is sort of a sailor with a 1/4 turn - counts 34-40 seemed to cause the most trouble in class. Very little floor movement. One restart. Note there's an extra "&" count before the restart, so it's really after count 32&. Momma Mia - Hazel Pace [1w,phrased]; 10/2005 Intermediate to opera song ("Home To Mamma" by Patrizio Buanne). One word for this .. "interesting". More for the music than the dance, tho' very few phrased dances do the rounds locally. This is an old opera song re-recorded with a bit of a pop feel to it, but nothing as obvious as "Vincero" by Fredrik Kempe. The dance itself isn't too difficult, tho' there is a lot of repetition, which can cause some confusion. Formally it's a phrased dance with two parts, tho' since the sequence is AAB, tag, AAB, ending, you can also view it as a 138c count dance with a tag. Despite the size, it's really fair easy, verging on improver level. Only two spots seemed to cause any trouble. The 1/2 turn on count 22 of the chorus has no weight change. The other spot was the tag which is six counts. Quite a few seemed hesitant to continue the dance, as if they were looking for the other two counts (since it's a 4 beat dance). Not much floor movement. In Beautiful Dreams - Barbara Hile [4w,32c]; 2/2005 Beginner to old pop ("In Dreams" by Roy orbison [Golden Days] and many other albums). An easy beginner dance choreographed to introduce shuffles to beginners. Basic shuffles and a slow beat. Only one turn in the dance. Make sure you end the dance touching back so you can easily start the next wall. No tags/restarts. Tell Me That You Love Me - Gordon Elliott [4w,32c]; 3/2005 Easy intermediate to pop ("When You Tell Me That You Love Me" by Westlife & Diana Ross [Face to Face]). A slow song, only 75 b/m. Don't expect Diana Ross to burst out into disco, this is a typical Westlife song. The first and last walls of the dance have no beat, so starting the dance can be a bit of a challenge (maybe wait until the beat begins before starting the dance?). The "pivot ball-step pivot" felt a bit out of place, at least the first week. Note that the dance basically ends with a full spin, hook & step forward. Leave the spin out for non-spinners and just step, hitch & step or two steps. Has a bit of floor movement. Two tags which're only obvious in the music at the end of the tag, so you'll need to keep your ears open. Lovestruck - Mark Simpkin & Robin Imms [3w,128c]; pre 2000 Upper intermediate to pop ("Love You Too Much" by Brady Seals [Brady Seals]). A phrased dance, with a sequence of 48 done twice, then a sequence of 32, then repeating to the next wall - or 'just' a 128 count dance. Quite fast and with a fair bit of floor movement. Be careful of the weight changes. Make sure when you do the unwinds in the first 16 counts that the first unwind crosses behind, the second crosses over. Most of part B is the choreographer's dance "Gypsy Lady". Make sure you shuffle to the side on counts 23&24 - the previous 6 counts are all moving back, so this can be easily missed. The extra turns at the end are optional! No tags/restarts. Love Generation - Linda Burgess [4w,64c]; 3/2006 Easy intermediate to dance track ("Love Generation (radio edit)" by Bob Sinclair [single, track 1]). The dance is quite nice tho' trhe dance moves a lot around the floor. Best for small groups on a large floor. Watch out for the side rock on count 45 - there's a strong tendency to rock forward instead since the previous 6 counts are all moving forward. The music .. well it got a mixed reception. Some liked it, quite a few detested it. Almost no lyrics and it sounded like the same 8 beats repeated over and over again (it's the theme music for a tv show, which explains it's simple and monotonous nature I guess). Quite pacy. If you like quick elevator music, this one may be for you. No tags/restarts. Five O'Clock Somewhere - Brett Jenkins & Chris Watson [4w,60c]; 1/2006 Intermediate dance to a country song ("It's Five O'Clock Somewhere" by Alan Jackson & Jimmy Buffett [Alan Jackson 'Greatest Hits Vol 2']). The vanilla version of the dance is probably improver level, but with restarts, a tag and an extra count added in the middle of one wall, this is more a solid intermediate dance. Dance flows very nicely except for the first 8 counts which seemed a bit of out place with the rest of the dance (but practice, practice, practice?). There's also a fair bit of floor movement, so watch at the edges. Apart from getting all the tags etc right, the only thing that caused any trouble in class was starting the next wall - it felt distinctly awkward and quite a few commented on that. Maybe it'll feel better the second week? Two restarts, one tag & an extra count. Be Strong - Audrey Watson [4w,32c]; 11/2004 Improver dance to a soft-pop song ("The Words 'I Love You'" by Chris De Burgh [The Road To Freedom]). Went down quite well in class and it apparently got the best reception of any new dance at Tamworth 2006 (depending on which venue you went to, no doubt). The dance was also very popular in the UK when it came out. Has a quite a lot of floor movement, so watch the furniture. The first 8 counts seemed a bit awkward when learning, especially doing them to the diagonals, but this settled down once you picked up the rhythm of the music. Fits the music and flows nicely. One easy tag done