20 Beginner Line Dances Great to Know! (2024 Update)

From the Author: I live in Southern California and have been country dancing for over 7 years. I have spent countless nights out both line dancing and partner dancing and like to travel to find all the good places to dance. I still really enjoy dancing the Electric Slide! Author bio here. If you have any questions I respond quickly to comments!

So many new people are discovering line dancing lately and joining in and having fun. If you are one of them and new to it, you may be wondering “Where do I start?” This article will introduce you to some beginner line dances you need to know for 2024!

Starting with beginner line dances is crucial for building confidence. These simple, repetitive routines are easy to follow, making them perfect for newcomers. These easy line dances will help you grasp the basics, enjoy the music, and prepare for more complex dances.

Starting with easy line dances like Cupid Shuffle, The Electric Slide, and Cowboy Hustle, to name a few, will help you get comfortable on the dance floor. Beginner line dances set the foundation for learning more complex dances later.

Here’s my list of 20 easy beginner & popular line dances for 2024 to learn: (click on them to pop down to each one).

20 Beginner Line Dances To Know:

1. Cupid Shuffle
2. Wobble
3. Electric Slide
4. Power Jam
5. Cowboy Hustle
6. House Party
7. Rocket to the Sun
8. Black Velvet
9. Boot Scootin’ Boogie
10. Two-Step (the line dance-not the partner dance!)
11. Cowboy Up
12. Copperhead Road
13. Ah Si
14. Rock Me
15. A Little Bit Lit
16. Baby Likes to Rock It
17. The Outlaw
18. Bang Bang (EZ)
19. K is For Kicks
20. Ten Step (this is actually not done in lines!)

All My Line Dance Lists – Quick Links!

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At first, it can be a little overwhelming when you step into a country bar with all the dancing that is going on–I know how you feel! It can be both exciting and terrifying! But don’t worry it will all work out! If you need to, start with some very beginner dances and work your way down. Enjoy this good round-up of the popular easy beginner line dances out there!

Learn some of these and you’ll be set to get out on the dance floor every time you go out! Starting with the most common and easiest. But all these are fairly easy line dances. Also, check out Some Beginning Line Dancing Basics below for some tips about starting as a beginner! Also, check out my post on the steps that line dancing is made of. These are the building blocks for line dancing: 53 Line Dancing Steps You Need to Know!

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1. Cupid Shuffle

Count: 32

Wall: 4

Level: Very Beginner Line Dance

Cupid Shuffle was choreographed by the singer Cupid and created simultaneously with his song The Cupid Shuffle which was recorded in 2006. When he set out to create it, it was with the exact intention of creating a line dance classic without genre, that everyone could dance to. He came up with the dance in the studio while making up the song.

That is all history! While the song isn’t a country song, this line dance must be first, since it’s arguably the most popular and one everyone has danced to (at bars, weddings, schools). It is straightforward since the lyrics tell you what to do next! “To the right, to the right, to the right, to the right… To the left, to the left, to the left, to the left… Now kick…” So, no excuses, you can do this! It for sure belongs on the list of beginner line dances. Download the step sheet if you are still nervous!

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2. Wobble

Count: 32

Wall: 4

Level: Beginner Line Dance

The Wobble is another non-country line dance that is about as popular as the Cupid Shuffle. And another line dance created by the musical artist! It’s an easy line dance that is very fun and always a crowd-pleaser. It is very common to see people doing the Wobble at weddings and parties as well as a local country bar where it is sure to get everyone out on the dance floor. The Wobble can get a little long though with the song lasting over 5 minutes. A lot of jumping!

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3. Electric Slide

Count: 18

Wall: 4

Level: Beginner Line Dance

While the Electric Slide was originally choreographed in 1976, Marcia Griffiths’s song Electric Boogie gave it popularity. It was in 1989 when it took off and for ten years was listed as the number-one dance in the world! Today there are many songs used to dance the Electric Slide. Achy Breaky Heart is a popular go-to at a country bar, but so many others work great. To have other options for songs the Electric Slide works for go here! It is simple enough here are the steps:

1. Grapevine right. Take one step right with your right foot.
2. Grapevine left. Take one step left with your left foot.
3. Rock forward and back with a toe touch. Step back with your right foot, then bring your left foot to meet it.
4. Quarter-turn left and begin again…

It’s pretty easy (once you know it!). For beginner line dances, this one has to be on the list! The Electric slide was actually the first line dance I learned about 7 years ago, and I did need a video to get that rock, toe touch, and quarter-turn all timed right. Another great thing about line dancing, especially with an easy one like the Electric Slide is that, as you get good, you can “play” adding in turns, etc. to have fun, make it your own, and show off a little on the dance floor.

