Learn how to line dance youtube
Line dancing lessons online - How to line dance steps
Line dancing is one of the most fun county dances out there because you can do it anywhere, and you do not need a partner! Line dance steps can vary greatly as there are a million of combinations that you can learn. Here is a video that will help you learn how to line dance online. This is a great combo you can do at events, parties and other functions. Below we included a few line dance video lessons to help you learn.
Line dancing Lessons – Mini video series
Move #1: The cupid shuffle move:
Text summary of the move:
The cupid shuffle is one the easiest line dance steps that you can learn. It starts with 8 counts of side steps to the right, with the last step being a touch (no weight change). Then repeat the same 8 counts to the left. Then you do 8 counts of “heel steps” in place. Lastly, you do 8 counts of stepping in place to turn 1/4 to the left. Now repeat the same steps all over facing the new wall.
Move #2: “The wobble” line dance move:
Text summary of the move:
This move starts with a jump forward and wigling/grooving then you jump back and again wigling/grooving in place. Then you wobble your hands to the left and then wobble your hands – you can put your own style into it! Then you will do a simple cha cha step where you fowrwad, back and cha cha cha in place, Again – forward, back and cha cha cha in place. From there you are just going to do rhythmical steps in place to turn and face another wall. Then you start all over again.
Move #3: The cowboy boogie
Text summary of the move:
This line dancing step starts with a “grapevine” step to the right (side, behind and side) with a “hitch” (knee up) at the end.
Then repeat the same “grapevine” step to the left and do the hitch again. Then 1 step forward and hitch, 1 step foward and hitch. Now you step back for 3 counts and hitch at the end. Then you going to “boogie” with the hips, which just means you going to do a small hip movement forward and back, then you turn 1/4 turn to face the new wall and hitch. Then do the same steps facing the new wall.
To help your line dancing, you may also want to learn how to country dance. Furthermore, Ballroom dance lessons will also help you to develop balance and coordination.
Tips for getting better better in Line dancing:
1. Learn the counts. Line dancing is not hard when you can count the entire choreography as you do it. Each single step, hip movement, or wobble has to be timed to the music.
2. Distinguish between a “step” and a “touch”. A step is when you change your weight on the foot and a touch is when you do not change weight on the foot. Touches are very commonly used to switch directions so make sure you know when its a touch versus a step.
3. The magic is in between the steps. While the steps and the counts are set, the way you dance in between is what counts. Put your own style into the steps. You can do many different things with your hips, upper torso and arms to stand out.
Want to learn more dancing?
Visit Learntodance.com for other dance lessons.
Other Dance styles:
Tap Dance Steps
How to Salsa dance
Ballet dance terms
Ballroom dance lessons
How to dance at a club
Belly dancing lessons
How to dance hip hop
20 Beginner Line Dances You Need to Know! – Country Dancing Tonight
The Slappin' Leather Line Dance
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The Slappin' Leather Line Dance
Since becoming introduced to the country dance scene a couple of years ago I have found much happiness in learning to dance and over time becoming a better dancer. If you are new to the country bar dance scene, I know how you feel! At first, it is equal parts intrigue and intimidation, exciting and terrifying! But don’t worry it will all work out!
You can divide all the dancing into 2 groups: partner and line dancing, and what follows here is a good round-up of the most popular and easiest beginner line dances out there.
Learn some of these and you’ll be set to get out on the dance floor every time you go out! Starting with the most common and easiest and working down… But all these are very beginner line dances.
Here’s my list of 20 beginner & popular line dances you will encounter: (click on them to pop down to each one).
1. Cupid Shuffle
2. Wobble
3. Electric Slide
4. Power Jam
5. Cowboy Hustle
6. House Party
7. Watermelon Crawl
8. Black Velvet
9. Boot Scootin’ Boogie
10. Two-Step (the line dance-not the partner dance!)
11. Good Time
12. Linda Lu
13. My Maria
14. Rock Me
15. A Little Bit Lit
16. Slapping Leather
17.
Outlaw
18. Tush Push
19. Country Girl Shake
20. Ten Step (this is actually not done in lines!)
1. Cupid Shuffle
| Count: 32 | Wall: 4 | Level: Very Beginner |
Choreography: Bernard Bryson (Cupid)
Music: Cupid Shuffle by Cupid
Step Sheet: Click here to download.
