Learn how to line dance electric slide
Electric Slide Dance Steps - For Beginners (Line Dance Video) -
The Electric slide dance is one of the most popular line dances – used at weddings, parties and other social dance events.
Below you will learn how to dance the Electric slide with our step by step video.
* Song: Electric Boogie By Marcia Griffiths
The Electric Slide Dance Steps – Breakdown
* Start with right leg
Part 1 – Travel to the right
Side with right foot (Switch weight)
Close left foot to right foot (Switch weight)
Side with right foot (Switch weight)
Tap left foot to right foot (Partial weight)
Part 2 – Travel to the left
Side with left foot (Switch weight)
Close right foot to left foot (Switch weight)
Side with left foot (Switch weight)
Tap right foot to left foot (Partial weight)
Part 3 – Travel back
Back with right foot (Switch weight)
Close left foot back to right foot (Switch weight)
Back with right foot (Switch weight)
Tap left foot to right foot (Partial weight)
Part 4 – Switch weight in place
Forward with the left foot (Switch weight)
Tap right foot to left foot (Partial weight)
Back with the right foot (Switch weight)
Tap left foot to right foot (Partial weight)
Part 5 – Turning 1/4 to left
Forward with left foot (Switch weight)
Kick the heel of right foot without weight and turn 1/4 to left (turn on left foot)
*Start from beginning in the new direction.
Variation #1 (As shown in video)
Keep the same pattern as above but on the step fwd and back (during part 4), lower down on the left leg, and swing your arm to touch the floor (Or go as low as you can).
Variation #2 (As shown in video)
Keep the same structure of the Electric slide, but now add a three step turn to the left, instead of just stepping (during part 2) and a three step turn to the right/backwards (during part 3). This version is more complex and easier to learn with the video above.
The Electric Slide Dance Music
Original Song – “Electric Boogie” By Marcia Griffiths
Other Alternative songs – Source:
1. “A Little Less Talk & A Lot More Action,” Toby Keith
2. “A Mover La Colita,” Sonora Dinamita
3. “A Night to Remember,” Shalamar
4. “Addicted to Love,” Robert Palmer
5. “All Night Long,” Lionel Ritchie
6.
“All She Wants to Do Is Dance,” Don Henley
7. “And the Beat Goes On,” The Whispers
8. “Another One Bites the Dust,” Queen
9. “Anything, Anything,” Dramarama
10. “Arrepegaito,” Raza Obrera
Want More?
– Learn how to dance at a wedding with our step by step videos
– Get a list of 25 wedding dance songs
– Best Social dances to learn
– Basic dance steps for couples
How to Line Dance | Beginner’s Guide for 2023
Learning how to line dance is a fun endeavor for you and a friend or group of friends. According to Stanford University, “the health benefits of dancing include stress reduction, increased cognitive acuity and the ability to ward off the onset of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.” Along with lifting moods, easing anxiety and improving balance and flexibility, it’s just plain fun! You don’t even need a partner.
Movies like Sweet Home Alabama, Cool Runnings, Thelma and Louise and even Shrek Forever After feature the fun of learning how to line dance.
Who wouldn’t want to get in on this social and energetic dance movement?
So what is line dancing and how do beginners get started? From stepping left to turning right, to staying in your own row, learning how to line dance can appear to be an intimidating concept to master. We’ve compiled an introduction to learning how to line dance that includes its basic steps and what it's all about to help you get on the right foot (pun intended)!
Jump to Section
- Line Dancing Lessons
- What is Line Dancing?
- Five Basic Line Dance Steps
- Popular Line Dances
- Line Dance Songs
Line Dancing Lessons
Dance Classes
Line dancing for beginners is easy when you book classes with professional dancers. With dance classes in NYC, dance classes Las Vegas or dance classes in Colorado Springs, you can join a group of like-minded beginners for a fun and energetic evening as you learn how to line dance.
Not ready to show off your skills? You can also sign up for online dance classes to attend from the comfort of your own living room. Check out dance classes near you to find the perfect class to learn how to line dance at your own comfort level.