twice (fairly obvious in the music). I Never Work on a Sunday - Gordon Elliott [4w,64c]; 10/2005 Easy intermediate dance to a country song ("I Never Work on a Sunday" by Keith Urban [Our Land Australia, Volume 2]). I suspect the music for this will be next to impossible to obtain outside of Australia. A fairly quick dance which didn't seem to flow all that well, but others in class liked it, so will likely get a mixed reaction. Has a bit of repetition throughout and not much floor movement. Note that on the two pivots that follow the heel switches (9-16), the weight transfer is opposite that of a normal pivot. This did cause some trouble in class. The 2 1/2 turn (33-40) can be done as just a 1/2 turn with holds and then a vine for the non-turners. The dance and music had something of the feel of a 90's linedance. Song was pretty long. One restart. Play by the Rules (Miss all the Fun) - Lyn and Iain Booth, Linda and Mitch Burgess [2w,72c]; 1/2006 Advanced dance to a country song ("Jacky Don Tucker" by Toby Keith [Dream Walkin']). This'll sort the sheep from the goats, as they say. A quick dance (158 bpm), tricky steps and a lot of extra bits (almost every wall) makes this a definite challenge. There is a bit of floor movement, but with the difficulty level, I doubt this'll be a problem. Count &13 is really just a 1/4 turn and stomp. Make sure you get the count right on the shimmy (the turn takes 5 counts) and end with the weight on the right foot. COunts 37-44 felt awkward at first, but should settle down with practice. Counts 53-60 may also take a bit of extra practice to nail down, causing some trouble in class, especially at dance speed. Make sure you move backwards on counts 69-72, despite the natural tendency to move forwards. Three mid-wall bridges, three restarts, a tag and an extra hold, usually a combination. Sweet Little Lisa - Rosalie Mackay [4w,64c]; 8/2005 Easy intermediate dance to a country track ("Sweet Little Lisa" by The Notorious Cherry Bombs [The Notorious Cherry Bombs]). A fairly well flowing dance which doesn't have much floor movement. A few step sequences are repeated, so the dance can get a bit confusing if you don't keep track of just where you are. The heel bounce unwind turns have a weight change, so it helps if you end the turn leaning slightly forward (the weight should end on the forward foot). Has a bit of pace. One restart. You Save Me - Linda Burgess [4w,60c]; 12/2005 Improver waltz to a country song ("You Save Me" by Kenny Chesney [The Road and The Radio]). Nothing overly difficult with the steps of this dance. I did find doing the slow sailors after the twinkles to be awkward. Maybe the second week? The dance has a lot of repetition which seems to be the biggest problem with the dance - unless you keep careful track of where you are, it's easy to end up doing the wrong sequence. Not much floor travel and has a nice waltz flow, apart from the twinkle-sailor's mentioned above. One tag. Keep On Dancing - Robbie McGowan Hickie [4w,64c]; 12/2005 Intermediate dance to a latin-pop song ("Viene Mi Gente" by Chica [Chica]). A smooth cha-cha that flows fairly well. There is quite a bit of floor movement. The diagonal step-lock's take a bit of getting used to before they feel comfortable. The diagonal lock-shuffle back (47&48) is done 'backwards' relative to the wall that set of 8 starts off at. The latin track wont appeal to everyone, tho' it did have a solid dance beat. More than a few in class complained that the song was too fast for the dance - the sweep and drags seemed very rushed and the coaster at the end quickly became a sailor. Musical preference aside, the suggested country alternative may be preferable ("Dreams" by Collin Raye [Twenty Years and Change]). No tags/restarts. Let It Go - Robbie McGowan Hickie [4w,64c]; 6/2005 Intermediate dance to a pop song ("Cha Cha Cuba" by Matt Bianco [Rico] or by Glenn Rogers [Colourslide]). A slippery dance that doesn't seem to want to stick in the memory. At least on the first week. Not many difficult steps, but the overall dance did seem un-natural in a few places, at least the first week. Make sure you rock backwards on count 17 - the natural tendency for most is to rock forward. Note that the sweep on count 30 is a whole count, with no weight change. The 1/2 turns (45-48) did cause soem trouble in class, so extra care here when teaching - make sure you have the weight on the correct foot. On 55&56 make sure you end with the weight forward on the right foot since the next step is a rock forward. Finally, on going into the next wall, many ended up swaying forward and backwards rather than to the side.. A bit of floor movement. Music has a nice cha-cha beat, which the dance mirrors for the most part. There is a country alternative. No tags/restarts. Neon Night - Lyn Booth [4w,32]; 1/2006 Upper beginner/improver dance to a country track ("Just Another Neon Night" by Brooks & Dunn [Hillbilly Deluxe]). Music has a nice beat - a typical B&D dance track. Dance fits the beat quite well, flows quite nicely and there's not much floor movement. A few shuffles and one turn so strictly speaking this is an improver dance, but the beat is not fast and there's nothing tricky in the steps, so this should be a good dance for introducing shuffles and pivots to the more advanced beginners. The dance