Cupid Shuffle was choreographed by the singer Cupid and created simultaneously with his song The Cupid Shuffle that was recorded in 2006. When he set out to create it, it was with the exact intention of creating a line dance classic without genre, that everyone could dance to. He came up with the dance in the studio while making up the song.
That is all history! While the song isn’t a country song, this line dance has to be my lead off, since its arguably the most popular and one everyone has danced to (at bars, weddings, schools).
It is particularly easy since the lyrics tell you what to do next! “To the right, to the right, to the right, to the right… To the left, to the left, to the left, to the left… Now kick…” so, no excuses, you can do this! But download the step sheet if you are worried!
https://youtu.be/iJH6Ce588McVideo can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: How to Do the Cupid Shuffle | Line Dancing (https://youtu.be/iJH6Ce588Mc)
Demo & Teach Video
2. Wobble
| Count: 32 | Wall: 4 | Level: Beginner |
Choreography: V.I.C. Brentnell
Music: Wobble by V.I.C.
Step Sheet: Click here to download.
The Wobble is another non-country line dance that is about as popular as the Cupid Shuffle. And another line dance created by the musical artist! Its very fun and always a crowd-pleaser.
It is very common to see people doing the Wobble at weddings and parties as well as a local country bar where it is sure to get everyone out on the dance floor. The Wobble can get a little long though with the song lasting over 5 minutes. A lot of jumping!
https://youtu.be/oeS1usUnkxkVideo can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: How to Do the Wobble | Line Dancing (https://youtu.be/oeS1usUnkxk)
Demo & Teach Video
3. Electric Slide
| Count: 18 | Wall: 4 | Level: Beginner |
Choreography: Ric Silver (1976)
Music: Electric Boogie by Marcia Griffiths (with scores of alternates, including Achy Breaky Heart by Billy Ray Cyrus and Fast As You by Dwight Yoakam)
Step Sheet: Click here to download.
While the Electric Slide was originally choreographed in 1976, it was Marcia Griffiths song Electric Boogie that gave it popularity. It was in 1989 when it really took off and for ten years was listed as the number one dance in the world! Today there are many songs used to dance the Electric Slide to. Achy Breaky Heart is a popular go-to at a country bar, but so many others work great. It is simple enough here’s the steps:
1. Grapevine right. Take one step right with your right foot.
2. Grapevine left. Take one step left with your left foot.
3. Rock forward and back with a toe-touch. Step back with your right foot, then bring your left foot to meet it.
4. Quarter-turn left and begin again…
It’s pretty easy (once you know it!). I’ve only known the Electric Slide for a couple of years and I did need a video to get that rock, toe touch, and quarter-turn all timed right.
Another great thing about line dancing, especially with an easy one like the Electric Slide is that, as you get good, you can “play” adding in turns, etc. to have fun, make it your own and show-off a little on the dance floor.
https://youtu.be/WwFFfWxAWlEVideo can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: Electric Slide (Line Dance) – Demo & Teach (https://youtu.be/WwFFfWxAWlE)
Demo & Teach Video
4. Power Jam (San Diego Version)
| Count: 24 | Wall: 4 | Level: Beginner |
Choreographer: Lynn Bryant
Music: American Muscle by Canaan Smith (and countless others!)
Step Sheet: Click here to download.
Power Jam is a pretty common call-out and is aptly named. It’s pretty fast-paced and the slides and heal taps and then the hop at the end that most people do is all great fun.
This is a good one to get under your belt and a live band is for sure going to have some songs for it.
There are a couple of slight variations I’ve noticed with Power Jam. Firstly, for the first two heel-taps to the front and toe-taps to the back, most people just do one tap and hold it for the extra beat. Secondly, at the end of the dance instead of the little hop, you can also just stomp the left foot.
https://youtu.be/JoN8oqFSDzEVideo can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: Power Jam (Line Dance) – Demo & Teach (https://youtu.be/JoN8oqFSDzE)
Demo & Teach Video
5. Cowboy Hustle
| Count: 32 | Wall: 4 | Level: Beginner |
Choreographer: Unknown
Music: What the Cowgirls Do by Vince Gill
Step Sheet: Click here to download.