Social Settings
Another way to learn how to line dance is to jump right in there — figuratively and literally! Bars, dance clubs and group gathering places across the country are one of the best ways to learn how to line dance. Line dancing is even done at weddings. While Texas and Tennessee offer a plethora of dance halls, you’ll find places all over the U.S. to learn how to line dance. Here are a few:
- Wildhorse Saloon in Nashville, Tennessee
- The Grizzly Rose in Denver, Colorado
- Billy Bob’s in Fort Worth, Texas
- Ponderosa Lounge and Grill in Portland, Oregon
- Robert’s Western World in Nashville, Tennessee
- Cowboy Country Saloon in Long Beach, California
- The Bowery in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
- Pop’s Tavern in Baltimore, Maryland
- Gilley’s Saloon in Las Vegas, Nevada (Sound familiar? The original Gilley’s was in Pasadena, Texas and the film site for Urban Cowboy.
) - Coyote Joe’s in Charlotte, North Carolina
via Canva
What is Line Dancing?
Line dancing involves synchronized movements done in unison to choreographed steps. Dancers line up in rows facing in the same direction (though it can also be done facing each other). Each movement (whether it’s a step, hip movement or a wobble) is timed to the music.
Line Dancing History
Line dancing may seem like a fairly new dance, but it goes back to the 1920s with the Shim Sham. In fact, African, Native American and European cultures have histories of dance styles like line dancing. New generations add movements, steps, songs and style to add on to the genre, making learning how to line dance an ever-evolving sport.
Country Line Dancing
The style became more mainstream and widely popular in 1992 with Billy Ray Cyrus’ “Achy Breaky Heart.” Everybody and their brother wanted to learn how to line dance to country music! The song filled up country line dance saloons and bars with cowboy hat, boot and denim-wearing dancers of all ages.
This is probably the scene most visualize when they think of line dancing. And, while it has evolved from traditional country line dances like square, round and folk, the wonderful thing about the genre is that anybody can learn how to line dance.
Line dancing has millions of combinations of steps, combined with walls, so this is one dance where you can grow skills and movements the more you practice learning how to line dance.
Steps and Touches
As you get started learning how to line dance, the most important aspect is figuring out steps. A step is when you change your weight. A touch is when you don’t change the weight (this is mainly used to change directions).
Put basically, there’s a step for each beat in 4/4 time (four steps over four music beats). To time your steps, count from one to eight or do a count of 1, 2, 3, 4 – 1, 2, 3, 4.
Walls
When learning how to line dance, keep in mind that formations have either one, two or four walls.
A wall refers to the direction that the dancers are facing (think of it like they’re forming a wall/barrier). With one and two wall versions, dancers are always facing the front and back walls.
One-wall means everyone faces the same direction when performing steps. Two-wall is when, at the end of each dance sequence, everyone turns 180 degrees. Then, they begin again facing the back.
Four-wall is the most difficult, especially when you’re just beginning to learn how to line dance. At the end of the steps, everyone turns 90 degrees and proceeds facing one of the side walls.
Throughout the dance, dancers finish and start again by facing a new wall. When you’re first learning how to line dance, it’s best to stick to the basics and add on as you get accustomed.
via CanvaFive Basic Line Dance Steps
While it’s seen as a group effort, you can learn how to line dance alone, which makes it terrific for line dancing for beginners to practice right at home.
You just have to learn some basic counting, combined with the steps and you’re ready to go. Accurate timing and the proper foot placement are the key things to remember when you learn how to line dance.
So, what are the five basic steps in line dancing and how do you do them? By becoming familiar with the five basic line dance step names listed below, you'll have a great headstart for your first official line dancing lesson.
1. Grapevine
The grapevine is a continuous traveling step that goes to the side with crossing behind and/or in front. It involves a three count move to either side. On the fourth count, you have the option of a brush, kick or scoot.
2. Weave
A weave is the same as a grapevine but with four counts.