does go out of phrase with the music for a few walls, but comes back into phrase. The omission of tags and restarts keeps the difficulty level down. Legend's Waltz - Lance Pritchard [2w,96c]; 9/2001 Intermediate waltz to a country song ("That's Where I'll Be" by Lorrie Morgan & Sammy Kershaw [I Finally Found Someone]). The choreograher's last dance and released after his death. A very fitting finale for one of the pioneers of line dancing in Australia. A quickish waltz, but very well crafted with a lovely waltz feel and despite the pace of the music, it doesn't feel rushed and the dance flows quite nicely. Not much floor movement. Watch out for the weight changes, especially counts 49-60. Personally, I preferred to do a slow drag and single tap on counts 14-15 & 20-21 rather than two taps. The rocks in 73-80 are distinct lunges - and make sure the first one goes forward (there's a tendency to rock back instead). On counts 94-96 there's an optional 5/4 turn. No tags/restarts. Little Ship - Bill Bader [4w,32c]; 4/2005 Beginner dance to a pop song ("Little Ship" by The New Diamonds [Out of the Blue]). No syncopation and only one turn there's an optional rolling vine) makes this a genuine beginner's dance - omitting the rolling vine should make the dance suitable for a novice class. A few steps felt a bit strained the first week. There's not much floor movement and the dance phrases well to the music. The music for this dance is now discontinued. The choreographer does, however, suggest several more easily obtainable alternative tracks. No tags/restarts. Amber Blue - Sandy Kerrigan [2w,64c]; 10/2005 Intermediate dance to a pop song ("I've Got The Blues" by Amber Lawrence [I've Got The Blues]). Dance has an unusual feel to the count so will take a fair bit of practice to feel comfortable. Dance travels a fair bit, so make sure you have plenty of room. The syncopation in the first 16 counts is unusual and there's a strong tendency to add extra syncopation, so keep an eye out for that. Be careful about getting the two kick-ball-changes confused (27&28, 36&37). One is followed by skates, the other by steps. This did bother a few in class. The 'horsie' bit on wall 6 is hard to pick up. Quite a few just did the usual restart and danced on since the day ends early in the next wall. Three restarts and a tag. From There to Here - Jennifer Hughes [2w,64c]; 7/2005 Intermediate dance to a country song ("From There to Here" by Lonestar [Let's Be Us Again]). This dance is different, odd even. It will take a lot of persistance before it'll feel comfortable. Having said that, two of her recent dances, The River and Down to the River, both had a distinctly odd feel, yet they eventually became quite popular. This dance does put quite a bit of strain on the ankles and knees. It did take out second place in the ntermediate section at the Mildura Country Music Festival, so the dance at least looks nice. Three tags. Zydeco Lady - Chris Hookie [4w,40c]; oldie Improver dance to a country track ("Zydeco Lady" by Eddy Raven [Cookin' Cajun]). There're many other tracks this dance can be done to. Check the sheet on Kickit for some alternatives. A classic oldie that's done on and off almost everywhere locally. The music is a tad on the slow side. The dance flows quite well without much floor movement and phrases to the music (not a given with oldies). The figure 8 sequence (17-24) may cause a bit of trouble and the two 1/2 turns in 9-16 are not pivots, as some may be tempted to do. Even so, it's a fairly easy dance (despite the 'advanced' rating on the original sheet). All of which is probably why this one is a 'classic'. No tags or restarts. Irish Stew - Lois Lightfoot [4w,32c]; 3/2005 Improver dance to a Riverdance style track ("Cotton" by Sham Rock [The Album]). There're three country alternatives, all of which already have dances done to locally. A fairly simple dance to a lively track. A basic cha-cha count (with a bit of extra syncopation in the first set of 8). Noting noteworthily difficult and not much floor movement. This shouldn't pose too much trouble for an upper beginner class, tho' with coasters and sailors, it's not, strictly speaking, a beginner dance. The song is a tad overlong. No tags or restarts. Stupid Cupid - Linda Burgess [4w,48c]; 12/2005 Improver dance to an olkd rock 'n roll song ("Stupid Cupid" by Connie Francis [The Collection]). Will probably fit any other version of this song. Nothing difficult with this one and with a bit of practice shouldn't overly trouble upper beginner dancers. There is, however, a fair bit of syncopation and it did seem to put a bit of strain on the right knee, at least while learning it. The two pivots at the end could be done and 1/2 pivots, making it a bit easier - the 1/4 & 3/4 pivots are for styling. Not much floor movement. Two restarts. Completely - Terry Hogan and Thomas O'Dwyer [2w,72c]; 7/1999 Intermediate/advanced waltz to a coun try song ("Completely" by Neal McCoy [The Life Of The Party]). One of the harder classics that's always had it's devotees over the years. Flows quite smoothly and phrases well. It does put a bit of a strain on the ankles, but a bit of improvisation should overcome this, if necessesary. Perhaps the hardest thing about this dance is getting the timing right and, of course, all the holds, tho' you'll need