Cowboy Hustle is another great fun, fast and easy line dance not too unlike the Power Jam. In fact, I’ve been confused and switched these for each other at times. They both tap out the right heel forward and behind, so watch out for that! Like the Power Jam, Cowboy Hustle can go with many songs and will get called out commonly.
https://youtu.be/RbfH7vjwQ_IVideo can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: Cowboy Hustle (Line Dance) – Demo & Teach (https://youtu.be/RbfH7vjwQ_I)
Demo & Teach Video
6. House Party
| Count: 24 | Wall: 4 | Level: Beginner |
Choreographer: Jessica Short and Kerry Kick (2014)
Music: House Party by Sam Hunt
Step Sheet: Click here to download.
House Party is a favorite one at The Ranch in Anaheim and after all, it is co-choreographed by Kerry Kick one of the weekly instructors there.
It has a very current feel, danced to Sam Hunt’s song House Party. It feels like a lot of spinning to me since besides two step-turns there are 4 turns and shuffles (to make the four walls of the house!) But its always a fun one with a full floor. During those 4 turns and shuffles people hold up and touch their hands to look like a house, kind of reminds me of YMCA!
https://youtu.be/dNduEuIMcScVideo can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: "House Party" Dance Lesson (https://youtu.be/dNduEuIMcSc)
Demo & Teach Video
7. Watermelon Crawl
| Count: 40 | Wall: 4 | Level: Beginner / Intermediate |
Choreographer: Sue Lipscomb
Music: Watermelon Crawl by Tracy Byrd
Step Sheet: Click here to download
Watermelon Crawl is a beginner/intermediate, but is also super common and popular and a lot of fun.
One small tip to learning this one that helped me was to just ignore the two 1/2 turns at the end of the dance just wait for everyone to stop turning and you’ll be a little more ready to start the beginning of the dance again with everyone.
The fun part of this dance, of course, is the stepping out to the right and then sliding back. I think that part is supposed to be the “watermelon crawl.” And the song, of course, has a good message: “If you drink, don’t drive…do the watermelon crawl.” Click on the video below to see Ranch dance instructor Shelly Graham demo the dance!
https://youtu.be/qW8Yh0WKvDQVideo can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: Watermelon Crawl – Line Dance (Demo) (https://youtu.be/qW8Yh0WKvDQ)
Demo Video
8. Black Velvet
| Count: 40 | Wall: 1 | Level: Beginner |
Choreographer: Linda De Ford
Music: Black Velvet by Robin Lee
Step Sheet: Click here to download.
Black Velvet is also a very common line dance and while a beginner line dance, this one was pretty intimidating to me at first. This line dance was my first exposure to “contra” line dances. Contra line dances are dances where every other line of dancers is facing the opposite direction, or the lines start facing each other and then move past each other.
It can be a lot of fun since typically there’s a lot of high-fives happening as you glide past your friends. But for the beginner, it looks pretty messed up.
Who do you follow? The people to your left and right are faced opposite you! So, just look to the next row at the person going in your direction and follow them! This ends up being really fun and it actually is pretty easy! Check out the video or download the step sheet to give it a try.
https://youtu.be/j_PELRa0cFwVideo can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: Black Velvet Line Dance (https://youtu.be/j_PELRa0cFw)
Demo & Teach Video
9.
Boot Scootin’ Boogie| Count: 32 | Wall: 4 | Level: Beginner |
Choreographer: Tom Mattox & Skippy Blair
Music: Boot Scootin’ Boogie by Brooks & Dunn
Step Sheet: Click here to download.
Boot Scootin’ Boogie is actually a line dance not often seen in So. Cal. but is one I wish was. While I’m a recent convert to the country dance scene, I’m a long-time country music fan and I had wondered, “Hey, what about Brooks & Dunn’s Boot Scootin’ Boogie?” I wondered if there was a line dance for a great classic that talks about line dancing! Well, sure enough, there is! In fact on the Copperknob website, there are 3 pages of step sheets to different versions of dances to the song!
If you love Brooks & Dunn as much as me and you want to have this one under your belt.
On YouTube Bill Bader’s version is pretty common but in So. Cal. I’ve only seen people dance the Tom Mattox & Skippy Blair version. They both are 32 counts, but this one’s more of a beginner line dance.
https://youtu.be/Z9AXp61DNxQVideo can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: Boot Scootin Boogie (https://youtu.be/Z9AXp61DNxQ)
Demo & Teach Video
10. Two-Step (line dance)
| Count: 16 | Wall: 4 | Level: Very Beginner |
Choreographer: Robert Royston – Dance Y’All Crew (2013)
Music: Two-Step by Laura Bell Bundy featuring Colt Ford
Step Sheet: Click here to download.