3. Scoot
A scoot, as the name implies, is a slide of the weighted foot in a forward, backward or sideways motion. The opposite leg is raised with a bent knee.
A scoot can also be done with weight on both feet.
4. Brush
A brush is when the free leg swings forward or back as the sole of the foot brushes the floor.
5. Kick
A kick is a leg lift movement in any direction. Don’t completely straighten the knee.
via CanvaPopular Line Dances
When it comes to learning how to line dance as a beginner, it is best to start with some of the easiest line dances. You may be familiar with popular dances, such as the Cupid Shuffle or the Electric Slide, which often play at weddings or other dance events. You can learn how to line dance these hit numbers in no time!
The Cupid Shuffle
The Cupid Shuffle is one of the easiest line dances for beginners learning how to line dance for the first time. The song tells you just what to do! “To the right, to the right, to the right…to the left, to the left, to the left...“
- Take eight side steps to the right (last step is a touch step)
- Next take eight counts to the left
- Then eight heel steps in place
- Last, do eight counts of stepping in place and turn ¼ to the left
- You’ll now be facing a different wall and you’ll then repeat the same steps
Cowboy Boogie
- Take a grapevine step (step to the side, step behind, step to the side) to the right
- Do a hitch (knee up) move at the end
- Repeat this same step and hitch to the left
- Next, a step forward with a hitch
- Another step forward and hitch
- Step back for three counts with a hitch at the end
- Then “boogie” with hips (this means to do a small hip movement forward and back)
- Then turn ¼ to face new wall
- Repeat steps facing the new wall
Line Dance Songs
There are a variety of different choreographed songs within the line dancing genre.
Not all songs are performed to the same steps, which may make it more difficult, but certainly gives it a unique advantage and lots of fun steps to learn.
Steps are usually choreographed to a specific song, which then becomes the name of that routine. Some popular ones include: The Stroll, the Cowboy Boogie, the Electric Slide, the Achy Breaky Heart, the Macarena, the Cha-Cha Slide, the Cupid Shuffle and the Wobble.
When learning how to line dance for beginners, try “Two-Step” (by Laura Bell Bundy featuring Colt Ford). This is not to be confused with the two-step partner dance.
The Electric Slide and Cowboy Hustle (done to Vince Gill’s “What the Cowgirls Do”) are beginner line dances to try. “Watermelon Crawl” (Tracy Byrd), “My Maria” (Brooks & Dunn), “Cha Cha Caliente” (Jennifer Lopez) and "Rockin’ the Wagon Wheel" (Darius Rucker) are more on the beginner-moving-into-immediate side.
Popular Line Dance Songs
- “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” (Brooks & Dunn)
- “Achy Breaky Heart” (Billy Ray Cyrus)
- “Watermelon Crawl” (Tracy Byrd)
- “Any Man of Mine” (Shania Twain)
- “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” (Shania Twain)
- “Macarena” (Los Del Rio)
- “The Loco-Motion” (Little Eva)
- “Gangnam Style” (PSI)
- “Old Town Road” (Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus)
- “Cupid Shuffle” (Cupid)
- Electric Slide (done to the song “Electric Boogie” by Bunny Wailer)
- “Hoedown Throwdown” (Miley Cyrus)
When it comes to learning how to line dance, the best piece of advice is to just have a good time.
You don’t even have to be a country music fan with all the pop, salsa and jazz-inspired line dances out there! Once you’ve gotten the steps down, you can put your own spin on what you do in between. Add some funky hip, torso or hand movements to shake it up!
Whether you’re learning how to line dance by taking line dancing lessons or joining a dance at a club, party, wedding reception or other event, you’ll be among like-minded dance enthusiasts as you learn how to line dance. You’ll be line dancing like a pro in no time!
For even more creative ideas and inspiration, check out other experiences happening on Classpop!
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Electric Slide Dance Video - Dance Instruction
Created in the 1970s, Electric Slide is still performed to a variety of styles of music including pop and country.
The instructional and performance videos below will help you learn how to dance this fun line dance.
