The instructional above is from Linda Simms “The Who Dat Teacher” from Let’s Mess It Up Line Dancing.
Dance: Backyard Party 4 Wall, 32 Count
Choreographer: John Woodhouse
Song: Backyard Party (Clean)
Artist: R. Kelly
Step Sheets: None
This is another favorite. Our instructor does warn to be sure to get the “clean” version of the song.
Even though I’ve danced Backyard Party many times, I cannot complete the full turn. I get dizzy, and become disorientated. During the turn, I can’t remember which way I should end up. I will keep practicing full turns, but in the meantime I’m going to use the modification which is to step in place after the half turn. Eventually I should be able to make the full turn, and stay orientated to which way I should end up.
About 9 rotations into the dance, Backyard party has one extra set of steps, where you step forward four times. There is a marked change in the music, and if you watch the video enough times, you will figure out where to put it. And in addition, you will be stepping forward while facing the front of the room.
Tip: Watch the dance on YouTube. Your brain will grasp where the steps should be according to the music, and it can help you learn the dance.
One way I feel like I’ve gotten better at line dancing is to watch the dance. I love this song, Backyard Party, but don’t recall having heard it before. I have probably watched this video at least 30 times.
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Dance: Wifey (Start at 16 or 32 counts, either will work)
Count: 20 count
Wall: 4
Level: Beginner
Choreographer: Unknown
Song: Wifey (Clean)
Artist: Next
Step Sheet: NA
I am learning that Wifey can be danced to many songs. I will begin listing the ones that I find will work.
I have learned this is another line dance with split personalities, except instead of the same dance having two names, the song has two dances. My favorite YouTube instructor, Linda Simms, “The Who Dat Teacher” from Let’s Mess It Up Line Dancing teaches the version I am highlighting in this post, stating “This is the version we do in New Orleans“.
This link will take you to the second version: “Other” Wifey Line Dance where instructor Steph states “This is the version we do in San Antonio.”
I cannot locate step sheets for this dance, and its choreographer is unknown. I count 18 steps, wait, I think actually it’s 24 steps. No… I think it’s actually 32 steps!?
I’m going to see if I can get my instructor to confirm. Update: He confirmed and I was totally wrong. LOL. 20 “counts”.
Note: it’s not “steps” that we are counting, but beats which gives us the “count”. I thought the “count” meant steps, I love learning new things!
So from what I’m learning, the way to find the count is to listen to the beats when the steps begin, ending when the steps complete for that wall/round.
Also, I am going to consider it a beginner dance since it is pretty easy. I have to admit it looks complicated at first and the first time I saw it danced and demonstrated I wasn’t sure I would get it. But, I feel that way about a LOT of the dances when I see them for the first time. But as usual, I was able to pick up the steps, it is super fun and another of my favorites. I am in such envy of my classmates who can practically follow along with the instructor from his demonstration of the dance. And, he can learn dances by just watching them! I just find that amazing.
I cannot find step sheets, so I am going to try my hand at creating a step sheet*!
This is what I have at this point and may need to come back and correct.
Here’s a quick tutorial from Troy Jones:
The dance begins at 32 counts (you can also begin the dance at 16 counts)
RIGHT TWO, LEFT TWO, KICK, STEP PAUSE, KICK
Touch right side, touch right together, twice (right two)
Touch left side, touch left together, twice (left two)
Kick right forward, step right together (kick right)
Kick left forward, step left together (kick left)
Step pause (right left lift) and (left right lift)
Kick right forward, step right together (kick right)
Kick left forward, step left together (kick left)
CLOSED JAZZ BOX
Cross right over left, making 1/4 turn right, step left back
Cross left over right, step right back
Cross right over left, step left back
Cross left over right, step left together
The song Wifey, by the R & B group Next was released in May 2000. It has been a favorite of mine for years. I listen to MEGA 104.3 FM and it was playing one night on my drive home, and so, loving the song, I wondered if there was a line dance for it. YES! There was! I put in a request for our class to learn it and soon it was on our rotation.
Tip: If you love the song, you will LOVE the dance! Especially if you love oldie rhythm and blues, disco, or hip hop. Just do a search on YouTube with the name of the song, and the words “line dance” in quotations.
The video below is the one I use to practice Wifey. It is Linda Simm’s class, I just love watching Linda and her dancers! Enjoy!
*For the record, I began writing the steps based on dances I already know, for example, steps 1 & 2 are the same as in The Baltimore and also in Ms. Jody’s Thang. Remember how I said you will learn dance steps in one song that will help you get better in another? And then I found there is a tutorial written by KickIt that walked me through how to write a step sheet!
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So apparently this dance has a bit of a split personality. The story goes that someone from Baltimore went to New Jersey, learned this dance came back and said it was called New Jersey Strut. Someone from New Jersey went to Baltimore, and came back with a new dance called The Baltimore. This is the second line dance that I can remember learning.
Tip: Keep in mind as you learn each dance, you are learning steps that will very likely be used in other dances. After you have been line dancing for awhile, you will find that you pick up the dances more quickly, and part of that is because you already learned those steps in a previous dance.
Line Dance Passion is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to AMAZON.COM. Line Dance Passion is an affiliate for several companies and may be compensated through advertising and marketing channels. Therefore, this post may contain affiliate links.
The very first line dance I ever learned and memorized was Ms. Jody’s Thang and therefore it is fitting to highlight this dance for the first post on this blog. Most people probably know the Electric Slide, but I didn’t even know that one – actually still don’t!
I have wanted to learn to soul line dance for 40 years. In the 8th grade, I would watch the girls line dancing on lunch break. I would eat quickly, so I wouldn’t miss one step. I loved the rhythm and how all the steps were in sync. I was amazed at how they could remember all the steps. I loved watching how they moved to the music. I wanted to do that, but I was too shy to ever try something like that. Fast forward to 2015. I’m a 50-something woman recovering from the worst year of my life. My marriage came close to breaking up, I nearly had a nervous breakdown and I had come to the realization that my mother was a narcissist.
I was reading Will I Ever Be Good Enough? Healing the Daughters of Narcissistic Mothers by Dr. Karyl McBride Ph.D. and one of the chapters talks about finding your passion. Do something you’ve always wished you could do. A couple of the ladies at my job had briefly mentioned going to a line dance class. I remembered the line dancers in grade school and decided maybe that was one of my unfulfilled passions. I did a Google search and found a class on my way home from work, which began after my work day was over and was extremely affordable. Win-win-win. I impulsively decided to go and I have only missed one class.
Tip: Try to find a class to attend in person. The instructional videos found online are great, but if you are a beginner it will be much easier to make sense of the instruction in real life. Realize you are going to flail around in the beginning, we have all been there. Even if you think you have two left feet, you will get it!
The ladies in my class are wonderful. They are beautiful dancers and everyone is so sweet and encouraging. Our instructor is amazingly talented. We have a wonderful line dance family. The next video is the one I use to practice Ms. Jody’s Thang. Have fun! 🙂
Line Dance Passion is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to AMAZON.COM. Line Dance Passion is an affiliate for several companies and may be compensated through advertising and marketing channels. Therefore, this post may contain affiliate links.