The Two-Step line dance is not to be confused with the Two-Step partner dance! As explained in the video below from “Dancin’ with Patti” this is from the music video by Laura Bell Bundy found on YouTube.
With only 16 counts this is a very beginner line dance. Reminds me a little of the Cupid Shuffle.
Fun fact: Robert Royston also more recently choreographed the line dance seen in Midland’s Mr. Lonely music video. So, another music video that people have now learned a line dance from.
https://youtu.be/xPL9kb0espsVideo can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: Two Step Teach and Demo (https://youtu.be/xPL9kb0esps)
Demo & Teach Video
11. Good Time
| Count: 48 | Wall: 4 | Level: Improver |
Choreographer: Jenny Cain
Music: Good Time by Alan Jackson
Step Sheet: Click here to download.
Good Time, you’ll notice is actually not considered a beginner line dance! But it is very common and if you stick with it I think you’ll get it down pretty quick.
The highlight to me is the toe-taps & rolling grapevines, first to right and then repeated (mirrored to the left).
Fun fact: In Alan Jackson’s music video of Good Time it shows him singing out on the road and trying to set the record for the longest line dance. 22 miles long it says at one point! There are different opinions about whether it’s true or not, some say it was a real honest attempt, but falls short of the actual record set in China. Please leave a comment if you know the real facts!
https://youtu.be/SyjibcFZlQIVideo can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: Good Time line dance (https://youtu.be/SyjibcFZlQI)
Demo & Teach Video
12. Linda Lu
| Count: 48 | Wall: 4 | Level: Improver |
Choreographer: Neil Hale
Music: Linda Lu by Ricky Van Shelton
Step Sheet: Click here to download.
Linda Lu is also another super common line dance called out and at 48 counts is aptly called by Copperknob an upper-beginner/intermediate line dance. This isn’t a favorite of mine w/ the “out-outs,” “in-ins.” Maybe it’s just me!
https://youtu.be/Fh9ICn_wgkMVideo can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: Linda Lu line dance (walk-through) (https://youtu.be/Fh9ICn_wgkM)
Teach Videohttps://youtu.be/hp0PLikxAE0Video can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: Linda Lu line dance (demo) to Delbert McClinton's Linda Lu (https://youtu.be/hp0PLikxAE0)
Demo Video
13. My Maria
| Count: 32 | Wall: 4 | Level: Beginner / Intermediate |
Choreographer: Mike Camara & Dan Albro (1996)
Music: My Maria by Brooks & Dunn (a Cha-Cha at 136BPM)
Step Sheet: Click here to download.
My Maria is another beginner / intermediate, but at 32 counts not too hard. This is a great line dance to another great classic Brooks & Dunn song. The unique thing is that it is a Cha-Cha line dance. The Shuffles between alot of the steps are 3 steps: Cha-Cha-Cha. The pivot-hooks are a lot of fun too.
https://youtu.be/Ggb4b9m7owIVideo can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: My Maria Line Dance Instruction (https://youtu.be/Ggb4b9m7owI)
Teach Videohttps://youtu.be/TwsoB_UamOcVideo can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: My Maria (https://youtu.be/TwsoB_UamOc)
Demo & Teach Video
14. Rock Me
| Count: 32 | Wall: 4 | Level: Beginner / Intermediate |
Choreographer: Donna Manning & LeAnne Lesmeister (Mar 2013)
Music: Wagon Wheel by Darius Rucker
Step Sheet: Click here to download.
Rock Me is my favorite line dance! I am a big Darius Rucker fan and his song Wagon Wheel is a great song. The rocking steps choreographed to “Rock Me” throughout the dance is pretty cool. I don’t see it called every night but it should be! So good!
https://youtu.be/j_P9IosMvSkVideo can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: Rock Me Teach and Demo (https://youtu.be/j_P9IosMvSk)
Demo & Teach Video
15. A Little Bit Lit
| Count: 32 | Wall: 4 | Level: Beginner + |
Choreographer: Rob Fowler (2017)
Music: Lit by Trace Adkins
Step Sheet: Click here to download.
A Little Bit Lit is a dance that is taught a lot on the weekends at the Ranch Saloon. A good one for beginners. And like some other line dances on this list just a really great country song to dance to.
