Not just for cowboys: Line dancing in Germany

"You don't just get up and start line dancing," says Daniella Fischer, editor of Living Line Dance magazine.

Line dancing is a group dance: Dancers line up next to each other and perform different step sequences choreographed especially for the respective songs. "Really experienced line dancers can tell from a song what step sequence might work, but usually line dancers need the choreography for a song in order to dance," says Fischer.

Individual step sequences have names like Rock Step, Rocking Chair, Jazz Box and many more. When line dancers hear "Rock Step," for instance, they know just how to move, she adds.

The origins of line dancing 

"There are different opinions about where line dancing comes from. Some say America, others say England," says Gerhard Fürst from the Modern Line Dancers group based in Bavaria.

The exact origins can't be traced, but the dance seems to have originated from European folk dances.

Various historical and cultural influences have shaped line dance, which is known worldwide.

US soldiers brought the dance style to Germany, according to Jürgen Buchholz of the Federal Association for Country and Western Dance Germany (BfCW).

The dance style was first described as line dance in the United States, and the first known line dance choreography was created in 1980 to the song "Tush Push." Line dance had a breakthrough with the dance to Billy Ray Cyrus' 1992 country hit "Achy Breaky Heart," which made line dancing popular worldwide.

Country vs. Modern

Line dances are performed to different kinds of music, not just country songs.

There is even a style called modern line dance, which features choreography to songs from all kinds of genres. Even the dance outfits and movements are different. Country line dancers tend to wear cowboy boots and hats, jeans and shirts, while the dress code in modern line dance is sports and casual wear.

Country line dancers often stick their hands into their pants pockets. "In modern line dancing, the hands are not stuck in the waistband of the pants or in the pockets, they either hang loosely or dancers learn synchronized arm movements," says Fürst.

Two worlds 

Daniella Fischer and her Living Line Dance colleague Dörte Gerlach have organized regular line dance trips since 2010. Many trips take them to the US, where the line dance scene is different despite the same dances. "In the US, it's more of a loose gathering of dancers. Americans usually get together to dance in a saloon. They don't have an association scene like we do in Germany, with the many line dance clubs and societies," says Daniella Fischer.

Fischer and Gerlach are headed for their fifth line dance tour of Arizona, traveling with a dance instructor and a larger group of line dance enthusiasts from Germany, Austria and Switzerland. They go sightseeing, and the group takes every opportunity to dance, be it in a highway parking lot or in front of famous monuments. In the evening, the group usually goes to a saloon. The choreographies in the US and Germany are the same, but some moves are more popular in one country or the other, says Fischer.

Line dance, German-style — in organized societies

Germany now has numerous dance clubs and societies, but the exact number is unknown. A few are registered with the BfCW, but by no means all of them.  

"Line Dance has grown in popularity in recent years. There are more groups and more dance schools offering this style, says Doro Weber. She and Gabi Streckert teach line dance with the Ruhr Town Dancers of the TSV Herdecke dance society in the Ruhr region. Since the group's founding in 2017, the Ruhr Town Dancers have learned more than 100 dances. The experienced dancers now need only about half an hour to learn new choreographies.

But even novices are welcome to take part, although "You should have some sense of rhythm," says Gabi Streckert. The group offers both beginning and advanced courses. And the Ruhr Town Dancers show off their steps either at public appearances or at line dance parties.

"The clubs and societies invite each other to line dance parties. Those are the highlights of the year," explains Weber, who adds that the parties always offer the chance to see new dance moves, which they learn either there, or later on in class. 

Going for gold: Line dance competitions

Some line dancers don't just do it for fun but practice it on a competitive level. Julia Schmid has been competing for almost 15 years. "I've pretty much been dancing my whole life. I got it from my mother," says the 23-year-old.

Schmid, her mother, and her younger brother travel together to various line dance tournaments and competitions. 

Line dance competitions fall into different divisions and categories, similar to sports where athletes rise through the ranks according to the results of their various events. "Usually, you're on the dance floor with several others in your category and age group, and everyone dances the same steps. That looks like a team line dance, but each of you is judged individually according to your own technique, movement, presentation, and so on," Schmid explains.

She's already won the German and the World Championships in Line Dance, and she competes in both Country and Modern Line Dance. Her next tournament is the European Championship in Leipzig in May 2023. To pay for the entry fees and travel costs of competing, Schmid teaches line dance in the southern German city of Stuttgart.

"You don't get anything for taking part in the tournaments, except maybe a great victory," she says, laughing. 

This article was originally written in German.