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4. Power Jam (San Diego Version)

Count: 24

Wall: 4

Level: Beginner Line Dance

Power Jam is a pretty common call-out and is aptly named. It’s pretty fast-paced and the slides and heal taps and then the hop at the end that most people do is all great fun. This is a good one to get under your belt and a live band is for sure going to have some songs for it. For sure add this to your list of beginner line dances to learn!

There are a couple of slight variations I’ve noticed with Power Jam. Firstly, for the first two heel-taps to the front and toe-taps to the back, most people just do one tap and hold it for the extra beat. Secondly, at the end of the dance instead of the little hop, you can also just stomp the left foot.

Note: the locally popular version for Power Jam in the So. Cal. area is the San Diego Version which is slightly simplified. This one has more votes and many more videos on Copperknob, so I assume is preferred at large.

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5. Cowboy Hustle

Count: 32

Wall: 4

Level: Beginner Line Dance

Cowboy Hustle is another fun, fast, and easy line dance similar to the Power Jam. I have confused and switched these for each other at times. They both tap the right heel forward and behind, so watch out for that! Like the Power Jam, Cowboy Hustle can go with many songs and will get called out commonly. Cowboy Hustle is a good dance to include on your list of beginner line dances to know!

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6. House Party

Count: 24

Wall: 4

Level: Beginner Line Dance

The next good one of beginner line dances to know is House Party! House Party is a favorite one at THE RANCH Saloon in Anaheim and after all, it is co-choreographed by Kerry Kick one of the weekly instructors there. It has a very current feel, danced to Sam Hunt’s song House Party. It may feel like a lot of spinning to people new to dancing since besides two step-turns there are 4 turns and shuffles (to make the four walls of the house!) But it’s always a fun one with a full floor. During those 4 turns and shuffles people hold up and touch their hands to look like a house!

Another thing about House Party is its continuing popularity even though now 10 years old! This puts it in the category of Classic Line Dance to me. See my full list of the classics here!

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7. Rocket to the Sun

Count: 32

Wall: 4

Level: Absolute Beginner Line Dance

Rocket To The Sun is a great one for this round-up of beginner line dances. Rocket To The Sun is a classic line dance from one of the best: Maddison Glover. See my blog post on Classic Line Dances to see some other great classics!

In Rocket To The Sun, I love the transition. The 3/4 walk around at the end of the dance is a simple, but brilliant way to transition to the next wall! Also, it’s an absolute beginner dance, so for sure take a moment and add to your dance list!

One more bit of news about Rocket to the Sun: a new dance was recently added to Copperknob called Rocket to the Sun (Chair Dance). The choreographer credit says: Maddison Glover & Jennifer Jones. Jennifer took Maddison’s classic line dance and modified it to be accessible to folks who cannot stand and dance easily. I love that she did this, and it ended up being very popular for a bit, reaching as high as #5 in Copperknob’s top 10! She adds this note to her step sheet about it:

Thank you, Maddison Glover, for blessing this dance. Her wonderful dance was modified to a chair dance, so the residents of Keystone Commons, an assisted living community could “dance”. It’s better to dance in your chair than not at all. Click here to check that out!

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8. Black Velvet

Count: 40

Wall: 1

Level: Improver Line Dance

Admittedly this is listed as an “improver” level line dance. I’m keeping it since I think it is fairly easy to pick up for beginners. It is generally danced as a “contra” dance, and this is perhaps why it is an improver since that adds some challenge to it. But it can be a lot of fun since typically there are a lot of high-fives happening as you glide past your friends.

The contra aspect of this dance for the beginner may look pretty messed up! Who do you follow? The people in front of you are faced opposite you! Just be sure to look to the folks at your side who are going in your direction and follow them! This ends up being fun and it is fairly easy! Check out the video or download the step sheet to give it a try.

Note: I’ve noticed that where I dance (The Ranch, Anaheim CA), we just do the the shuffling to go back and forth (instead of the traveling kick-ball changes). This simplifies the dance. Check out my video below of me dancing this in my living room to see how that looks!

