Heel, toe, shuffle shuffle –Stomp! It’s the repetitive patterns of line dancing that can make the head spin and the feet dizzy. But more advanced dancers add their own interpretive styles to basic routines such as “Tush Push” or “Power Jam.”
More than a country music staple, line dancing is a form of exercise for people of all ages and abilities, from the senior citizens at Willamalane Senior Adult Activity Center to the western-clad country lovers at Rock ‘N’ Rodeo. Rock ‘N’ Rodeo, a line dancing club started in 1993, is putting a new twist on old traditions on Monday nights.
Carol Morrison, an instructor of five years who lives in Eugene and runs a craft business during the day, said she loves dancing at night. She said a large crowd of college students usually hits the bright dance floor Thursday and Saturday nights.
Morrison said free lessons are offered from 8 to 9 p.m. on Thursday and Friday nights with the purchase of a beverage or food.
“For college students, it’s just fun to get out and dance with your friends in a pattern,” she said.
Rhonda Fielder of Junction City said she enjoys dancing three nights a week because it’s more than just fun — it can be a workout. She said the group of regulars who meet at 7 p.m. on Mondays are a mix of different ages, from 21 to 66.
Newcomer Garth Fairburn said he gave the “Tush Push” a try because it’s good for his heart.
“I’m busy watching people to try to follow the steps,” he said as he caught his breath. “I know the steps, but I have to tell my feet to move.”
Morrison added that line dancing is done to more music styles that just country, including rock and disco.
Cythnia Cramer of Springfield said her 27-year-old daughter, Chrystee Cramer, met her husband, Robert Houser, on the dance floor at Rock ‘N’ Rodeo, where they were engaged and married last June.
Even though the line dancing group is mostly female, Fielder said men shouldn’t think they are “too macho to line dance.”
Steve Woodruff of Eugene said he has been coming three nights a week for the past eight years because the new dances the group learns every week are challenging. Plus, he added with a grin, there are usually only “two guys and 20 women, so why not?”
The sessions are open to the public, and the cover is $3, Morrison said.
She said she became hooked on folk dancing while she attended Oregon State University, and that line dancing may have origins in the folk dances of foreign countries.
“I took a class and liked the music and the rhythm,” she said. “The music really appeals to me, but I never liked country (music) until I started line dancing.”
Morrison said she enjoys choreographing and teaching even basic steps such as shuffles, pivot turns and the grapevine. On Monday, Morrison reviewed a dance with the group that they had just learned called “Temptation.”
Saturday nights, for a $4 cover charge that includes a $2 drink coupon, line dancing takes place from 8 to 10 p.m. with an open dance after 10 p.m. And once a month, including this Saturday, Morrison said Rock ‘N’ Rodeo offers an all-night line dancing marathon, where even beginners can take a stab at learning the intricate footwork.
“Stick with it,” Morrison said. “Don’t be afraid to get out there and make a fool of yourself — and wear shoes that can slide.”
Beginners usually start with dances such as the 18-step “Electric Slide,” which can be danced at a variety of speeds. By the intermediate stage, Morrison said arm movements and extra steps are added to make the dances more complex.
Veteran line dancer Cindi Farmer of Pleasant Hill said she gets bored with the easy songs on regular nights at Rock ‘N’ Rodeo, located at 44 E. 7th Ave., so she enrolled in a local workshop to learn more complicated dances such as the 180-step dance to “Main Event.”
“I’ve forgotten more dances than I’ve learned,” Farmer said. “We are learning new ones all the time.”
Farmer said one of the best parts about dancing with the group is that there’s no audience.
“There are no guys hanging on the bar,” she said.