Lyrically the song Lit is amazing. A fast and fun song. Included below is the lyric video!
https://youtu.be/mOJNH_8ojHYVideo can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: A Little Bit Lit – Line Dance (Dance & Teach in English & 中文) (https://youtu.be/mOJNH_8ojHY)
Demo & Teach Videohttps://youtu.be/mAJTe-6fVaYVideo can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: Trace Adkins – Lit (Lyric Video) (https://youtu.be/mAJTe-6fVaY)
Trace Adkins Lyric Video for Lit16. Slappin’ Leather
| Count: 40 | Wall: 4 | Level: Beginner |
Choreographer: Gayle Brandon (California modified version, 2016)
Music: Footloose by Kenny Loggins and Blake Shelton (alt: T.R.O.U.B.L.E. by Travis Tritt)
Step Sheet: Click here to download.
Slappin’ Leather is a very famous line dance that is considered a beginner dance.
You can dance this to the Footloose song from the movies, but the movies actually didn’t have Slappin’ Leather as part of their choreography. The Footloose movie features the more advanced line dance Fake ID. Click here to go to my post that talks all about that.
Slappin’ Leather has a part in it (the Slappin’ Leather part!) that seems pretty intermediate and takes some coordination! But the dance is just too fun and famous not to include it here. This dance is going to pretty much get called almost every night depending on the club your at. There are many variations of it throughout the world, but the step sheet and the video here are the So. Cal. version.
Fun Fact: Slappin’ Leather was used in an episode of the TV Show Pretty Little Liars.
https://youtu.be/aFyOaX5Pr4gVideo can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: Slapping Leather (Line Dance) – Demo & Teach (https://youtu.be/aFyOaX5Pr4g)
Demo & Teach Video
17.
Outlaw| Count: 32 | Wall: 4 | Level: Beginner |
Choreographer: Suzanne Wilson (Norco, CA Style)
Music: Whiskey Drinkin’ S.O.B. by Mikel Knight
Step Sheet: Click here to download.
Outlaw is a pretty popular dance but is one of the line dances out there that isn’t to a country song. Country rapper Mikel Knight doesn’t really fit at all in my opinion of what country music and country dancing is about, but people love the dance!
https://youtu.be/jsUIUT7GY8sVideo can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: The Outlaw (Line Dance) – Demo & Teach (https://youtu.be/jsUIUT7GY8s)
Demo & Teach Video
18. Tush Push
| Count: 40 | Wall: 4 | Level: Beginner / Intermediate |
Choreographer: Jim Ferrazzano (1979)
Music: Chattahoochee by Alan Jackson
Step Sheet: Click here to download.
Tush Push has been called the most popular line dance in the United States for the last 20 years! There’s a great story about how Jim Ferrazzano came up with the dance over a period of time, to check it out click here. One thing interesting is that it’s kind of 2 dances in one. This is because it was only 1/2 written for months. When completed, the final steps were cha-cha steps setting them apart from the first part of the dance.
Note: When you download the Step Sheet you’ll notice there are 6 options included on the 2nd page!
https://youtu.be/VRbR1VRRfE8Video can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: Tush Push (Line Dance ) Walkthrough ( All Classes Through City Of Clovis ) (https://youtu.be/VRbR1VRRfE8)
Teach Video
19. Country Girl Shake
| Count: 32 | Wall: 4 | Level: Improver |
Choreographer: Michele Adlam & Maria Hennings Hunt (2011)
Music: Country Girl (Shake it for Me) by Luke Bryan
Step Sheet: Click here to download.
Country Girl Shake is another really popular line dance. There are a few variations out there, but I think this demo and Teach video along with the step sheet will get you really close to whatever you might see.
https://youtu.be/SuXbB_Lm4zMVideo can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: Country Girl Shake (Line Dance) – Demo & Teach (https://youtu.be/SuXbB_Lm4zM)
Demo & Teach Video
20. Ten-Step
| Count: 18 | Wall: 0 | Level: Beginner | Line / Partner |
Choreographer: Unknown
Music: Devil Went Down to Georgia by the Charlie Daniels Band
Step Sheet: Click here to download.
The Ten-Step is actually not a line dance! The Ten-Step would really be considered a partner dance.
