Can you believe it? Finally, we seem to be getting to the end of the pause of all country dancing at our favorite country bars and saloons!
It is an exciting time for country dancers everywhere right now. But it is also pretty obvious that the Covid pandemic didn’t stop a lot of us from continuing to dance in some way. Many of us kept going, first through Zoom meetings, then in parks, and finally, in parking lots as some places just evolved and adjusted as they needed to, to stay in business and continue to provide a place for dancers to come, meet up, and dance their hearts out!
So, because things didn’t ever really completely stop, there are currently HOT line dances trending just like at any other time.
Here are some current dances that seem to be trending and catching fire with people. And, here’s the disclaimer, these are some of the HOT line dances of 2021, not all, cause there are so many!
Check these out! Maybe you’ve already seen, even learned some of these in your local country dance saloon or are about to! Check them out, learn them and be ready to go as these trending dances continue to hit dance floors everywhere this year!
To put this list together it was a no-brainer to check out the Copperknob “Top-10 Most Popular“! Truth is, that the list actually is the top 99! While this only shows what is popular over the last 7 days at any given time, it is a great place to see what is trending and what people like.
Of course, line dances will rise and fall. But this list is a good place to see the choreography of some of the really great choreographers and what they are going.
It is to be expected that these choreographers do have followings and their dances are going to be picked up and spread around.
Here is the list of my 12 HOT line dances people can’t get enough of right now. (click on them to pop down to more information and lessons for each one).
1. Country in 3
| Count: 32 | Wall: 4 | Level: Intermediate | Videos on Copperknob: 130 |
Choreography: Michele Burton, USA, Maddison Glover, Australia & Jo Thompson Szymanski, USA (January 2021)
Music: “Country In Me” by Lauren Alaina
Step Sheet: Click here to download.
After a little research, it seemed like a no-brainer this dance should be #1. It was a dance created through the collaboration of 3 greats in the industry. Michele Burton, Maddison Glover, and Jo Thompson Szymanski collaborated to come up with an inspiring and beautiful dance for this year’s Crystal Boot Awards show.
The name “Country in 3” is a clever play on the fact that 3 choreographers came together to make it. There’s also a place in the dance where there are 3 point steps that I think accent the idea of 3s even more. Additionally what makes the dance interesting is how it is danced to a “rolling 8 count,” which has to do with the timing.
A good friend of mine found this dance and taught it to a small group in the park in the last year and hopefully, we haven’t seen the last of it. But judging from how many people have added their videos of it to the Copperknob page for it, I would say it will stay around for a while.
Below are two videos: A great, really fun split-screen demo showing all 3 choreographers dancing it together. And then, what I believe to be the BEST teach video of the dance by Jo Thompson Szymanski, herself. Wow! What a great dance instructor!
Of note is the fact that she won the Line Dance Association’s award for International Line Dance Instructor for 2020 as well as an award with Maddison Glover for another line dance (Get Wild).
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2. My Bestie
| Count: 32 | Wall: 4 | Level: High Improver | Tags: 2 | Videos on Copperknob: 168 |
Choreography: Colin Ghys, Belgium & José Miguel Belloque Vane, Netherlands (May 2021)
Music: Iko Iko (My Bestie) by Justin Wellington (featuring Small Jam)
Step Sheet: Click here to download.
Coming in at #2 of what is HOT, is a line dance that was introduced in the spring of this year, but currently, wait for it…. has 168 demo and/or teaching videos uploaded to the Copperknob step sheet for it!
This genuinely blew my mind! And while I don’t really know anything about these particular choreographers obviously a lot of people do and are big fans. Colin Ghys & José Miguel Belloque have many choreographed line dances between them, most however by far belonging to José Miguel Belloque.
But the line dance definitely is worthy of #2. The song is super joyful and upbeat and the high improver dance choreography has some really fun and different aspects to it.
The line dance isn’t too hard to pick up. The main thing is that it is pretty fast, which adds to its level of difficulty. You’ll find the more uncommon line dance steps of a Rumba Box, Vaudeville steps, and a Volta Turn. In general, the dance seems to really cover some ground and does so in an interesting way, and looks great when everyone is nailing it together!
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3. Champagne Promise
| Count: 32 | Wall: 4 | Level: Beginner | Restarts: 1 | Videos on Copperknob: 40 |
Choreography: Tina Argyle, March 2017
Music: “Champagne Promise” by David Nail
Step Sheet: Click here to download.
Champagne Promise is a dance a friend of mine taught some people in the park this last year and it seems to keep coming up and looks to be taking off!
Generally what makes a line dance great is when the choreography seems to fit and flow with the music and tempo of the song. The song Champagne Promise has a slow Cha Cha beat at 105 BPM and Tina Argyle’s choreography is really superb in creating a unique and enjoyable line dance for it.
When a line dance is just great and begins to really take off, it shouldn’t surprise us that the choreographer is very experienced and accomplished. Tina Argyle is definitely one of the great ones out there! She has been teaching since 1994 and throughout the years has become one of the most well-known choreographers and instructors.
