LINE DANCE HISTORY

A line dance is a formation dance in which a group of people dance in one or more lines (British English, "rows"), all facing the same direction, and executing the same choreographed movements at the same time. Line dancers are not in physical contact with each other. Older "line dances" have lines in which the dancers face each other, or the "line" is a circle, or all dancers in the "line" follow a leader around the dance floor; while holding the hand of the dancers beside them.

Line dance is sometimes thought of as originating in the Wild West. In fact, it has a much more diverse background. Many folk dances are danced in unison in a single, nonlinear "line", and often with a connection between dancers. The absence of a physical connection between dancers is a distinguishing feature of country western line dance. Line dances have accompanied many popular music styles since the early 1900s, including swing, rock and roll, and disco. The variety and popularity of line dances in the late 20th, and early 21st century is, however, noteworthy.
Line dancing's current popularity grew out of the disco period, when the country-western dance and music communities continued to explore and develop this form of dancing into a more acceptable to their own country culture.