As such, you can dance it with a partner, but it is commonly danced individually and so much fun that I wanted to include it. It is also easy! Like most partner dances it is danced in a circle (counter-clockwise) on the dance floor.
One common song to hear when it is called is Devil Went Down to Georgia. The beat is fast and its a lot of fun when the band speeds up the tempo toward the end to challenge both the fiddle player and the dancers to keep up, ’til, of course, they can’t!
So, if dancing with a partner, you do so in the sweetheart position or just holding hands. But, if individually you get the fun option to spin during the shuffle steps that occur between the “10-step” part. (altogether it is an 18 count dance).
And if by chance you watch the video below taken at the Cowboy Palace in Chatsworth and struck by the particular magic and charm of this scene click here to read the recounting of my experience there. It truly is an awesome country dance bar.
https://youtu.be/RBA2apxSMo8Video can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: Ten Step – Danse country partner (https://youtu.be/RBA2apxSMo8)
Demo Videohttps://youtu.be/0dhY6g4kACIVideo can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: Devil Went Down to Georgia (https://youtu.be/0dhY6g4kACI)
Demo of the Ten-Step at the Cowboy Palace in Chatsworth
Some Beginning Line Dancing Basics
So there it is! My list of what I think are 20 of the easiest and also popular line dances out there right now. In addition to the dances themselves here’s a little more information about line dancing if you’re new to all this and a little confused about what is happening out there on the floor–I know I was!
A couple of things to know about if you’re new! Line dances are typically 16, 32, 40 or 48 steps (based on the level of difficulty) You may have noticed these numbers are all divisible by 8! Most popular music has a 4/4 time signature, but dancers count beats in sets of 8, hence line dance choreography is grouped and taught in sets of 8 or with “8-count.
”
Next (and the other major thing), line dances are known for having one, two or four walls. A one-wall dance means everyone will face in the same direction when all steps are performed. A two-wall line dance is when at the end of each sequence of steps everyone has turned 180º and you begin again facing the back — for these dances, you will always just face the “front” and “back” walls. Then, with a four-wall line dance (the most difficult), at the end of the steps, everyone has turned 90º and “begins the dance” again facing one of the “side” walls. As the dance progresses you will keep finishing and starting again facing a new wall.
| TIP: When first learning and taking a class it is tempting to hide in the last row! But as you may have already guessed, that’s a bad idea! As soon as the dance has moved on to the back wall, if you were in the back, you are now in the front! You can’t see anyone and everyone is looking at you! So, find a good spot somewhere in the middle and you’ll be able to always watch someone who knows what they are doing! |
With 20 line dances to learn and a couple of basics, you are ready to get involved in this fun activity.
Like anything else in life, it takes some just plain jumping headlong in and learning as you go!
There are now 8 billion people on Earth: how it became possible
On November 15, 2022, the population of the Earth reached 8 billion people. Just 70 years ago, there were 2.5 billion of us, and in the 1st century A.D. e. - about 300 million. Due to what people managed to breed so much?
The secret of success is in the size of the brain
People are not particularly quick, strong or agile. The human sense organs are rather weak, even compared to cattle and domestic animals. The secret to the success of Homo sapiens is the large brain and the complex social structures that underlie it. They have allowed humans to change the rules of the evolutionary game that determines the fate of most species and to adapt the environment to suit their needs.
What people were like at the beginning
The genus Homo originated about 2.3 million years ago in tiny scattered populations along the East African Rift Valley.
Genetic and fossil evidence suggests that Homo sapiens and Neanderthals descended from a common ancestor. This species had a slightly smaller brain than modern humans. When its representatives began to travel, the populations began to differ more and more from each other. The African lineage led to the emergence of Homo sapiens, and migration to Europe about 500 thousand years ago led to the appearance of Neanderthals and Denisovans.
Scientists debate what Homo sapiens, who migrated from Africa between 200,000 and 60,000 years ago, did with Neanderthals: displaced them or interbred with them. Modern humans living outside of Africa typically have about 2% Neanderthal DNA. In people of African descent, it is close to zero. How did this species take over the entire Earth? The answer, in mathematical terms, is "exponential growth."
The old legend and exponential growth
Exponential growth is when the growth rate of a value is proportional to its value. This dry term is perfectly illustrated by an ancient legend.