to watch the weight changes as well - some of them are ta bit tricky. The spin on counts 29-30 is optional, you can just do a slow drag if necessesary. When doing the 3/4 unwind on 46-47 make sure you end leaning forward slightly and with the weight on the balls of the feet, which makes the following ball-step much easier and smoother. On counts 67-68, make sure you end up with the body angled slighty to the right - this makes the next step easier. The 5/4 turn at the end was particularly challenging on the ankles - a cross and 5/4 spin (without a weight change) should get you out of trouble. One restart - it's obvious in the music - hold and restart on 'pleat'. Cuban Heels - Terry Gogan [4w,64c]; 1/1998 Intermediate dance ("Cuba" by K.T. Oslin). Another oldie classic that's made something of a local comeback recently, having been taught at several venues.. A nice smoothly flowing dance that neatly fits the music (tho' the music is not to everyone's taste). The syncopated weave in counts 25-32 is prolly the hardest part of the dance, especially with the count. The following 8 counts can also be a bit tricky since there's a tendency to syncopate them as well. There's a local variation on counts 49-56 with a "step, step, ball-side, step" and repeating on the other foot. No tags or restarts. Three Days Driving - Linda and Mitch Burgess [4w,64c]; 12/2005 Easy intermediate dance to country track ("Three Days Driving" by Jake Nickolai [Think About You]). Music will be hard to obtain outside of Australia, if at all. Song has a good heavy rock beat and feels nice to dance to. The twisting "rock, recovers" in the first 16 counts are the only steps that may take a bit of getting used to, the rest of the dance is fairly straightforward with a fair bit of repetition. The ball jacks (44-48) travel backwards - room permitting, of course. The full turn triple felt a bit dicky at first, but that passed with practice. No need to be precise with the paddle turns at the end (60-64) as long as you make a total of 5/4 turn left (the choreographer didn't break the 5/4 turn up when teaching). The turn flows naturally into the hinge-rock at the start of the dance. No tags or restarts. Michael's Two-Step - Terry Hogan [1w,64c]; 9/2005 Intermediate dance to a country-pop song ("Dance With The One That Brought You" by Shania Twain [Shania Twain]). The sheet says an easy intermediate dance, but with a lot of holds and a two-step count (which isn't all that common), this is probably more a mid intermediate dance. There're a few variations to the basic two-step count, so keep aware for those. The holds, as usual, can be tricky, especially when learning the dance until you get the feel of the music. Nailing down the rhythm of the music is probably the hardest part of the dance. The dance flows well, tho' counts 21-24 did feel odd at first. Counts 49-56 are similar to the figure 8 in Cruisin'. Dance is a bit pacey. One restart. Here for the Party - Lyn and Iain Booth [4w,48c]; 1/2006 Intermediate dance to a country-rock track ("Here for the Party" by Gretchen Wilson [Here for the Party]). A stompin' good dance, tho' the music may not appeal to everyone. FLows nicely without much floor movement and fits the music well. Was well received at Tamworth and in class. Starting the next wall can leave you a bit off balance - I found tapping the foot behind rather than beside to feel better starting the next wall. There's a temptation to do a shuffle on counts 31-32 which should, naturally, be avoided. Should be ok for an easy intermediate class, tho' may be a bit of a challenge for improvers. Not all that quick, despite the quick sound of the music. One restart-tag. The pause in the tag is about one count. Good Morning Beautiful - Mark Simpkin & Kate Moore [2w,32c]; 6/2005 Easy intermediate dance to a country song ("Good Morning Beautiful" by Steve Holy [Blue Moon]). A nicely flowing dance, for the most part, that well suits the music. However, I did find the dance to put quite a bit of strain on the ankles in places (but I do have dodgy ankles). There is also a fair bit of movement across the floor. Be careful not to extend the syncopated vine (20-22) beyond the 4 steps - there seemed to be a tendency in class for this. The first restart feels downright awkward, something quite a few have commented on - the left is crossed over the right and you restart by crossing the right over the left. A 1/4 left sweep to face the diagonal just before the restart would seem to alieviate this. The third restart is hard to pick in the music, but it's the next wall after the second, so easy to count. Three restarts. God Fearin' Women - Kerry Hughes [2w,64c]; 5/2005 Intermediate dance to a country track ("When God Fearin' Women Get the Blues" by Martina McBride [Greatest Hits]). A nicely flowing dance with not much floor movement and which suits the music quite well. Apart from the large number of 'special events' and the speed, it'd probably go down easily with an improver class. There is quite a bit of repetition in the dance. The only thing that may limit it's appeal is the rather longish bridge ("vocal interlude") in the middle that consists of arm movements and hip rolls - some liked it, some didn't. Having said that, the dance did take quite a while to get around, but is becomming quite popular locally. The