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What a Shock aka Freaks on the Floor Line Dance

Dance: What a Shock (aka in Soul Line Dance – Freaks on the Floor)
Choreographer: Larry Bass
Song: Freak on YouTube
Artist: Cheri Dennis
Step Sheet: What A Shock from Copperknob Line Dance Sheets

I am so intrigued as to why my brain can latch onto some steps immediately, even some that appear difficult, but other steps have me baffled and confused. Notice that I did not say discouraged! 🙂 I have been line dancing seven months now, and I have faith that I WILL pick up the steps! I do have to admit this is the most difficult dance I have ever tried to learn.

The first time I saw What a Shock was at The Line Dance Party’s quarterly line dance party in mid-April. Another group of local line dancers – Shades of Distinction – performed the dance and the next week our instructor taught the dance. He taught the dance for three weeks in a row, and I was just not getting it.

It doesn’t help that I haven’t been practicing on the weekends. I notice a dramatic improvement when I make a point to practice. My instructor sends out a link to a video so we can practice the line dance, but I needed a bit more concentration on the steps. I started searching on YouTube and found the video which is first on this blog post.

I managed to figure out how to make the video loop and just kept practicing over and over and over… like, for 45 minutes. Yes. It took that long for me to get the first few steps memorized! I just feel like if I had tried to rely on learning only while at class, I never would have learned this dance.

But now I feel like the dance is in my brain and I’ll keep practicing to make sure it stays.

So a little background for this dance. It was originally a country and western line dance, the first video is actually the choreographer, Larry Bass, demonstrating the steps! I think that’s pretty cool!

However, as happens fairly often (I’m told) it was converted to a soul line dance at some point in time, and the song used is by Cheri Dennis, and is called Freak. There is just one tiny problem… I could only find this song on YouTube. I could not find it on iTunes, nor on Amazon. So, if you are wanting to do this dance, you’ll need to use the music found on YouTube.

After my intensive practice, I was able to follow along with Linda Simms in the following video. I am not 100% yet, but much better having practiced. At least now I don’t feel like my right foot turned to a left foot again (two left feet).

Look how much fun Linda and the ladies are having dancing this line dance!

Floatin Line Dance

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Instructional above is from Steph’s Line Dancing in San Antonio, Texas

Dance: Floatin’
Wall: 2
Level: Low Intermediate
Choreographer: Unknown
Song: Floatin’ (Available free with Amazon PRIME)
Artist: Charlie Wilson with Justin Timberlake & will.i.am
Step Sheets: None

This dance has been the source of a lot of laughter. Our instructor taught us this dance the typical way first, the way that Steph and her class are dancing in the video above. It is supposed to be danced in two lines. Things went crazy when our class formed two lines. 🙂 Some of us were facing the wrong direction, some of us were stepping backwards into the person behind us, who was stepping backwards toward that person. We were all busting up laughing. It was the first time I had seen the ladies in my class mess up so it was an eye opening moment for me, to see that they weren’t perfect like I thought they were. 🙂

It was even funnier that the side our instructor was in, that line was on track. It made me (several of us) realize how dependent we are on following our instructor’s feet! It was the first time I recognized that.

But we eventually got it. I like the challenge of this dance, and I like the song a lot as well. I decided to call it low intermediate because it does take some extra practice and brain power to master.

The video below is a nice representation of how the dance is done with two lines formed. Thank you to the Elusive Ladies from Houston Texas.

Flashing Line Dance

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Dance: Flashing
Count: 80 count
Wall: 1
Level: Low Intermediate
Choreographer: Dr. Loretta Hall-Martin
Song: Flashing
Artist: Dial Tone
Step Sheet: Kick It (Search for Dance Name “Flashing” Choreographer “Dr. Loretta Hall-Martin”)

The instructional above is by Linda Simms “The Who Dat Teacher” from Let’s Mess It Up Line Dancing.

The first time I saw my line dance class perform Flashing, I stood back with my mouth hanging open. I was transported back to grade school, feelings swirling all over me, admiration and envy, yes, envy, wondering if I could EVER learn this dance. I loved Flashing immediately. It just looked so complicated, and when I saw that one rotation of the dance was 80 counts, I had my doubts.

Tip: Something to remember when you are learning to line dance, and this is very important. Catch onto the steps that you can, and trust that you will pick up the rest of the dance with time and practice.

The first part of Flashing was easy to pick up, you are basically stepping forward “with a little bounce and attitude”. I had those steps quickly (hah – the steps – not so much the “bounce and attitude”), but then I was lost with the Triple Steps Forward and 1/2 turns, the Rock Easy. Wow.

The second part I was able to master was near the end, the “Jamie Fox” aka “Give Me 5”. It is the part of the dance where you touch your foot to the right twice, then lift your right foot up and cross over the left foot. It is at 5:47 in the instructional above. Our instructor teaches a new dance for a couple of classes, and that makes it easier to pick up the steps. After two instructions, I was able to perform it fairly well. I am so happy when I am line dancing!

The video below is the one I use to practice Flashing. It is Linda Simm’s class. Enjoy!

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