She is a recipient of 2 Crystal Boot Awards and of special note here, she won Beginner Dance Of The Year for Champagne Promise in 2017, when she created it. She also took CCN Country Dance Of The Year with Champagne Promise.
I would say these awards just confirm what people are already feeling on the dance floor when they dance Champagne Promise – It is a great dance!
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4. Señorita La-La-La
| Count: 32 | Wall: 1 | Level: Beginner / Improver | Videos on Copperknob: 145 |
Choreography: Julia Wetzel, USA (2019)
Music: Señorita by Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello
Step Sheet: Click here to download.
This new line dance was just recently choreographed in the summer of 2019 by Julia Wetzel. She is a choreographer and line dance instructor from the San Francisco Bay area with 93 dances to her credit on Copperknob.
Some other great line dances that Julia has given us are Late Night Habits (also in this article on HOT line dances), Wasted On You, and recently a new dance called Give Me Shivers.
With Señorita La-La-La, Julia has designed a beautiful dance that really capitalizes on the cha cha rhythm of Señorita by Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello. So many people loved the dance; to date, there are 145 videos uploaded to the Copperknob step sheet!
It was exciting to see the folks judging the Crystal Boot Awards agree with everyone! Julia received the Improver Dance of Year for 2019 for Señorita La-La-La!
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5. Cold Heart
| Count: 32 | Wall: 4 | Level: Improver | Videos on Copperknob: 162 |
Choreographer: Maddison Glover, Australia – (August 2021)
Music: “Cold Heart” (PNAU Remix) – Elton John & Dua Lipa
Step Sheet: Click here to download
At the time I’m putting this list together, (September 2021) I am looking at the Copperknob Top 10 Most Popular line dances, and, (at least for now) “Cold Heart” by Maddison Glover is #1!
It makes sense to see a line dance from a very accomplished and successful choreographer at the top.
I think what really adds to Maddison’s effort with Cold Heart is the really exciting new song and collaboration by Elton John and Dua Lipa. When I first came across this song it was because of someone’s line dance for it. But mainly I was struck with how great the song was. For some reason, it reminds me of the Elton John I grew up with and loved so much.
But now, I have also discovered that Maddison Glover took a crack at creating a new line dance for it. And, because she’s Maddison Glover, it’s a great dance and (at least for this moment) #1!
And notice that after only just being added to Copperknob in August of 2021, already 48 demo videos* from Maddison’s worldwide fans have been added alongside the official one.
Note: I’ve updated this to the current 162 uploaded! – 121 Demo/41 Teaching.
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6. Dance Monkey
| Count: 32 | Wall: 4 | Level: Beginner | Videos on Copperknob: 137 |
Choreographer: Alison Johnstone, Australia
Music: Dance Monkey by Tones And I
Step Sheet: Click here to download.
This line dance is a couple of years old now, but has been very loved and is still a dance that gets people out on the dance floor. I think people really love the cute & catchy song and it is a beginner line dance, so not too hard really to pick up and add to your repertoire of dances.
The dance won the Wild Card category at the 2020 Crystal Boot Awards, and I’ve included the video of Alison Johnstone receiving that award below.
And also, like other dances on this list, you can really tell people love it by how many videos have been added to the Copperknob page for it – in this case, a whopping 137!
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7. In The Six
| Count: 64 | Wall: 2 | Level: Advanced | Tags: 1 | Restarts: 1 | Videos on Copperknob: 23 |
Choreographer: Shane McKeever, No. Ireland & Joey Warren, USA (March, 2019)
Music: Body by Loud Luxury
Step Sheet: Click here to download.
The dance In The Six, being an advanced line dance is going to be one that the more serious line dancers will be dancing. I’ve seen this dance called many times, but its on a night that is devoted to hard core line dancing.
The choreographers are seasoned dancers with 199 line dance credits between them and are well known in the line dance world.
One part of this line dance that is sure to pose a challenge is the Apple Jack Steps. If you need help with these check out my post on 53 line dance steps. The first on the list is Apple Jacks. But the 2nd video included here also has a great visual teach for that part of the dance.
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8. 3 to Tango
| Count: 32 | Wall: 4 | Tags: 3 | Level: Intermediate | Videos on Copperknob: 81 |
Choreography: Raymond Sarlemijn (NL), Roy Verdonk (NL) & José Miguel Belloque Vane (NL) – August 2019
Music: 3 to Tango by Pitbull
Step Sheet: Click here to download.
Once again 3 great choreographers (970 Copperknob credits between them!) collaborate to bring us a really great and fun line dance. 3 to Tango is an intermediate dance that takes a little bit to get but is super fun.
Learn this as it will probably be around in the clubs for a while. There’s a great Latin feel to the dance that goes great with the music.
The videos below are, first a demonstration from one of the choreographers, Raymond Sarlemijn, and then a great teaching video taking you through it step by step.
