Line dancing is very popular among Senior Citizens. It’s fun, there is great camaraderie among the Seniors, and you don’t need a partner.

An Activity Director at a Retirement/Convalescent Home in California told me that line dancing is only second in popularity to square dancing and only because square dancing is an older form of dancing and more Seniors are familiar with it. Also, many Seniors were in square dance clubs and went to meetings each week when they were younger.

Line Dancin' Fun!

At almost any class in line dance instructions, you will see many Seniors. There are several dances suitable for people with limited mobility, such as  “Tush Push”, “Electric Slide”, “Country Walkin’”, “Dancin’ with You” and the ever beautiful, “Waltz Across Texas”, which I love to do to Collin Raye’s “Dreamin’ My Dreams of You.” There is even a “sit down” tongue-in-cheek line dance by Knox Rhine called “Take A Break” which doesn’t even need music! Most classes feature easy line dances as well as more advanced.

Health Benefits

The health benefits of line dancing are obvious. Everyone benefits from exercise and line dancing is so much fun, it doesn’t seem like exercise. I read a report that said that people who line dance could possibly live an extra ten years. This may or may not be true, but it’s certainly something to consider.

Here is a list of some of the health benefits you will enjoy if you line dance on a regular basis:

* Cardiovascular and muscular strength and flexibility become better;

* High blood pressure, high cholesterol levels and high triglyceride levels, as well as high blood sugar levels can all improve;

* Coordination improves as you work through the different movements;

* Lung capacity can increase;

* Bone strength can increase; bone loss can be stopped or slowed down

* Help with weight control – half an hour of continuous line dancing can burn an average of 300 calories

* The social aspects of  line dancing are obvious. Your sense of well-being and the camaraderie you have with the other dancers is wonderful for your health.

Line Dance Videos & DVDs are available everywhere

There are many line dance DVDs and videos that Seniors can purchase and use to practice  in the privacy of their homes. This is especially good if they are shy about going to a regular class or don’t have a class in their community that teaches line dancing for seniors.

One especially good series of Line Dance DVDs are from Shawn Trautman, one of the best line dance instructors around. It’s called Line Dance 101 and is part of his new Dance 101 Series. I wrote a post about it recently and you can check it out at this link and watch his free video on how to do the 2 Step: Shawn Trautman – FREE 2-Step Video

Scooter Lee and Jo Thompson

The lovely and talented singer/songwriter Scooter Lee has many classes targeted towards Seniors through her non-profit organization, Dancing for the Dream®, which she started with choreographer Jo Thompson.

As popular as her music was for line dancing, at first Scooter Lee didn’t line dance herself, even after being diagnosed with numerous health issues and being overweight.  Finally, after learning to eat right, exercise, and create good habits in her life with positive thinking and positive people, she included line dancing in her routine for good health.  Though the damage to her joints and organs was not reversible, Lee started to pay attention to her own health, eventually losing approximately 150 pounds in five years.

Where to Find Classes for Line Dancin’ Fun

You can find many classes for line dance instructions just for Senior Citizens at Community Centers, Parks and Recreation Departments, and Church Groups all over America, as well as at classes at dance studios.

If you live in the Eastern part of America, check out the classes available through Step In the Name of Life™.  They have classes in at least 32 cities.  Jamie Gant started the first group in Florida so his grandmother would have a place to go to line dance for her health.  After going with her, he was ready to start classes for everyone.  Their goal:  Stepping Away Diabetes, High Cholesterol, High Blood Pressure & More™.

Click here: “I love LINE DANCING!” to buy great line dance DVDs or Videos for YOURSELF or your friends!

Line Dance Instructions for Seniors is a post from: Line Dance Instructions blog where you can get information on line dancing, step sheets, terminology, and more!

Christmas is over and the gift buying season is gone.  Whew!  But, gift giving doesn’t stop with Christmas.  All year long we have wonderful opportunities to give gifts to our family and friends.  Here are some reasons to give someone a gift from your heart:  Valentine’s Day, Easter, graduation, weddings,baby showers, new baby in the family, Bar Mitzahs and Bat Mitzahs, birthdays, anniversaries, getting engaged, house warming gifts, going away gifts, and before you know it, the holidays will be here again!  I’m sure I’ve forgotten many occasions, but you get the idea.

What to give?

Gift for a little line dancer

photo credit: Mini D

Surely there are line dancers among your family and friends who you could buy a gift for one of these occasions.  Don’t  scratch your head trying to think of a unique gift to buy him or her.  Never fear! It is really very simple and there are numerous things you can buy to brighten their special occasion. Here are some great suggestions:

* Shiny new belt buckle – the guys love those big belt buckles!
* Boot bracelet made from shiny beads
* Earrings or other jewelry
* Gift Certificate for a boot shop that sells boots and clothing for line dancers
* Country line dance videos or DVDs for the beginner to practice with at home
* Tote bag to carry their special line dancing boots back and forth from class or a night out dancin’
* Gift certificate towards the purchase of nice Stetson hat
* One of those cute little black string ties for the guys
* Go to a custom T-shirt store and get a t-shirt made that says “I LOVE LINE DANCIN’” or something like that
* One of those flat, letter sized document portfolios to keep their Country line dance step sheets organized
* Mini tape recorder to tape line dancing instructions during a class

Earrings

I like these! And, they're easy to make.

photo credit: NATALIA PHOTOS

We used to wear the cutest earrings to our line dancing class. They were miniature cowboy hats. One of the girls made them and gave everyone a pair. You could make something similar – it’s not hard to make earrings – just by visiting a crafts store and getting the necessary findings. But be careful! You might get hooked on making your own jewelry.

