LINE DANCING INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the "Geordie Stompers" line dancing crew!
I'm Katie, your fully qualified Line Dance Instructor, teaching Beginner level line dancing in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Don't forget you can get your official Geordie Stompers T-shirts, vests or hoodies from me - check out the Clothing page on the website.
Here is some information that will help you get started.
LINES/WHERE TO STAND
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As the name 'line' dancing suggests everybody in class stands in lines
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!!TOP TIP!! Line dancing is not the same as other classes you may have tried before, such as dance-fitness or Zumba. When you are new to line dancing (or if you are not so confident at picking up choreography) the best place to stand is in the middle section.
WHY? Because then you will have people to copy on every side, and when you turn to face a new wall, a more experienced dancer is usually still in your line of sight. If you stand in the back row and the routine rotates to 6'Oclock (the back wall) you will only be able to see the wall and won't have anyone to follow. It really helps you pick up the routines if you stand in the middle section.
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I always do a walk through of the steps before we do it with music, so you can join the classes at any time
CHOREOGRAPHY VIDEOS
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The routines we do in class are all official line dance routines, taught correctly to the stepsheets which you can find on the Copperknob international line dancing website
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I have filmed the breakdowns and a demo to music for most of the routines we do in class. These are available for free when you attend my line dance class to help you along. You can request these after you have attended your first class in person. To get the videos you just need to message me (it needs to be a written request please, not verbal - as I have too many people to keep track of verbal request) and I'll send you it back.
MOST IMPORTANTLY: Line Dancing is fun, so enjoy yourself! And you learn by doing. So just give it a go!
If you lose track of the routine just join back in at whatever section you can.
It's like anything, you get better with practice and it all starts to click into place when you get more familiar with it.
No-one expects you to know the dances or line dancing terminology when you first start, you'll pick things up over time but if you want to get a head start here are some useful things to know...
POINTS TO NOTE;
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The room is a CLOCK
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Some routines rotate clockwise; others rotate anti-clockwise
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The majority of routines we do are '4 wall' routines (using 12, 3, 6 and 9 O'Clock) but some are '2 wall' routines (using only 12 and 6 O' Clock - the front and back walls)
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As we dance I wear a microphone to help call out the steps and/or the rhythm of the music - I will also sometimes call out the clock face too to help you know which wall you need to face
OTHER POINTS TO NOTE;
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The majority of routines we do are 32 counts of the music - this is made up of 4 sections of 8 counts each
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I normally count you in before you start each dance by saying "5,6,7,8..."
OTHER POINTS TO NOTE;
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Not every routine has a tag
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In routines where there is a tag there is usually only ONE tag
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Tags can be different lengths
OTHER POINTS TO NOTE;
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Not every routine has a restart, it depends on the phrasing on the music
INFOGRAPHICS Reproduced with kind permission of Curlycues line dance