last 8 counts can be a bit fiddly at first to pick up, so a bit of persistence when teaching may be called for. Note there are two versions of the song, one has the interlude, the other doesn't. Three tags, two restarts and a 'bridgy-thing'. Dream Catcher - Linda Burgess [4w,64c]; 10/2005 Intermediate dance to a pop song ("You Were Meant For Me" by Jewel [Pieces of You]). A slowish song, but the dance is deceptively quicker. There is a fair bit of movement around the floor, so be careful on the edges and small steps! The full turn on counts 23-32 did cause some confusion in class and may require extra attention. The turning shuffles (52-56) can of course be done without the turns for the non-turners. I found the cross samba followed by a cross shuffle to be a somewhat awkward on the ankles. Note that the intro is quite short once the beat starts. The dance has quite a few turns. Three restarts, all pretty obvious in the music. Get in the Truck - Peter Fry [4w,48c]; 7/2005 Intermediate dance to a country song ("Red" by Joey Martin [single]). This is a pretty quick dance and definitely one for the boys (not that means the ladies should tune out!). Because of the speed, the restarts can catch you by surprise, even when you know the dance, tho' they are clear in the music. Apart from getting up to pace, the only thing to watch out for are to make sure the taps and scuffs don't become steps (with a weight transfer). The heel steps (17-18) and the jump at the end quickly become vanilla steps. 23-24 are heel and toe swivels, which is not all that clear on the sheet. Five restarts (which seems average given the above few dances!). You Lied! - Stephen Paterson [4w,32c]; 9/2005 Improver dance to a country track from the mid 90's ("You Lied To Me" by Tracy Byrd [Love Lessons]). A nice easy and smooth dance well suited for upper beginners and improvers with opportunity for personal sytling to keep the more proficient dancers on the floor (if they like slowish dances). There's not much floor movement and nothing difficult in the steps. Probably a 5 minute teach for an easy intermediate class, if that. I felt going from the end of one wall into the next to be awkward at first, but that did settle down. No tags/restarts (!). Coming Home - Mark Simpkin [2w,64c]; 9/2005 Intermediate dance to a country song ("You're Like Comin' Home" by Lonestar [Coming Home]). Note that the choreographer's sheet has the song incorrectly given as "Coming Home" which is the album title. The music isn't all that quick, but thanks to a lot of syncopation, the dance has a brisk pace to it, especially the first 8 counts. It didn't seem to suit the music, but that may just be my taste (I'd prefer a slower dance to the song, such as Alison Biggs' dance). Not much floor movement and the dance is very typical of Simpkin's style. Has a fair few unusual steps, so will prolly take a few weeks to get comfortable with (so persist with it past the first week). Two restarts, both obvious in the music. A New Love - Lu Olsen [4w,64c]; 7/2005 Intermediate dance to a country song ("A New Love" by Reba McEntire [Sweet Sixteen], also on [Love Collection]). A quickish dance (around 140 b/m) with some fairly tricky footwork. The first 8 counts were a strain on the ankles and may cause a bit of difficulty for those with dodgy ankles. The 8 counts of hinge turns near the end probably caused the most difficulty in class. The 1/4 left heel turn, side rock and cross shuffle also seemed to cause some trouble, so extra attention there when teaching would be warranted. The dance did feel awkward the first few times when done to music, but it eventually started to flow. Note that this is a very turn intensive dance. No tags or restarts! If I Let you Go - Robert Fletcher [4w,32c]; 5/2005 Improver dance to a pop song ("If I Let you Go" by Westlife [Greatest Hits]). A simple cha-cha, ideally suited to an improver class. The pivot turns on 17-24 are ala 'Gypsy Lady' style. Not much floor movement and the dance flows well, with a nice smooth feel. One tag and one restart. Try a Little Kindness - Barbara Hile [4w,32c]; 10/2005 Upper beginner dance to a country track ("Try a Little Kindness" by Billy Jo Spears [Listen to a Country Song]). The dance is quicker than a casual listen to the music would suggest. Probably a bit quick for a lower beginner. Apart from the holds, the only thing to keep an eye on with beginners is that there's no weight change with the heel bounces (18-24). A good dance for expanding a beginner's step repetoire. No syncopation and one restart. Stays In Mexico - Brett Jenkins [2w,64c]; 6/2005 Challenging intermediate dance to a country song ("Stays In Mexico" by Toby Keith [Greatest Hits 2]). This one got a rather mixed reception in class with a fair few negative comments, but also some positive ones. Looks like it could be one of those dances you either love or hate. Perhaps verging on the upper intermediate and very typical of Brett Jenkin's style. A spots to watch out for. The heel-jack (7-10) ends with a step to the side rather than the normal tap. The rocking turns (17-24 and 33-40) caused a lot of confusion, especially the second lot which lead on the other foot. But they're really just rocking chairs with full turns and the non-lead foot stays in place throughout. Non-turners could just do a