When one wise man Sissa invented chess, the ruler of his country liked this invention so much that he decided to reward the author. The ruler asked what prize he would like to receive if he won. The sage thought and asked for wheat, the volume of which should be calculated in a certain way: one grain on the first cell of the chessboard, two on the second, four on the third, eight on the fourth, etc. Such a reward surprised the ruler. It seemed to him that a few sacks of wheat were too modest a reward for such an invention.
But when he ordered his servants to reward the sage, as agreed, it turned out that there were 255 grains in the first row of eight squares, but by the end of the third row there were already more than 16.7 million. And to get to the last square, the ruler it would take 18 quintillion grains of wheat, that is, approximately 210 billion tons - and there was not so much wheat in the whole country. This story illustrates the meaning of exponential growth, which the ruler learned the hard way.
How exponential growth manifests itself in populations
Those of us alive today are 7% of all humans who have ever existed since the dawn of our species. And in general, if you do not take action, all populations in which more people are born than die grow exponentially. But biological interference usually holds back growth. Predator populations increase as their prey becomes more numerous. Viruses and other pathogens sweep through populations and destroy them. Habitats are becoming overpopulated. And a rapidly changing environment could upend once-successful species and groups.
Technology allowed growth to continue
Charles Darwin believed that there was a hard limit to human numbers. In his opinion, the growing population will eventually exceed our ability to produce food, leading to massive starvation. However, he did not foresee the 20th century revolution in agriculture and transportation, nor the 21st century advances in genetic technology that allowed humanity to continue to produce more food around the world.
Human intelligence and the ability to make tools and develop technology helped people survive most of the threats their ancestors faced. In about 8.5 thousand years, humanity has gone from the first metal tools to artificial intelligence and space exploration.
Krai: Oscar "For failure in the Russian box office"
« Cult
Author: Roman Nosikov on Tue, 12/10/2010 - 20:50.
I learned two things about the film before watching it:
1. "The Edge" failed at the Russian box office.
2. The Edge is nominated for an Oscar.
"Aha-ah-ah-ah!" I said and rubbed my hands with anticipation. The symptoms are familiar! Just recently I saw such a masterpiece. The masterpiece was called "Burnt by the Sun - 2" and represented the hope of Nikita Sergeevich Mikhalkov for international recognition. The film was also nominated for everything and failed at the Russian box office.
A normal ordinary viewer would call it idiocy, theft and scam I would like to say that these two products are the result of a new high-quality turn in the mainstream of Russian cinema.
Actually, the mainstream itself was that the box office that the film collects, that is, the result of the work, is of no interest to anyone. Because the commercial success of a film is measured not by the box office, but by the shrinkage of the film (Whack-Whack! Whack-Whack!), the loss of props (Whack-Whack! Whack-Whack!), savings on recycled materials (Whack-Whack! Whack-Whack!) and other actions with money allocated from the state budget, which the same Charlie Chaplin, James Cameron and Leonid Bykov didn’t even know about, and they couldn’t even dream about them, to my terrifying me. The result turns out to be a little predictable - it is absolutely impossible to look at what is obtained as a result of such an activity. People don't look. Then the cultural community writes another letter to the top about the plight of Russian cinema, intimidates them with the "cultural expansion of the West", trampling the enigmatic Russian soul from the youth with the hooves of lack of spirituality, and - hop! the state dutifully unfastens a pretty penny.
in the hall you can play football or have sex - not a soul A normal ordinary viewer would call it idiocy, theft and scam. But a creative nature is a creative nature! And the creative nature rethinks the vice of the system, and it turns ... turns ... into a genre! I do not yet know exactly what this new branch of art is called, but I believe that it will not be a big mistake if we temporarily define it as "anti-Soviet budget". Taking a bug for a feature, and an unsuitable way of execution as a special kind of art, creative people began to create with all their might. Since there is still no hope for the viewer of this Country, there is no financial dependence on him, the uncles and aunts sitting on the commissions of various foreign film festivals have become the target, the target audience of creativity.
Well, since the demand for Russophobia and anti-Sovietism has always been great among the European intelligentsia, it seemed to the creators that it was worth scratching this demand a little behind the ear, as all the very first places and the most sparkling figurines would fall on them.
showed that we carry hell in ourselves," Mikhalkov, tempting like a dog, doing what Churchill dreamed of - dipping Stalin's face into the cake. But it was not there. Russophobia and anti-Sovietism is, of course, a good thing, but no one said that they would pay so much for it. Firstly, they also want their own statuettes, and secondly, the Iranians have not yet responded to the oppression of women. And the Iranians also have gas and oil, but the S-300 and the atomic bomb do not. Therefore, the Oscar will be given for Iran.