Boot Bracelets are very nice

Boot bracelets are another thing you can make using the supplies from a craft store. Just string bright, sparkly multi-colored beads together on a wire and attach a secure clasp (like the ones used for ankle bracelets) on the ends and, voila, you have a nice, personal gift for someone. I have also seen beautiful Southwestern beaded boot bracelets online. And remember, you only need to give one because you only wear the boot bracelet on one of your boots. Of course, you could give your favorite line dancer several to match their different line dance clothes.

Make it easy for them to tote their boots

An inexpensive tote bag is nice in lieu of lugging boots around in a plastic grocery store bag. Remember, line dancing boots are lighter and the sole is smoother for dancing, so don’t wear them outdoors.

. . . and keep their step sheets nice and neat

A lot of classes, like the ones we took in Hawaii, pass out step sheets when new dances are taught. One of those document portfolios, the kind that maybe has a pad on one side with a pen at the top, and on the other side has a pocket for loose documents, would be nice for someone to keep their step sheets in and also make notes about various things. It would fit nicely inside the tote bag!

How About Some Nice Line Dance Instructions DVDs?

One especially good series of Line Dance DVDs is from Shawn Trautman, one of the best line dance instructors around. It’s called Line Dance 101 and is part of his new Dance 101 Series. I wrote a post about it recently and you can check it out at this link and watch his free video on how to do the 2 Step: Shawn Trautman – FREE 2-Step Video

This is the perfect time for line dancing – keep them healthy!

This is the perfect time of the year for line dancing. The weather is cooler, and normal outdoor activities like gardening and jogging are basically on hold until Spring. But, it is still necessary to keep up some kind of physical exercise and line dancing fills the bill admirably. Just attend a class two or three times a week, or practice at home,  and you will experience many health benefits.

So, delight the line dancers in your life with a nice gift for their special occasion. They will thank you every time they go having that line dancin’ fun!

Click here: “I love LINE DANCING!” to buy great line dance videos for YOURSELF or your friends!

Is there a Line Dancer In YOUR Life? is a post from: Line Dance Instructions blog where you can get information on line dancing, step sheets, terminology, and more!

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

Kahala Mall, Honolulu

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

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

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

Here’s Where to Look:

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

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

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

Click here: “I love LINE DANCING!” to buy great line dance videos for YOURSELF or your friends!

The Easiest Places to Find Line Dance Instructions is a post from: Line Dance Instructions blog where you can get information on line dancing, step sheets, terminology, and more!

Here is the STEP SHEET for Country Walkin’ and here is the YouTube Video for “Lord of the Dance.”  Don’t worry – you don’t have to learn to dance like the dancers in the video!

What I do is download the line dance videos to Real Player – you can use your favorite player – to which I’ve made a playlist for line dancing songs. Then I can play them whenever I want.

OK, for this song, you don’t actually start dancing until after the first 52 seconds. You can just stand there and look entranced by the beautiful flute sounds.  Also, as you dance, the song becomes faster and faster, which makes for a lot of line dancin’ fun!

Let me know how you do and if this is a good way to get line dance step sheets with the appropriate music to you. If it works out, I will do different dances from time to time. I’m in the process of putting together a FREE eBook for you with line dance terminology and about 30 line dance step sheets.

My personal line dancing instructions playlist has 14 songs and I have types up the step sheets for each one. When I want to teach or practice, or just have a good workout, I play the playlist, minimizing the video so I don’t get distracted by Billy Ray Cyrus singing “Acky Breaky Heart”, and dance ’til I drop!

Click here: “I love LINE DANCING!” to buy great line dance videos for YOURSELF or your friends!

Line Dance Instructions & RIVERDANCE! is a post from: Line Dance Instructions blog where you can get information on line dancing, step sheets, terminology, and more!

The Ultimate Line Dance Reference Video teaches 49 common line-dancing components, plus four easy line dances.

Award-winning choreographer Jo Thompson teaches line dance steps like brush, kick, and stomp, and more complex moves like applejack, coaster, and sailor shuffle, presented in alphabetical order, not in order of difficulty. Close-ups of her feet, facing the same way you’re facing, make her easy to follow.

Next she shows how these steps might be combined, a few at a time. Then she teaches four easy line dances: Electric Slide, Cowboy Charleston, Rita’s Waltz, and Twist Em, all using the line dance songs of Scooter Lee.
If you’ve tried line dance instructions that seem to go too fast for you, or line dance videos that didn’t make sense, then this 90-minute video is like having a series of private lessons in your own home.

And remember – keep on having that line dancin’ fun!!

Click here: “I love LINE DANCING!” to buy great line dance DVDs and videos for YOURSELF or your friends!

The BEST of the Line Dance Videos! is a post from: Line Dance Instructions blog where you can get information on line dancing, step sheets, terminology, and more!