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Drink It Away: When you Know you Know

Another song caught my ear, and this time it's Drink It Away by New Zealand Kiwi musician The WesternGuide.I enjoyed the challenge of building a dance around this track and working with a structure that includes a tag. The dance is a two-wall improver, with a 32-count sequence repeated three times before the tag, followed by another three rounds and the final tags and outro.I like that choreography gives me the opportunity to work with different structures and levels. Each song brings its own r...

Try to Think About Elvis: A Little Rock 'n' Roll Flair

I was listening to a 90s country playlist when I Try to Think About Elvis by Patty Loveless came on, and it immediately caught my attention. I loved it, and before long I was thinking about how I could turn it into a line dance.This one was a fun change of pace. The music called for a bit of personality, so I worked in some Elvis-style pointing and those classic Elvis knees. It was a chance to have a little fun with the character of the song rather than just putting steps together.I enjoy how di...

Dive Bar: Sometimes Less Is More

I started working on Dive Bar back in July, originally making it, probably more complicated than it needed to be, with the Rhythm n Rawhide Choreography Competition in mind.It's easy to get carried away when you're creating a dance. You start playing with steps, adding ideas and seeing how much you can fit into the music. But more isn't always better!As I worked on Dive Bar, again in October I decided to strip it back and simplify the choreography. I wanted to make it easier to te...

Say La V: A Song on Country Radio and a Dance in My Head

Sometimes inspiration arrives when you least expect it. With Say La V, all it took was hearing the music on the radio.I loved the song and started imagining how it might work as a line dance. Before long, I was putting the steps together and turning that idea into a 32-count, four-wall absolute beginner dance.There's something special about that moment when a song sparks an idea. You start playing around with steps, trying different combinations and working out how to make everything fit. It's o...

Girl From Louisiana: The Rocking Chair and a Trip Down Memory Lane

Sometimes a song pops up on your playlist and you just know you want to do something with it. That's exactly what happened with Girl From Louisiana by Dylan Scott. I loved the song and it gave me the opportunity to try creating a more advanced dance.The famous rocking chair step made its way into the choreography, and that took me straight back about two years to when Bex and I decided we were going to make how-to videos explaining line dance steps.What could possibly go wrong?Let's just say I h...

Say La V, Spontaneous Road Trips & Creative Detours

September was a relatively quiet month, with plenty of work going on behind the scenes for the choreography competition in Hamilton later in the month. Unfortunately, I didn't end up at to the competition, as I had to make an impromptu trip to Wellington for pre-departure meetings ahead of leaving New Zealand for Rarotonga.A massive shout-out to our awesome Clive Bootscootin' dancers who competed in the choreography competition! I’m super-duper proud of everyone and their results:🤠 Nathan B...

Competition Highs, Choreography & What Comes Next

The first couple of weeks in August were a blur of practice for our competition. Having seen the value of practising without mirrors, we found ourselves in carparks all around Napier, Hastings and Clive, practising at all hours to make it work for the team. Wherever we could find a space, we danced!And Christchurch didn't disappoint. It was another amazing experience.One of the highlights for me was catching up with so many people from around New Zealand that we'd met at the Dunedin Gala, as wel...

What's Your Story?: A Dance for the Absolute Beginners

One of the best things about teaching line dancing is seeing people go from wondering whether they have two left feet to confidently moving around the floor.I wanted to create another dance that would work for absolute beginners, and What's Your Story? by Morgan Wallen caught my attention. The dance came together in about 15 minutes, which felt pretty good!Of course, getting the choreography down is only part of the process. You also need to try it out, see how it feels and make sure the steps w...

Hands Up: Turning Up the Energy

When a song has a title like Hands Up, it feels like an invitation to have a bit of fun with the choreography!This dance is set to Jelly Roll's Hands Up and was created as a beginner-level, 32-count dance. I enjoy exploring how the music can shape the movements and how to create a dance that feels enjoyable from the first step to the last.By this stage in my choreography journey, I was becoming more comfortable with taking a song and trying out ideas. Not every step works straight away, and some...

Wild West, New Dances & Taking the Floor

July started with a bang, with our first Friday party of the month taking on a Wild West theme. This time, Clive Bootscootin dancers were invited to showcase a dance (or two!) they’d learnt with a friend or group, and it gave the party such a different vibe, in a fantastic way. It was great doing something different and, most importantly, cheering each other on.Pinkie and I debuted a brand new dance, Turn This Town, choreographed by Maddison Glover and Jo Thompson Szymanski. It had only just b...

Mardi Gras, Music & Moments of Belonging

After an action-packed May, June felt relatively quiet… unless you count six hours a week of competition practice, alongside events and teaching, as quiet!Preparations for The Lineup NZ Competition in August have well and truly ramped up, with our team and duo routines taking shape. Think the costume decision making has taken the most time!  And we're making good progress on the dancing too... while there’s still plenty of work to do before the big day.Our first Friday theme party for ...

She's Got the Rhythm: A Little Alan Jackson on the Dance Floor

There's something about classic country music that makes it feel right at home on a line dance floor, and Alan Jackson has plenty of songs that make you want to move.She's Got the Rhythm (And I Got the Blues) was the inspiration for this beginner choreography. I wanted to turn the music into a dance that people could learn, enjoy and come back to.Creating a dance is about more than matching steps to a beat. It's finding a rhythm that feels good, working out how the sections connect and making su...

Flashmobs, Fireballs & Birthday Boots

May kicked off with the International Line Dance Flashmob. There’s something pretty special about knowing that dancers all around the world are doing the same dances at the same time. No matter where you are, you’re part of something bigger, and that sense of connection never gets old. This year we had Hoedown and Heel Toe Rodeo.Next up was our first Friday party of the month. This time the theme was all about Emily, who was celebrating the big 4-0 later in the month. I dressed up as Em...