rocking chair. The behind-side-cross (31&32) feels like it wants to be a cross-side-behind. If you goof, don't worry, the next step is a side rock, so you'll be in the right position whichever way you do it. Dance has a nice feel to it and well worth the effort, IMO. One restart. Latin Love - Gordon Elliott [4w,52c]; 8/2005 Easy intermediate dance to a latin dance mix ("Prohibida" by Raul [Haciendo Trampas]). Well that's a god enuf description of the music. A fairly easy dance with a good beat to the music, tho' it probably wont appeal to die-hard country fans. A basic cha-cha pattern throughout, with a fair bit of repetition. There is some floor movement, but not a great deal. The doube full turn (13-16) is probably the hardest part and could just be done as a walk, walk, shuffle forward for the non-turners. A fairly quick teach at teh intermediate level, maybe just 10 mins. No tags or restarts. Coz of You - Mitchell Burgess [4w,34c]; 10/2005 Intermediate dance to a pop song ("Because Of You" by Kelly Clarkson [Breakaway]). A quick dance, especially with the heavy syncopation. It didn't seem to fit the music, at least on the first week. But it might be a 'grower'. Several step sequences feel different and will take a bit of practice to feel comfortable with, so this is one that'll call for persistance. Note that 15-16& is a rock, recover-ball, not a coaster, as many in class ended up doing. Watch for how you travel on counts 22-26 when you do the figure 8. The dance moves a fair bit at this point (and back again), so watch out for those nearby. Three restarts and one tag. First Love - Terry Hogan [4w,32c]; 9/2004 Intermediate dance to a country track ("I've Never Gone This Far Before" by Sammy Kershaw [Maybe Not Tonight]). This dance is an 8&1 cha-cha, tho' this is not obvious on the dancesheet), which is the hardest aspect of the dance. A few spots to look out for when teaching. Counts 20-23 are prolly the hardest in the dance and caused the most trouble in class. The pivot straight out of the coaster did take some a bit of getting used to, especially with those who expect a pivot to always be a "step, pivot". Still, it's a nice dance which flows well and doesn't move much around the floor, tho' it may be a bit slow for some. There's one easy tag, obvious in the music. The description of the tag on the sheet is a bit strange. Right or wrong, I learnt it as a 'side, behind, side shuffle', then repeated on the other foot. All in all, a bit tricky, but one expects that from a Terry Hogan dance! Get the L Outta L.A. - Carol McKee [4w,68c]; 6/2005 Intermediate dance to a country song ("Get the L Outta L.A." by Mike Clifford [All Night All Day]). This is at the easier end of the intermediate range and with a bit f persistence should be achievable by improvers. Be careful about getting the toe struts and heel struts confused, tho' that's not 'fatal'. I found counts 27-36 to be particularly neat and flowed very well. On the down side, the full turn (45-48) did cause more some ankle strain (a step forward and then a slow full pencil turn fixed this or a slow cha-cha and tap for the non-turners). Not much floor movement and the dance flowed well. I did find the original sheet to be a bit too abbreviated to follow easily and there's a discrepancy with the first restart between the sheets on Kickit and Dancing Downunder. Two restarts. Magic Moments - Sue Coats [2w,32c]; 3/2005 Improver dance to a rock 'n roll pop song ("Magic Moments" by The Dean Brothers). This one'd be equally well at home with upper beginners, tho' with turning shuffles, I'd not call it a beginner dance. Quite easy to do, despite all the shuffles (it's mostly shuffles, but slow) and a good dance for introducing shuffles to the more adventurous beginners. Not much floor movement and no tags/restarts. Get the Girl - Ian St Leon [4w,32c]; 7/2005 Improver dance to country track ("What's A Guy Gotta Do" by Joe Nichols [Revelation]). There're several harder dances to this song, so a good floor split. The sheet says this is a beginner dance, but with quite a few tags and sailors, I'd call it improver, tho' upper beginners shouldn't have too much trouble picking it up. IMO the sailors really don't belong and felt quite out of place, but the beginners seemed to like the dance. One tag done 4 times and a 'hold' tag. Over The Rainbow - Gaye Teather [4w,32c]; 4/2005 Improver dance to a pop song ("Somewhere Over The Rainbow (What A Wonderful World)" by Cliff Richard [Wanted]). The music seemed a bit, well lacking in inspiration (read that as monotonous and boring which was a common comment in class), but I guess it may appeal to Cliff Richard fans. IMHO the dance would've gone better to another song - maybe another mix (the Israel Kamakawiwo'ole version may fit and has a good sound). A few things to watch out for with the dance. The count is 8&1, which can be a bit tricky for improvers, especially those who've learnt to count the beat. Counts 18-25 caused some confusion in class, specifically which way to turn. Also watch out for the count on the last rock, recover - it's not syncopated like the preceeding two. There's a bit of floor movement. One tag done five times. Oil Can Slide - variation on Randy Davis [4w,32c]; pre 1999 Upper beginner dance done to a country song ("I'm That Kind of Girl" by Patty Loveless [On Down the Line]). There're at least three different versions of this dance. The original was choreo'd in the mid 1980's by Randy Davis. The one done locally has been changed somewhat. The original looks better to me, but the music for the local version wins hands down. There's also a NZ version, intermediate level, with quite a few added steps. The local one is pretty basic and should be easily achievable by upper beginners. I did find the forward rock, recover followed by a forward shuffle to feel awkward (that's not in the original). No tags or restarts. When You're Around - Dee Musk [2w,48c]; 8/2005 Intermediate dance to a pop song ("Lost In You" by Westlife [Turnaround Album]). Another 8&1 cha-cha (they seem to be extremely popular lately with several in the past few weeks). The dance flows fairly well. Counts 10-13 did trouble a few in class, especially with the turns, so should get a bit more attention when teaching. Apart from that, the dance is pretty straightforward. The last 8 counts dows move back a *lot* (it's the only part of the dance that travels), so watch out for the furniture! While the dance was well received in class, the music got the thumbs down - maybe do it to another song? Plenty of opportunity for styling and extra turns. One tag, done twice. Double XL (Ouch!) - Peter Metelnick & Alison Biggs [4w,48c]; 6/2005 Intermediate dance choreographed to a country song ("XXL" by Keith Anderson [Three Chord Country & American Rock & Roll]) and two pop alternatives ("It Hurts" by Lena Philipsson [Eurovision Song Contest 2004] and "From Zero to Hero" by Sarah Connor [Robots]). The first of the pop alternatives seems to be the local choice (it has a strong synthesised drum beat and is a bit slower), tho' my preference is for Anderson's country-rock track. Dances to good country songs survive a lot longer locally than those to pop songs, so if you like the dance, go country! (So I'm biased, who isn't?). Watch out for counts 1-3 - there's a tendency to add a drag after count 1 before doing the sailor. Watch out for the 1/2 turn on count 32 - it's not a pivot as many mistakenly did in class. Not much floor movement and a fairly quick dance. One restart, tho' it's on different walls depending on the song used. Beside Me - Brett Jenkins [2w,51c]; 10/2005 Easy intermediate to country ("Lady Lay Down" by Adam Harvey [Can't Settle For Less]). The music for this one did not go down well in class, with hardly anyone liking it. Having said that, both the instructor and I really liked the combination of the dance and the music. A traditional style waltz that flows quite nicely. The 3/2 turn near the end did feel awkward to me (practice?), but the easy 1/2 turn option flowed well. Has quite a few of the choreographer's 'trademark' "rock, recover, 1/2 turn" sequences. The diagonal sequence (25-33) did cause a bit of trouble in class, so extra attention there wouldn't go astray. And yes, it's a 51 count dance. One tag. Heart's Desire - Brett Jenkins [4w,48c]; 7/2005 Easy intermediate dance to a country song ("Heart's Desire" by Lee Roy Parnell [We All Get Lucky Sometimes]). Another nicely flowing dance from Mr Jenkins, that fits the music quite well and doesn't have much floor movement. There are a few sudden direction changes, most notably at the end of each wall, but if you do the step before each one with a bit of a rock/lunge, you can push off into the dorection change and keep the smooth flow. Counts 7&8 is really just a side shuffle with a 3/4 turn. This caused the most trouble in class, but if it's described as a shuffle (it's not on the sheet), dancers should have less trouble coming to grips with it. Dance is a bit slower than the music might suggest and will likely appeal more to those who prefer the slower dances. One restart. Chasin' Rainbows - Stephen Patterson [4w,32c]; 7/2005 Upper beginner dance to a country song ("Chasin' That Neon Rainbow" by Alan Jackson [Here in the Real World]). If it's AJ, I dont really care what the dance is like! The sheets says easy intermediate, but its really an upper beginner dance and even improvers would find it easy. A bit reminiscent of old style linedancing with lots of hitchs and slaps (fitting since the song's from the late 80's). Not really anything to watch out for when teaching .. it's a 2 minute teach with an intermediate class. Not much floor movement. There're 5 turns, one tag and one restart. Destiny - Bill Larson [4w,48c]; 3/2005 Easy intermediate dance to a country song ("Now and Forever" by Ann Murray). A nice flowing dance with not much floor movement. The first half of the dance is almost all right turns, which made a few a bit dizzy - leaving out the full turns helps a bit for the non-turners. The count (1,2&3-6,7&8 .. mostly) may trouble improvers initially but it's clearly in the music and shouldn't be a problem after a few tries. Plenty of opportunity for styling and it went down quite well in class. One restyart/tag, which is not entirely obvious. Miller Magic - Andrew Palmer, Simon and Sheila Cox [4w,64c]; 3/2005 Easy intermediate dance to a big band song ("Glenn Miller Medley" by Jive Bunny & The Mastermixers [The very best of]). The sheet says beginner/intermediate, but with the heavy use of syncopation and a bit of pace, this is definitely not a beginner dance. Should be achievable