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9. Boot Scootin’ Boogie

Count: 32

Wall: 4

Level: Beginner Line Dance

Boot Scootin’ Boogie is a line dance not often seen in So. Cal. but it is one I wish was. Soon after I became a convert to the country dance scene, as a long-time country music fan I wondered, “Hey, what about Brooks & Dunn’s Boot Scootin’ Boogie?” I wondered if there was a line dance for a great classic that talks about line dancing! Well, sure enough, there is! In fact on the Copperknob website, there are 3 pages of step sheets to different versions of dances to the song!

If you love Brooks & Dunn as much as me and you want to have this one under your belt. On YouTube Bill Bader’s version is pretty common but in So. Cal. I’ve only seen people dance the Tom Mattox & Skippy Blair version. They both are 32 counts, but this one’s more of a beginner-line dance. You’ll see above this one doesn’t have much love in the voting. I think it deserves way more!

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10. Two Step (line dance)

Count: 16

Wall: 4

Level: Very Beginner Line Dance

The Two Step line dance is not to be confused with the Two Step partner dance! As explained in the video below from “Dancin’ with Patti” this is from the music video by Laura Bell Bundy found on YouTube. With only 16 counts this is a very beginner line dance. Reminds me a little of the Cupid Shuffle.

Fun fact: Robert Royston also more recently choreographed the line dance seen in Midland’s Mr. Lonely music video. So, another music video that people have now learned a line dance from.

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11. Cowboy Up

Count: 32

Wall: 4

Level: Beginner Line Dance

Cowboy Up was a line dance I learned early on when I first started line dancing. Even if I don’t dance it much it is always very easy to pick up again if I see it called.

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12. Copperhead Road

Count: 24

Wall: 4

Level: Ultra Beginner Line Dance

Copperhead Road, I would say is a true country western classic line dance that is very common to see at your local country dance hall. It has fewer steps than a typical line dance (24 vs. 32), so it’s that much easier to learn and master quickly. The fun part of this dance of course is the great classic song from Steve Earle, but also the fun hops and hitch in the dance!

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13. Ah Si

Count: 32

Wall: 4

Level: Ultra Beginner Line Dance

Ah Si is a great line dance for new dancers. It is an Ultra Beginner Line Dance. While it is a very easy line dance to learn, I thought the first 8 steps with the touch steps forward and then back were a little different and a lot of fun. And then there are even more step touches. It’s pretty much all step touches!

Note: Ah Si is a line dance that is great for the Christmas season – just use the song: Feliz Navidad. I’ve included it in my list of 25 Christmas Beginner Line Dances. Check that post out too!

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14. Rock Me

Count: 32

Wall: 4

Level: Beginner/Intermediate Line Dance

Rock Me is a great favorite line dance of mine! I am a big Darius Rucker fan and his song Wagon Wheel is a great song. The rocking steps choreographed to “Rock Me” throughout the dance fit so well. I don’t see it called every night but it should be!

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15. A Little Bit Lit

Count: 32

Wall: 4

Level: Beginner Line Dance

A Little Bit Lit is a beginner line dance that is taught a lot on the weekends at the Ranch Saloon where I dance. It is a good one for beginners. And like some other line dances on this list just a great country song to dance to. Lyrically the song Lit is a lot of fun–a fast and fun song. Included below is the lyric video!

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16. Baby Likes to Rock It

Count: 48

Wall: 2

Level: Beginner/Improver Line Dance

This beginner line dance is a lot of fun. It’s a little fast, but try it out and stick with it. I love the grapevine and turn to then do another grapevine.

Rock It is also a line dance used around Christmas, danced to the song Santa Claus is Coming (in a boogie-woogie choo-choo train). Check out more information about that here!

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17. The Outlaw

Count: 32

Wall: 4

Level: Beginner Line Dance

The Outlaw is a pretty popular dance but is one of the line dances out there that isn’t to a country song. Country rapper Mikel Knight doesn’t fit at all in my opinion of what country music and country dancing is about, but people love the dance!

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18. Bang Bang (EZ)

Count: 32

Wall: 4

Level: Basic Beginner Line Dance

Bang Bang is another really easy line dance that should be simple for you to learn and add to your list. It is seen sometimes at the bars being taught to give people new to line dancing a good opportunity to get involved. Check out Philip’s video below as he walks us through it.