Country and She Knows It: When a Song Catches Your Ear

Sometimes a new dance starts with a plan. Other times, you're listening to your playlist and a song suddenly makes you want to get up and move.That's what happened with Country and She Knows It by Luke Bryan. I heard it on Spotify and loved it, so I decided to see what I could create around the music.This dance gave me the opportunity to work with a longer 48-count sequence and an easy improver level. I enjoy the challenge of finding steps that suit the song, flow together and make sense when yo...

Country Songs, Choreography & Easter Bunnies

April was a slightly quieter month on the line dancing front… though “quiet” is always relative in this world!One of the highlights was having Pauline Gilroy come down from Gisborne’s Rhythm ’n Lines to teach us not one, not two, but five new dances. Pauline always brings such great energy to the floor, and I love how each dance she choregraphs has a story. I absolutely fell in love with Frankie (She Don’t Dance for Free). There’s just something about that song and dance combinatio...

Gone Gone Gone: Keeping It Beginner-Friendly

One of the things I enjoy about choreography is finding songs that work for different dance levels. Not every dance needs complicated steps or lots of turns. Sometimes the challenge is creating something simple, enjoyable and accessible.That was the aim with Gone Gone Gone by Casey Barnes. I wanted to create a beginner dance that people could learn and enjoy without feeling they had to master lots of tricky steps first.When you're creating for beginners, it's important to think about how the ste...

Boot Stomp Glory & Gisborne Good Times

March was all about one big thing… Boot Stomp in Gisborne - and what a weekend it turned out to be.With no Clive Bootscootin’ social this month, all eyes (and boots) were on the first-ever Boot Stomp competition hosted by Rhythm ’n Lines.Road trip vibes & Friday funIt was a sunny Friday when we hit the road from Napier with Anna and Lily - and even hubby joined in for his first official line dancing roadie with the crew.We arrived, settled into our accommodation, and naturally headed ...

Dancing, Dunedin & Detours

February… what a month.We kicked things off with a Kiwiana-themed Clive Bootscootin’ Friday social (on a Thursday, just to keep us on our toes). I fully embraced the theme… as a bumble bee. Classic Aotearoa Kiwiana, right?From there, it was all feet on the floor as we powered through final practices for the Dunedin Line Dance Gala the following weekend… and wow, it did not disappoint.Dunedin days & Dance floor nightsBefore even leaving Napier we danced Necklace at the HB Airport and ...

Sleepless in a Hotel Room: A Little Choreography Shortcut

I was keen to keep learning and experimenting with choreography. Then Luke Watson shared a theory for success with putting a dance together in just eight minutes, and I was intrigued!I decided to give it a go with Sleepless in a Hotel Room by Luke Combs. The idea was to stop overthinking every step, work with the music and see what I could create.It was a great reminder that sometimes a simple approach is all you need to get started. You can always refine things as you go, but getting the first ...

Steps, Sun & Stomping Ground

The year kicked off with sunshine, laughter, and plenty of dancing. On New Year’s Day, we headed to Mahanga Beach - the pickleball net was out, the sun was shining, and it was my first time playing! Pauline from Rhythm’n Lines in Gisborne called through, so we danced a few Dunedin dances together for practice at the upcoming Dunedin Gala.  We danced, swam, and yes, danced Wagon Wheel, at the Mokotahi Lookout. Hubby joined in again - he claims it was because of a few beers, but I’...

Dancing, Celebrations & Year-End Highlights

December turned out to be anything but quiet! The month kicked off with teaching a session at the International Day of People with Disabilities, which was such a rewarding experience. We joined our friends at the Napier Clubs not once, but twice this month, and a huge shoutout to the lovely Wendy for hosting her birthday line dance celebration – so much laughter and energy.The summer gear was out for our beach-themed Christmas party, I did sneak away from for a few hours to help teach a c...

Country Girl, You Shook Me All Night Long: A Classic with a Country Twist

Who doesn't love a classic song with a country twist?When I came across Robby Johnson's country cover of You Shook Me All Night Long, I loved the idea of creating a line dance to it. The familiar song has plenty of energy, and it felt like a great opportunity to have some fun with the choreography.The result was Country Girl, You Shook Me All Night Long, a beginner dance with vines, kicks, a V-step and a few hip bumps to finish things off.There's something satisfying about taking a song people r...

Halloween line dancing and Christmas cheer

November was packed with laughs, music, and a little bit of spookiness.Our November line dance party theme was Halloween. You can imagine my surprise when Bex walked in fresh off the plane from her USA trip! Boydy, Vic, Sahmara, and I kicked right off by making our own Halloween pumpkins – don’t worry, no one was harmed in the process. I was super stoked that hubby came along and even dressed up for the occasion. He even managed another go at Wagon Wheel – slowly but surely converting him ...

Steps, Stages and Spectacular Falls

I missed the October party as I was in Tauranga learning but got to hang out there with the Tauranga Line Dancers, it reminded me how challenging it is to learn so many dances in a short space of time!Back home, October was packed with performances and adventures. We danced at the Hawke’s Bay A & P Show in front of thousands of people, and it was such a joy to see a few young girls jump on stage to perform a dance they’d learned at a pop-up lesson the previous week that Emily had taken ...

Boots, Birthday, and Blossom Festival

September kicked off with our Friday theme party of wear something you wouldn’t normally wear. I had so much fun dressing up in my 80s-inspired outfit – boots and all! This month we mastered Footloose, and Bex and I choreographed Stomping Ground to Hayley Jensen’s track, which was a total blast.The month really picked up with Clive Bootscootin’s 2nd birthday celebrations. We danced with line dancers from across the lower North Island – it all started with the pre-party party, such an a...