by most improvers with a bit of practice, but is probably more of an intermediate dance. Steps fit the music very well and the dance has a nice bouncy feel. The music may turn some off, but it's a good one to 'get down with attitude'. Some floor movement, but nothing excessive. There's a *LOT* of repetition, so keep track of where you are in the dance. The only steps that caused any trouble in class were the syncopated vines and points (40-48) - more than a few had 'dyslexic' feet. There're optional hand points with these, but they could be a local variation sicne they are not on the original sheet. Two easy tags. Only one complaint - the song is too short. So Good in Love - Gordon Elliott [4w,48c]; 6/2005 Improver waltz to country song ("You Look So Good in Love" by George Strait [The Greatest Hits]). There's an old dance to this song (Queen's Waltz, I think), but I've not seen in done in years. This one is a fairly traditional waltz with a very nice flow to it. The side, drag, slow sailor seemed to be a bit awkward - hint, drag part-way together and go into the sailor. Quite a few in class ended up doing a slow coaster instead. Has a bit of floor movement. With a bit of persistance, this should be do-able for upper beginners. It is a fairly easy and slow waltz. No tags/restarts. Pirates Of Dance - Peter Metelnick & Alison Biggs [2w,68c]; 6/2005 Intermediate dance to a dance-mix track ("Pirates Of Dance" by DJ Bobo [Pirates Of Dance]). A nice feeling funky dance, tho' the music will turn some off (it's very much the dance club sound). The dance is quick, but doesn't feel rushed and does suit the music. A fun dance, in the same line as 'Mars Attack'. There're easier options on the stepsheet for those who find it a bit too difficult. There's a tendency to cross the wrong way with the two syncopated weaves, tho' it's not a real problem if you get it wrong, and also to add a hold on count 34 (the hold is actually on count 36). Counts 49-56 cauased some rouble in class, so extra attention there is warranted. Most seemed to agree that counts 65-68 felt better done as a V rather than just "out, out, in, in" - the sheet could be read either way. Two restart/tags and a restart. The 2nd has 8 counts of steps, then hold for 8 counts - some classes locally are repeating the first 8 counts instead of holding. Now - Jennifer Hughes [3w,48c]; 7/2005 Intermediate/advanced dance to a country track ("Now" by Lonestar [Let's Be Us Again]). There're quite a few dances that have been going around to very similar sounding Lonestar songs, so there's the potential for a bit of confusion here. The dance would definitely be a challenge for the average intermediate dancer and is probably better suited to the upper levels, less so for the actual steps than the direction changes - the dance is turn intensive and has more than a a few diagonal sequences. A number in class preferred to replace the sailor (15&16) with a coaster. Counts 33-40 and 41-48 are very similar, but leading on the opposite foot. Note in 33-48, when you move to the right diagonal, you follow this with a left turn and vice versa. A helpful comment to make in teaching to reduce the confusion. After a few tries to the music, it starts to flow and has a very smooth feel. The music has a restart on the 5th wall which you ignore and just dance through. You don't do the 9:00 wall, hence it's really a 3 wall dance. One restart, one tag (actually the 1st 8 counts of the dance). Heart Half Empty - Brett Jenkins [2w,44c]; 7/2005 Easy intermediate dance to country song ("Heart Half Empty" by Ty Herndon & Stephanie Bentley [This Is Ty Herndon]). Yes, a 44 count dance. Blame the songwriter. Felt a bit strained in me in places, notably going from a cross-samba to a sailor (at the start) and the hitching turns. But this feeling may pass with practice. You can probably ignore the syncopated counts for the back sweeps (25&26&) - usually the sweep is not counted seperately (ie: 25-26). Counts 31&32 seem to be more like 31-32& in the music and more than a few in class ended up doing this unconsciously (the beat is mostly 1-2& which doesn't help). I wasn't all that thrilled by the dance, but it seemed to go down quite well in class. One restart. Hicktown - Iain and Lyn Booth [4w,64c]; 8/2005 Intermediate dance to a country-rock song ("Hicktown" by Jason Aldean [Jason Aldean]). The count for this dance is a bit unusual, starting off as 1-2&,3-4&, but then changing to 1-2,3&4 midway through the dance (it's dictated by the music). This caused a fair bit of trouble in class, especially around the beat change. Those who listen to rather than just dance to the beat should have a lot less trouble. Nonetheless, emphasis on the beat change is essential. A few other things to keep an eye on - the three rocks on &15-16 and the knee pops (21-24) troubled quite a few in class, especially with the count. The rest of the dance shouldn't prove difficult for the intermediate dancer. Dance has a nice feel and fits the music fairly well (perhaps too well for some) and has a good rock 'n roll beat. The song itself goes for just over 5 minuites, but there's a fake ending at 3:25 where it can be faded out. Make sure you get the latest version of the sheet - there've been a few revisions. Two restarts. |
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