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9. Late Night Habits
| Count: 32 | Wall: 4 | Tags: 1 | Level: Improver | Videos on Copperknob: 88 |
Choreography: Julia Wetzel (USA) – July 2021
Music: Bad Habits by Ed Sheeran
Step Sheet: Click here to download.
Julia Wetzel does it again! This is a new line dance from Julia that she just created in July. I sort of wonder if she might not be a big Ed Sheeran fan. But really he’s got great songs that are upbeat and catchy and are asking for choreography.
Julia really delivers with this line dance. People really love the dance and give it 5 stars in the voting. Check out her demo below and a great walkthrough video below to learn the dance Late Night Habits.
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10. Off The Chain
| Count: 64 | Wall: 2 | Restarts: 1 | Level: Phrased Intermediate / Advanced | Videos on Copperknob: 35 |
Choreography: Fred Whitehouse (IRE) – June 2014
Music: I Can’t Believe It – Flo Rida (feat. pitbull)
Step Sheet: Click here to download.
For one of my last line dances, I’ve chosen one that is a little older but still really popular in the clubs. It’s advanced and the more hard-core line dancers really love it.
I think it’s funny that this line dance is called Off the Chain, because in terms of difficulty, as an advanced line dance, it truly is “off the chain!” It is a phrased dance, so there are two parts (A&B) that follow in an A, A, A, B pattern more or less. Oh, and there’s a restart and a tag thrown in for good measure!
So, needless to say, this line dance is not for the beginner or faint of heart, but it is great choreography, so try it out, learn it, cause it is still popular and probably not going away for a while.
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11. New Thang
| Count: 64 | Wall: 1 | Tags: 1 | Level: Phrased Intermediate | Videos on Copperknob: 35 |
Choreography: Philip Sobrielo (Singapore), Rebecca Lee (Malaysia) & Raymond Sarlemijn (NL) – September 2015
Music: New Thang by RedFoo of LMFAO
Step Sheet: Click here to download.
When 3 international Choreographers collaborate it is probably going to be a great line dance they create!
Philip Sobrielo from Singapore has 220 line dances, Rebecca Lee has 87, and Raymond Sarlemiin is credited with 274, granted a lot of these are co-collaborations, but this totals 581 Copperknob choreography credits between them, Sobrielo with the most solo choreography line dances at 126.
This line dance is indeed an intermediate line dance at 64 counts and a combination of A & B phrased parts. When you watch it danced you really see the dance experience and genius come forth. It’s challenging but so fun.
As for the song, it was created by Redfoo, of LMFAO. Redfoo is the son of Berry Gordy Jr, founder of Motown. The song Newthang is a fun punchy rap song with a great sax solo interwoven through the song that gave the choreographers the opportunity of adding some fun arm and body moves into the choreography that goes great with it.
Check out the video below of choreographers Philip Sobrielo and Rebecca Lee amazingly showing off the dance and then watch Adia Nuno’s great teaching to really learn the dance and get it down.
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12. Rude Dude
| Count: 32 | Wall: 4 | Level: Intermediate | Videos on Copperknob: 6 |
Choreographer: Mark Paulino
Music: Church by T-Pain, featuring Teddy Verseti
Step Sheet: Click here to download.
I saw this line dance being done at Swallow’s Inn down in San Juan Capistrano. That was another bar very much affected by the pandemic. Even though they had to close, they kept the dancing going on in the parking lot every weekend.
Who really knows how these things get started, but this line dance Rude Dude is a current craze in Southern California and there it was being danced in the dark parking lot of Swallow’s Inn!
Mark Paulino is a current choreographer based in the United States and, according to Copperknob has choreographed 27 dances, the first of which is from September 2015, with the most recent choreographed dances being this year. He choreographed the line dance Rude Dude back in September of 2020, so really it hasn’t taken too long to catch on.
The song Church, by T-Pain, I guess is called “Church” because of the lyric: “Before the end of the night I’m gonna have to take your to Church.” But I think Rude Dude is really more the theme of the song: “I then turned into a rude dude, man…” and a great name for the line dance.
Extra! Here’s a little fun fact about the above video showing the Rude Dude line dance. The venue it was shot in is called The Original Cancun Cantina, located in Hanover, Maryland! This is an amazing and expansive nightclub where Mark Paulino has taught and where country dancers gather 3 nights a week for great nights of dancing. Click here to learn more about the venue!
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In Conclusion….
This was a difficult list to put together since line dancing, in general, is HOT and on fire! There are so many great choreographers coming up with new line dances constantly. There are also so many older line dances that are getting discovered now and are catching on with people, and there are always the timeless ones that don’t seem to be cooling down anytime soon. The top 10 or 12 will always be changing! This list is just a guess at SOME of the hot ones right now. Please feel free to comment and let me know where you are in the world and what is HOT in the line dancing scene where you are! Thanks for reading!