The Original Electric Slide
Rick Silver claims to have choreographed the Electric Slide dance in the 1970s and was originally called "The Electric". The dance owes its long-standing popularity to the fact that no special training or skill is required to perform it. The following video shows Rick Silver teaching his initial steps:
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Electro Dance Variations
The original version was done in some laces and Electric Slide they are completely excluded. Here is a tutorial video that does not use these two elements. It also shows several other variations including a chassé or triple step and touching the floor.
Country and Western
The Electric Slide became popular as a country and western dance in the 1980s and is still danced to country music at dances and bars that play country and western music. The people in the video below perform the traditional steps without clapping, in a variation that involves dancing in lines facing each other and then crossing and facing a new line of people.
Hip-hop
The dance in this performance was performed with a noticeable taste of hip-hop. Electric boogie-woogie video performed by Marcia Griffiths. Note the jumping and expressive hand movements that distinguish the hip-hop version from other styles of this dance.
Cha Cha Dance
The Electric Slide's simplicity makes it easy to adapt to different dance styles. In the following video you can see the basic electric slide steps with some jumps, cha-cha steps, turns and other variations.
Electric Slide Instructions
Watching performances and instructional videos is a great way to learn how to dance, but written instructions are also helpful. If you watch these videos and follow the instructions, you will soon be able to join others doing the electric slide at weddings, dances, and other events.
10 instructional 🤓 videos for girls who just can't 🚫 dance 💃🏼...
10 instructional 🤓 videos for girls who just can't 🚫 dance 💃🏼... It doesn't matter if you're planning to go clubbing with friends, want to slow dance with your boyfriend, or just want to dance around in your room with Grace a little more than usual.
Either way, there are educational videos on YouTube that you can enjoy. Here are a few for girls who just can't dance:
Table of contents:
- dance club
- belly dance
- lindy hop
- cha-cha
- 5 hustle
- soulja boy
- electric slide
- Foxtrot
- ballet
- salsa
1 dance club
important dance moves. In this video you will learn how to move your hips, shoulders and legs. There are only four easy steps for you to practice, so it shouldn't take long to master them. You could go to the club today if you wanted!
2 belly dance
If you have a cute top crop and are ready to show off your stomach, then you should learn how to belly dance. This video will show you how to hip lifts and vibrate, which are two moves that will come in handy if you want to become a pro at belly dancing.
3 Lindy Hop
If you want to learn a dance that is slightly older fashioned, then you should check out this video.
All you need is a good rhythm and a willing partner. If you don't want to perform the typical slow dance at your wedding, you could learn this dance with your fiance to perform in front of your entire family.
4 cha
If you want to spice things up, then you should learn how to make Cha Cha. This is a sexy dance that will make all the boys look. Of course you will have to find a partner willing to do the dance with you. Try to convince your boyfriend to study with you so that he doesn't get jealous when you go dancing with another person.
5 hustle
Do you know how to make a fuss? If not, then it's time to learn. The best part about this dance is that you don't actually need a partner in order to perform it. So if you're single, or if your boyfriend messes up the sport, who doesn't learn to dance with you, then you can still have some fun on your own.
6 Soulja Boy
You've heard this song too many times. Even though it's a little old now, there's still a chance it'll be a pop on the radio the next time you go to the party.
When this happens, you must know how to make moves. Watch this video to find out today!
7 electric slide
No matter if you are going to a wedding or graduation. Either way, you're probably going to hear the Electric Slide bang through your stereo DJ's. If you have never learned dance moves then you need to watch this video. He'll teach you what to do so you don't feel left out on your next party.
8 Foxtrot
The Foxtrot is a popular ballroom dance that is easy to learn with a little practice. Get on your dancing shoes and grab a partner to learn this popular move!
9 ballet
This video goes over the basics of ballet in order to teach yourself ballet. So it's perfect for beginners and demonstrates some basic ballet position exercises!
10 salsa
This step by step video guide will help you learn how to salsa dance and provide you with a series of salsa dance lessons that will teach you the basics of salsa dancing steps, right turns, cross body leads and cross body lead 180.
