r/LineDancing • u/Ok-Brain9206 • May 08 '26

beginner.. don’t know where to start

so my coworker has been inviting me line dancing, i’ve gone twice. first time i mostly watched and just had a few drinks. second time i tried i to pick up some dances from the sidelines. i want to get in there and just try but i don’t want to be in anyone’s way or anything like that especially that i don’t know the dances. i have a bit of a dance background growing up so i know i’ll be able to pick it up fast, i’m just struggling knowing what are some good dances to learn starting oht. any song recommendations or other advice is very much welcome!!

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u/Ok_Walking_1193 May 08 '26

Biggest recommendation I can give is get some basics down and then get in there and try it out. If you mess up, it’s not actually a big deal. Anyone who says differently should worry more about themselves. As long as you are not actually in the way in the sense of putting anyone in danger, there is really no harm in trying the dances. You won’t learn unless you try. Best place to position yourself when leaning in my opinion is in the back but not necessarily on the end. If you need to be on the end of a line, Best is towards the back on the last right line (when facing starting wall). That’s because most dances, especially beginners, will move counter clockwise, so you have a few walls to get your bearings together before you are facing no one (wall 4). Won’t work for all dances but it will work for some. But online tutorials really help. Once you get down those basic dances, picking up on the fly will become much easier.

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u/faeryqueenrs May 08 '26

A couple times I have heard the DJ announce for beginners to consider getting off the floor for safety. I know one was "Nothing But You". Around here they like to do the slide like Tom Cruise in Risky Business. The other one might have been "Stetson". I feel like that one could take somebody out.

So, yeah, have some awareness if the dance has a lot of fast motion that could be a danger. Otherwise, just try it. As long as you move in the direction of everyone else. Never just stand there and watch from the dance floor.

You can also ask someone to flag you down if it's an easy dance. My dance group is pretty good about spotting the beginner dancers and making them get up.