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19. K is for Kicks

Count: 32

Wall: 4

Level: Absolute Beginner Line Dance

For my 2nd to last choice for a beginner line dance, I chose K is For Kicks, a well-choreographed dance by Christopher Gonzales. This dance, like Rock It above is also a dance that people love to use for Christmas time. Check out the info about that here!

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20. Ten Step (L/P)

Count: 18

Wall: 0

Level: Beginner Line Dance

Line / Partner

The Ten Step is not a line dance! The Ten Step would be considered a partner dance. As such, you can dance it with a partner, but it is commonly danced individually and so much fun that I wanted to include it. It is also easy! So, while it technically isn’t a “Beginner Line Dance,” it is a beginner dance that you’ll see called on any given weekend in many different dance halls! Like most partner dances it is danced in a circle (counter-clockwise) on the dance floor.

One common song to hear when it is called is Devil Went Down to Georgia. The beat is fast and it’s a lot of fun when the band speeds up the tempo toward the end to challenge both the fiddle player and the dancers to keep up, ’til, of course, they can’t!

So, if dancing with a partner, you do so in the sweetheart position or just holding hands. But, if individually you get the fun option to spin during the shuffle steps that occur between the “10-step” part. (altogether it is an 18-count dance).

And if by chance you watch the video below taken at the Cowboy Palace in Chatsworth and are struck by the particular magic and charm of this scene click here to read the recounting of my experience there. It truly is an awesome country dance bar.

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2024 Update to 20 Beginner Line Dances Great to Know!

This year I took a closer look at my 20 Beginner Line Dances that I first published back in 2018. I noticed I had some dances that were more advanced than “Beginner.” The dances I’ve removed and the new ones are as follows:

Removed Dances:	Added Dances (2024):
Watermelon Crawl (Intermediate)	Rocket To The Sun (Absolute Beginner)
Good Time (Improver)	Cowboy Up (Beginner)
Linda Lu (Improver)	Copperhead Road (Ultra Beginner)
My Maria (Improver)	Ah Si (Ultra Beginner)
Slappin’ Leather (Beginner)	Rock It (Beginner/Improver)
Tush Push (Beginner/Intermediate)	Bang Bang (Basic Beginner)
Country Girl Shake (Improver)	K Is for Kicks (Absolute Beginner)

If you want to learn some or all of the more advanced dances removed, see a new blog post that preserves them on the site: 8 Popular Improver Line Dances To Learn and Dance Now!

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Some Beginning Line Dancing Basics

So there it is! My list of what I think are 20 of the easiest and most popular line dances out there right now. In addition to the dances themselves here’s a little more information about line dancing if you’re new to all this and a little confused about what is happening out there on the floor–I know I was!

A couple of things to know about if you’re new! Line dances are typically 16, 32, 40, or 48 steps (based on the level of difficulty) You may have noticed these numbers are all divisible by 8! Most popular music has a 4/4 time signature, but dancers count beats in sets of 8, hence line dance choreography is grouped and taught in sets of 8 or with “8-count.”

Next (and the other major thing), line dances are known for having one, two, or four walls. A one-wall dance means everyone will face in the same direction when all steps are performed. A two-wall line dance is when at the end of each sequence of steps everyone has turned 180º and you begin again facing the back — for these dances, you will always just face the “front” and “back” walls. Then, with a four-wall line dance (the most difficult), at the end of the steps, everyone has turned 90º and “begins the dance” again facing one of the “side” walls. As the dance progresses you will keep finishing and starting again facing a new wall.

TIP: When first learning and taking a class it is tempting to hide in the last row! But as you may have already guessed, that’s a bad idea! As soon as the dance has moved on to the back wall, if you were in the back, you are now in the front! You can’t see anyone and everyone is looking at you! So, find a good spot somewhere in the middle and you’ll be able to always watch someone who knows what they are doing!

With 20 line dances to learn and a couple of basics, you are ready to get involved in this fun activity. Like anything else in life, it takes some just plain jumping headlong in and learning as you go!

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Line Dance Lists

Since beginning this site back in 2019 I have put together line dance lists. I now have 13 on the site! This post on 20 Beginner Line Dances Great to Know! remains my most popular post to date. See the links below to pop over quickly to any of my other 12 lists of great line dances to learn about. Note: The post on 50 Popular Line Dances that Everyone Loves has been updated for 2024.

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