Recently, country music has found its way onto dance floors. From Dierks Bentleys’ Gold-certified 5-1-5-0 to Carrie Underwood’s ballad My Church, country songs can get people moving.
Country dance clubs host regular dancing events and offer lessons in waltz, foxtrot, square and line dances using courante or compound duple metre as their basis.
Origins
Country music and dance have long been linked together. From sock hops of the 1950s to today’s hybrid of country and EDM music, artists like Luke Bryan and Carrie Underwood demonstrate how country’s emotive lyrics can combine seamlessly with dance beats for an extensive audience. Furthermore, its traditional roots in the South and West offer it a strong correlation with how dancing has developed over time.
Country music’s origins remain debated. Some experts cite recordings by Southern Appalachian fiddle players as its true start, while others consider the 1920s when radio “barn dance” programs spread and Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry became established as the time when country emerged as a recorded genre.
Commercial country music boomed during the 1930s and 1940s due to several factors: (1) migration from rural South areas into urban centers for employment opportunities, and (2) an increasing number of Americans turned to country music as entertainment. These events combined to expand country’s reach into new communities while opening it up to outside influences like blues and gospel.
Country music stands out from other pop genres with several distinctive characteristics that set it apart: folk harmonies are standard practice, while many instruments employ stringed instruments such as guitar, bass, banjo and fiddle; in addition, its signature twangy vocal style stands out.
Many country songs feature strong narratives with moral lessons to be learned from them, often dealing with themes of family, faith and the American frontier. Country has experienced immense popularity since its resurgence due to artists such as Kenny Chesney, Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks Miranda Lambert Carrie Underwood and Blake Shelton becoming household names in music today.
The 21st-century country music genre explosion has created stronger links between country music and dance. Not only do radio hits like Maren Morris’ and Drake’s dance hits exist within country genre, they have expanded upon country’s dance traditions by adding hip-hop elements and electronica into country songs such as Honky Tonk Badonkadonk or listening to Eminem’s version of Dolly Parton’s Jolene as evidence of country being suitable for dancing floors.
Styles
No matter if it’s with friends in a bar or alone in your bedroom, country music will get you moving! With its smooth beat and catchy melodies or inspirational lyrics, country is an excellent genre to use when dancing alone or with others. Or try line dancing as another form of country and western dancing which involves fast footwork and partner work!
Although country music styles evolve over time, their roots in traditional folk and agrarian themes remain constant. This genre is defined by simple forms and harmony using instruments such as banjos, electric and acoustic guitars, dobros and fiddles to produce its distinct sound.
By the 1920s, worker migration and military service helped spread country music across America and even internationally. Radio stations such as Chicago’s WLS broadcasting the “National Barn Dance” helped country music reach an even wider audience and eventually become an iconic national trend.
In the 1930s, Gene Autry’s success as a “singing cowboy” film star gave rise to a new movement in country music known as western swing – combining elements from Dixieland jazz, rural blues, steel-amplified guitars and lively dance rhythms into one genre of country music.
Pop country is an innovative subgenre of country music that blends catchy melodies with professional production, popularized by artists such as Shania Twain and Lee Ann Womack.
Christian country music has become an increasingly popular subgenre of country music. This genre blends religious themes into its lyrics, as embraced by such popular country artists as Dolly Parton and Patsy Cline. Additionally, country genre encompasses various styles like honky tonk country, Texas country, and contemporary country.
Musicians
Country dance music draws upon the talents of musicians to produce songs with an infectious beat that inspire people to get up and move. String players such as guitarists, banjoists and fiddlers have created many memorable country hits over time that they perform alongside traditional string bands in honky tonks or radio broadcasts; singers with distinct country crooning voices such as Minnie Pearl, Willie Nelson or Hank Williams epitomise this style of country singing.
Country dance songs have also seen great success from collaboration between musicians from other genres who add their influences. Florida Georgia Line’s Cruise hit was made even bigger this year thanks to an intriguing remix featuring rapper Nelly, while Carrie Underwood’s Two Black Cadillacs became a dance floor anthem with help from Southern rapper Ludacris.
These crossover collaborations are being spurred on by digital streaming services that enable DJs to find and incorporate country music into their hip-hop, pop, and electronic mixes. One such platform, Beatsource has recently added country to its selection of open-format DJ music alongside Latin and hip-hop genres.
Younger musicians frequently look to classic honky tonk for inspiration when writing new country dance songs, according to Poleman. Their goal is “making authentic and true music,” she notes; this can help country artists stand out in an increasingly competitive music landscape.
In the 1990s, country musicians produced many memorable dance songs. Brooks & Dunn’s legendary booty-shaking “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” inspired people to start line dancing; other great examples from this period are Tracy Byrd’s upbeat Party Girl and Shania Twain’s soulful Man! I Feel Like a Woman.
In the 1970s, an emerging trend of artists rose up against Nashville-centric music to form Outlaw Country. Willie Nelson and his Band of Joy made Outlaw Country famous while other artists such as Kris Kristofferson, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams and Asleep at the Wheel were all considered outlaws for creating this unique form of country that included elements of both bluegrass and western swing. These outlaws inspired contemporary musicians like Asleep at the Wheel to blend traditional country with rock sounds to form Asleep at the Wheel and other musicians continue this legacy by mixing traditional country with rock to produce fresh soundscapes of contemporary country sounds that blend traditional with rock sounds in creative and engaging ways today.
Dancers
Country music offers great choices to satisfy all your dancing needs, whether that’s boot scootin’ or slow dancing to love songs. Check out this playlist of some of our favorite country songs that’ll get your heart thumping and your feet tapping!
Country songs capture the spirit of what it feels like to live in America’s rural areas and what it means to belong to their community. Their history is filled with tales about heartache, hard work, and personal pride; often told through ballads which tell a narrative. Another feature of country music that often remains prevalent throughout its history is duet singing; early acts such as The Carter Family were known for featuring this form of duet singing.
Country dances are an integral part of many communities across America. Performed to traditional English folk songs and original compositions written especially for country dancing, country dances can also be regionalized to showcase each region’s heritage and celebrate it through song and choreography unique to that locale.
Country dance clubs offer regular lessons to teach those interested in learning how to dance the basics as well as more advanced moves, with bands performing live at dances to provide an energetic atmosphere and make learning easy and fun!
Many country music artists have also enjoyed great success on the dance floor, earning trophies and accolades on shows like “Dancing With The Stars.” More recently, however, there has been an upsurge in interest for electronic remixes of classic country tunes featuring faster dance beats that add modern flair.
Country music may not always find a home in today’s dance scene, but it makes an excellent option for couples looking to get moving together. Country dance music provides an enjoyable, laidback way to spend quality time together while relieving some tension.