Today’s Wonder of the Day was inspired by Abby. Abby Wonders, “What is line dancing?” Thanks for WONDERing with us, Abby!
Just before bed the other night, we saw lights and heard some weird sounds coming from the Wonderopolis barn. When we investigated, we were quite surprised by what we saw and heard:
Cow: OK, everyone, stay in your line and, when the music starts, just do what I do. Hit it DJ!
Horse: Is this when I press the "play" button on this machine?
Cow: Yes! Do it! *music starts* Now everyone put your right front hoof out!
Chicken: I don't have hooves!
Duck: Me neither!
Cow: Grrr! Just do your best with whatever you've got!
Chicken: When do we flap our wings?
Duck: I've got wings!
Cow: This isn't the chicken dance! I told you already: we're line dancing. Oh, never mind! DJ, hit pause!
We felt bad for the poor cow. She was just trying to teach the other animals in the barn how to line dance. We had to get to bed, so we're not sure if she ever succeeded. Have you ever tried line dancing?
Line dancing is exactly what it sounds like: a group dance in which the dancers stand side-by-side in one or more lines as they perform a series of dance moves in unison. Line dances usually involve repeated moves that follow a pattern.
Many people love line dancing because the dance moves are easy to learn and they don't need to coordinate moves with a partner. They just have to stand in a line and move in unison with their fellow dancers.
Each line dance consists of a number of "walls." A wall refers to the direction the dancers face at any given time (front, back, left, or right) as they dance through a series of steps that will be repeated. Since the steps tend to repeat frequently, dancers can easily catch up if they get lost.
Line dancing is often associated with country music. Modern country line dancing as we know it today got its start in Texas in the 1970s. It really became popular in 1992 with the release of Billy Ray Cyrus' hit song "Achy Breaky Heart."
Line dancing's roots actually go back much deeper, though. Some experts believe variations of line dancing have existed for over 2,000 years. Historians have found evidence of types of line dances that date to the ancient Egyptians, Native Americans, and Irish and German folk dance traditions.
Today, people enjoy line dancing to many forms of music beyond country. Pop, disco, techno, rhythm and blues, and hip-hop all have developed line dances to go with them.
No matter what type of music you choose to dance to, line dancing can be a great workout. Depending upon your age and fitness level, you can expect to burn between 300-800 calories per hour line dancing!