Beginners Guide

• BEGINNER’S COURSE starts week of may 24, 202 1 – great time to start or resume classes – beginners plan offered – great rates and some special deals
• Beginners line dance course starting this week! May 24
  Venues Brisbane, Gold Coast and Tweed shire
  Debbie 0403225313 Dallas Linedancers
  Beginners session followed by improv/early interm/interm
  Line Dance for Fun Fitness and Friends
  No Partner Required
  All ages
  Dance to a variety of music, not just country
  Come dressed as you please in comfortable attire and footwear
  Great for mental health and for fitness
  Make friends and enjoy moving to music
  Low Impact activity
  COVID safe environment
  2 Great offers for novice beginner dancers to save some bucks!!
  website: dallaslinedancers.com
  email: dlkgreaves@gmail.com
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If this is your first time at line dancing, welcome! My name is Debbie and I will be teaching you.

The fun is in learning something new that will benefit you in different ways, so don’t be too hard on yourself if you don’t get it straight away.

This is very IMPORTANT. It takes about 6/8 weeks for a little coordination to kick in for beginners. So many people give up just when they are really starting to improve – I’m here to tell you it definitely starts to get easier.

If you can’t come for a couple of weeks, don’t give up. Come when you can and learn the dances that are being taught at the time. I keep repeating the beginner dances every few months, and what you miss out on the first time round, you’ll pick up the second and third time you do the beginner’s course.

Practice, practice, practice! Practice may not make perfect, but it will increase your confidence and help you learn a dance. Grab a copy of the dance sheet (which you can pick up from me at class), and have a run through. Dance parties are great practice and i always do walk thrus for beginner dances and am there dancing with you as support.

Proper footwear is very important.

you need to wear shoes or boots that are comfortable and provide just the right amount of traction. Leather (or smooth) soled footwear is best, but not compulsory – especially for beginners.

Oh, and the rest of your outfit is entirely up to you (comfortable, cool clothing with layers in winter).

If you bump into someone, briefly apologise and keep on dancing.

At the moment I teach 15 Beginner dances in about 15 weeks

I teach these in block form, three times a year. If you aren’t satisfied that you have learnt one well, you know I will be teaching the same dance again in the next course.

We learn the dances for 5 weeks in a row at least and then dance them regularly (at dance parties) after that, so don’t worry if you don’t pick them up immediately.

When you feel ready, you can stay for the Early-Intermediate session, held after the Beginners’ class. The dances are beginning to be more varied and interesting.

The dances that I teach in the early-intermediate session are regularly put on at the back of the Beginners’ session, so that eventually you can pick and choose the dances that you want to do, depending upon your pace of learning.

Also, if you can come twice a week, you will pick the dances up far more quickly, and remember them. But of course that is not imperative. At least try and come to my socials once or twice a month. I have a beginner/early intermediate/interm party on a Saturday afternoon once a month where I walk through all of the beginner dances once – and  we dance them twice during the session.

Now for three extra reasons for learning linedancing:

1. Exercise. You can do as much or as little as you want and sit down when you think you need a break. Remember it takes time to build up your fitness and because you are dancing on your own, you know when you’ve had enough (you won’t be affecting anyone else). Please remember to drink water regularly throughout the class as this aids in concentration.
2. Mental exercise. We are all at different stages in our life and are all individuals. The ability to learn line dances is affected by age, regularity in learning, and the stress we have in our life. Some people just have better memories than others. Hurrah for them! If you come regularly to classes and maybe go to a dance party once/twice a month, the dances go from the short-term memory into the long-term memory. We usually don’t realise that we know the dance, and I usually do walk thrus to help jog the memory. Everybody always makes mistakes, so don’t feel embarassed; others are too busy concentrating on their own dancing (or sometimes even the music!).
3. Social reasons. It’s a great place to meet new friends, of all ages. Everyone will be welcoming to you.

Below is a list of the dances you will learn throughout the Beginners Course:

Cc shuffle

Elvira

Beginners Waltz

Cowboy hustle

Houston hustle

Cowgirls Twist

DC 22

Woolshed waltz

Stray cat strut

Cupid Shuffle

After 5 stomp

Waltz across texas

Two Step

Honky tonk stomp

Bootscootin Boogie

Improver Beginners: One dance is taught every 6 weeks – see following

Tennessee waltz, South West cha cha, Cowboy cha cha, Slap Leather, Midnight Waltz

Remember, everyone has been the beginner at some point in time.

CHIN UP – ODE TO BEGINNERS

You are finding it hard but just give it a chance

You must keep on trying to master this dance

Your stompin’ and clappin’ is all out of time

You shuffle and slide instead of doing a vine

You feel clumsy but please don’t give in

Don’t let it be over before you begin

You turn the wrong way and come face to face

With the person behind you but that’s no disgrace

Just smile & say “sorry i got in your way,

“My head knew the steps but my feet went astray!!”

You sit on the side for the dance you can’t do

The way you feel now you haven’t a clue

But I really don’t know why you’re in such a plight

Goodness!! What do you expect on your very first night….