But our creative natures have not yet reached it, and they continue to try. They did very well this time. In any case, no worse than Mikhalkov. But there are nuances. If Nikita Sergeyevich could use a “flashing light” and simply drive us into his film of schoolchildren, then the Teacher did not have one, and there are no spectators in the cinema. in the hall you can play football or have sex - not a soul.
How did the master - the author of the wonderful film "The Walk" - manage to do this? The question is direct, difficult, but we will answer it directly: it was not easy.
First, strict respect for Russian history as presented by Nikolai Karlovich Svanidze. In the very first minutes of the film, the viewer is informed that after the war Stalin drove all the prisoners from the German camps, Ostarbeiters and simply residents of the occupied lands of the USSR into the camps. That is, it was demonstrated that if the viewer was tempted to read books on the history of his native country, then the author of the film remained true to the ideals and he still has enough TV and files of perestroika Ogonyok. But this is only an entourage - a discreet detail designed to characterize the historical period of the reign of Joseph Stalin, nicknamed Vissarionovich for his atrocities. In addition to the entourage, there is also a plot. And the plot, sirs and madams, is terrible:
Not long before the war, across Siberia, where there are bears and the Gulag, a train is going. The train is carrying a German railway engineer and his family. Unfortunately, he meets the actor Garmash, disguised as an NKVD officer.
Garmash in Russian mysteriously and for no reason beats the engineer in the face, and then, for greater Sovietism, shoots him. After a brutal massacre, only a German girl remains alive, who flees to the taiga and lives there throughout the war. After the war, the actor Mashkov finds her with a torso from "300 Spartans", but dressed as a war veteran. He takes the girl to the Gulag to the Soviet people sitting there. People always try to rape or beat the girl.
It is especially worth noting that Soviet people behave in much the same way as Goebbels, Ph.D. There are two people in the whole picture - a German girl and an old Estonian prisoner. Everything.
Naturally, the viewer, whose ancestors are described by the director, is instantly imbued with a feeling of gratitude to the creative nature for having opened his eyes to the truth. Earlier, when grandfather (or great-grandfather - whoever) had a birthday, or, for example, on 9May 1st, the viewer listened to front-line stories, looked at the uniform hung with medals, and believed that this is what they are - veterans, this is what they are, the Russian people (or not Russian - here again it’s like that) - smart, noble, very very bold.
And also kind. Kind with the very kindness that only very strong people can afford.
Naturally, the soul of a Russian intellectual cannot bear that his compatriots have something bright left. Especially creative people do not like kind people because they do not tolerate such clear evidence that someone is so much stronger than him. Therefore, as part of an active struggle against the falsification of history, creative nature makes films about what kind of cattle and bastards the viewer's ancestors were - the same as the creative nature itself, or even much worse.
It is impossible not to note how the director's talent played in the realization of erotic scenes. After watching such a "rashan erotic", the European intelligentsia will die out because they will not be able to give offspring. Libido will be killed for years. What did the director want to say by putting the replica “suck them!” into the mouth of the heroine lying on her back? What was he striving for? A mystery shrouded in darkness.
That is, you can, of course, think that there was an attempt to introduce realism, but it was already introduced right away. Otherwise, where is the black eye of the heroine immediately after the said remark?
As the story progresses, the fortress of insanity gets stronger and stronger. Soviet people arrange an assassination attempt on a German girl. They think she's a walking dead. The attempts are led by the local Van Helsing - "Chukchi". When I saw that the deputy head of the local camp was talking to a bust of Stalin, I realized that I was simply not well as a human being, and I needed to take a break.
The culmination of the film is the return to the camp of the authorities. Senseless and merciless. The authorities immediately begin to shoot women and children, and then leave on a steam locomotive. The main character is chasing him. There is a long race on steam locomotives, filmed as ... as ... well, how to put it so that it was without swearing, but is it clear? Like a spending report—boring and pitiful: “Well, do you believe that we spent a lot of money in this place?” Having caught up with the adversary, the main character with the torso from "300 Spartans" and the head of the actor Mashkov smashes a locomotive speedometer on the head of the authorities.
