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Before there was the Cupid Shuffle and the Cha Cha Slide, the country-western line dances such as Texas Two-Step and the Watermelon Crawl would dominate the dance floor.
This style of dance, which is once again surging in popularity, calls for people of all ages to come together as a group and move their feet in sync to the beat of their favourite songs in a repeated sequence of steps.
So grab your dancin’ boots, call up a few friends and prepare for a hoedown, because we've compiled a list of 20 of our favorite country songs to line dance to.
Line dancing can often lead to late nights with friends and that’s just the kind of experience Chris Young’s 'Aw Naw' describes.
Taken from his 2013 album A.M., once this country-rock song dropped, it didn’t take long for a line dance to emerge alongside it. Right from the start with a kick of the boot, this choreography can liven up any party.
It makes sense that country music superstar Luke Bryan - who’s known for shaking his hips whenever he’s on stage - would produce a song with the perfect tempo to dance along to. Taken from his 2011 album Tailgates and Tanlines, the video tells a story of a small-town girl coming to L.A. to audition and beat out all the big-city dancers.
When this track comes on, it’s almost like everyone on the dance floor instinctively embraces Bryan’s spectacular hip-swinging talent.
The fast-paced line dance for Toby Keith’s 'Should’ve Been A Cowboy' could be considered one of the more challenging ones on the list, but nothing that can’t be picked up with a little practice. The difficulty comes with the addition of an optional partner and learning how to move around the room as a pair.
The song was inspired by an incident Keith experienced at a bar in the early '90s when, according to Keith, a highway patrolman in his late forties who he had met on the trip runs over to a 25-year-old cowgirl he sees in the bar.
"He was going to show that he could bust a move," explains Keith. "She turns him down. He comes over, and said, ‘She says she doesn’t dance.’ About 15 minutes later, a young cowboy comes in — and off they go on the dance floor. Everybody was making fun of him, and one of the guys said, ‘John, I guess you should have been a cowboy.’
A night at the local saloon wouldn’t be complete without spin to '90s country classic from Tracy Byrd's No Ordinary Man.
In order to follow along with this line dance, the most important choreography to know is the Charleston, the grapevine, the pivot and a bit of heel/toe steps. Once those moves are established, this dance is a breeze.
Paired with Hunter Hayes’ 'I Want Crazy', this 48-count, 2-wall dance has a few variations to it, as most line dances do. The most popular version is at the intermediate to advanced level with steps that tend to get a bit confusing because of the frequent changing of walls in the choreography.
If Hunter Hayes isn't going to be satisfied by a slower-paced relationship the this line dance should definitely get things moving.
This boot-stomping line dance, usually known as "The Outlaw", fits the vibe of Mikel Knight’s explicit, rap country song, 'Whiskey Drinkin' from 2010 album, The Country Rap King. Get ready to break a sweat because this choreography will have you moving up, down and side to side to this upbeat song.
Without a doubt, one of the main songs to make both Billy Ray Cyrus and line dancing popular needed to be included in the top 10. With its simple two-chord structure and perfectly paced tempo, Cyrus’ iconic 'Achy Breaky Heart' will most definitely be played anywhere that line dancing takes place.
Upon seeing this famous line dance featured in the movie Footloose, it’s only a matter of time before the need to learn the steps and start dancing along with the cast takes over. Something about the movements paired with this Big and Rich country rock ‘n’ roll song just puts you in a great mood.
A relatively new dance added to the mix comes from Blanco Brown’s 'The Git Up'. According to Brown, this line dance consists of four easy steps: the cowboy boogie, the hoedown, the butterfly and the two-step. Whether in a saloon or a concert, the crowd will be ready to dance along to this song.
With this classic country tune, country music fans often find it difficult to resist the urge to sing and dance along to Darius Rucker’s recording of 'Wagon Wheel', making it a great candidate for a line dancing song. With its beginner level choreography, the 'Wagon Wheel' line dance is the perfect introduction to this style of dance.
Anyone who has have ever participated in - or even just witnessed - line dancing before knows that Brooks and Dunn’s 'Boot Scootin’ Boogie' is almost always included in the DJ’s setlist. This song has, rightfully so, been labelled as one of the prime line dancing songs because anyone - even beginners - can pick it up.
As soon as the opening lyrics, “If it hadn’t been for cotton-eye Joe,” play through the DJ’s speakers, dance floors everywhere quickly fill up with party-goers ready to take part in one of the most entrancing line dances. Although the steps are simple, they can easily be made more difficult with a few extra hops and turns.
Steve Earle’s 'Copperhead Road' was also a driving force of the line dance craze in the 90s. The song is paired with the signature choreography that may include some verbal cues from the dancers, which correlate with the steps. This dance is 20 counts of pure fun that anyone to enjoy.
Growing up listening to this Shania Twain staple on a daily basis will have assigned it a special place in any line dance lovers heart. This fairly simple line dance with hip-swinging movements offers a feeling of empowerment with every step. Plus, it’s pretty safe to assume that along with line dancing, everyone will also be singing along.
Caution: this line dance contains high kicks, heavy stomping and fast footwork. Jason Aldean's 'Hicktown' might just be the best song for showing off your dance moves in a saloon. It takes a good amount of concentration to get the hang of it, but the end result will be worth it, making it the top choice on our list.
Proving that anything the US can do, the UK can do camper, Steps debut single, '5, 6, 7, 8,' was a blend of country, techno and rap that caught fire in the nightclubs of the UK when it was released in 1997.
Although '5, 6, 7, 8' only peaked at number 14 on the UK Singles Chart, the song went on to become the third-best-selling single of their career in the United Kingdom.
In the video, Lisa, Claire, Faye, H and Lee helpfully walk you all through the steps if you did want to join in.
With a little "boom, boom clap, boom d’ clap, d’clap," Miley Cyrus popped it, locked it and polka dotted it as she introduced a younger generation of listeners to the line dancing phenomenon in this iconic scene from Hannah Montana: The Movie in 2009.
Whether you were 5 years old or 82, 'Hoedown Throwdown' had us all zig zagging across the floor and shuffling in diagonal, putting our hands on our hips for a one-footed 180 twist, stepping, sliding and clapping three times.
TikTok has brought this Alan Jackson classic off his 1992 album A Lot About Livin' (And A Little 'Bout Love) to a whole new audience in recent years, but this upbeat shuffle was always the perfect song to line dance to.
Taken from Shaboozey's 2024 album Where I've Been Isn't Where I'm Going, this is a relatively new one, but it shouldn't be too difficult.
It starts with a rumbabox step and then a tap, followed by a step touch, grapevine, tap, then another step touch, grapevine, scuff and a quarter turn, finishing off with a couple of heel touches, a jump and your hands on your hips.
There we go. Easy.
After Dasha's 'Austin' went viral on TikTok, it became the singer's first single to chart, and all it took was a line dance to set her on her path towards stardom.
The first single from Dasha’s second album, What Happens Now, 'Austin' - which was renamed 'Austin ('Boots Stopped Workin'') - is a delightfully catchy ode to a lover who just won’t commit and after Dasha posted a video of herself line dancing to the song, it led to it being used in over 750,000 videos and counting on TikTok.
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For more of the finest country playlists from Holler, see below: