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Everything you need before your first line dance class
Free, written guides for people who have genuinely never done this before. Guided video tutorials are coming soon.
The BOTG way
From First Boots to Dance Floor Ready
“It's not about knowing every dance, it's about knowing you belong on the dance floor.”Dance Floor Ready is where we're headed together, and it's also a mindset we practice from your very first step. It's not a test you pass at the end.
01
First Boots
Walking into the room.
No dance background needed. You'll find the basic rhythm, learn simple terminology in plain English, and discover you belong here.
02
Beginner
Building your foundation.
Foundational steps like grapevines, jazz boxes and coaster steps, plus counts and walls, taught with patience and plenty of repetition.
03
Beginner-Improver
Connecting the flow.
Smooth transitions, turns and direction changes, and growing musical awareness as you start hearing where the dance fits the song.
04
Dance Floor Ready
Feeling at home on the dance floor.
Stepping onto a real social dance floor with confidence, practicing dance floor etiquette, and recovering mid-song with a smile.
What we practice from day one
Progress over perfection
Confidence and connection come first. We celebrate every small breakthrough instead of chasing perfect footwork.
Musical awareness
Learning to recognize the beat, the counts, and both musical and instructor cues so the steps start to feel natural.
The art of recovery
Missing a step is part of dancing. Pause, find the beat, and step back into the line. No apology needed.
Floor etiquette
Reading the lines, sharing the floor with other dancers, and moving through a busy room comfortably and respectfully.
Belonging
Our north star. Nobody is keeping score, and there's always a spot waiting for you on the floor.
Beginner basics
Beginner basics you can read right now
Every guide stands alone, so start wherever feels right to you.
What line dancing actually is
Line dancing is a choreographed group dance. No partner needed. It’s that simple.
Your first five steps
Grapevine, step-touch, jazz box, coaster step, pivot turn. Learn these five and you can dance dozens of beginner dances.
How to read a step sheet
Step sheets look like code until someone reads one out loud with you. Here's one, translated line by line.
What to wear and bring
Smooth soles beat new boots. That's most of the advice. Here's the rest of it.
Dance floor etiquette
Six unwritten rules, written down — so you never have to guess what the room expects.
Practicing at home
Fifteen minutes in a kitchen beats two hours you never do. A realistic practice routine.
Coming soon
Guided video tutorials
A guided beginner tutorial series is in the works. Nicole walking you through the steps at your own pace from wherever you are.
In the meantime, the written basics above are free to read, and a few of Nicole’s real class tutorials are in the Dance Library.
Questions people are too polite to ask