13 Line Dances to Know When Going to a Texas Dance Hall

Line dancing is more popular now than I can ever remember, and I've been playing music at clubs since 1985. When I used to work at Bullwinkles in Nacogdoches in 1991, there were only two main line dance songs, "Bop" by Dan Seals and "Boot Scootin' Boogie" by Brooks & Dunn.

Now, there's a popular circuit of about 25 line dances. I decided to limit it down to 13 you'll need to know if you're going to be a line dance enthusiast. I'll start with the top three - the trinity of line dances.

COPPERHEAD ROAD - STEVE EARLE

If you go to a Texas dance hall and this doesn't get played at least once, the DJ either doesn't have a clue or just can't stand line dances. The bagpipe call to action along with the periodic heavy boot stomps make this a crowd favorite.

Be sure and yell 'Happy Birthday' twice when the lyrics get to "Volunteered for the army on my birthday,"

FOOTLOOSE - KENNY LOGGINS (or BLAKE SHELTON)

This one is another no-brainer for the DJ to play and is also guaranteed to fill up the dance floor. I've heard both versions of this song played, but when I'm spinning the songs, I prefer to play the old-school version from Kenny Loggins, but we'll use Blake Shelton for the tutorial video.

BOOT SCOOTIN' BOOGIE - BROOKS & DUNN

Way back in the early 90s while I was a club DJ at Bullwinkles in Nacogdoches, the two big line dance songs were Bop and this one. You don't hear Bop get played much anymore, but Boot Scootin' Boogie is still a staple.

TIMBER - PITBULL ft KESHA

Even when I play this song at basketball games, cheerleaders will start into the line dance.

WOBBLE - V.I.C

The song took the dance world by storm back in 2008 and it's still a must a clubs

THE BUNNY HOP - DA ENTOURAGE

First, this is NOT the same Bunny Hop dance that was popular before Elvis. This very simple line dance is choreographed to the song that was sung by Da Entourage, a band based in Lafayette, Louisiana.

FAKE ID - BIG & RICH

This is a high-energy line dance with lots of moving parts. It was introduced in the Footloose movie sequel in 2011. Let's take a look at the dance from the movie followed by a tutorial video.

CUPID SHUFFLE - CUPID

Released in 2007, the Cupid Shuffle has been a mainstay at clubs, weddings, corporate functions, and much more. It's one of my favorites because it's easy to learn since the lyrics tell you what to do.

CHA CHA SLIDE - DJ CASPER

The song and line dance turns 15 this year. It's still played often at clubs, but it's not as popular as it used to be.

In the tutorial, the instructor is facing you which is why he inverts his right and left directions.

OUTLAW (WHISKEY DRINKIN' - SOB) - MIKEL KNIGHT

Quick warning - course language ahead. It's called the Outlaw Line Dance, but it's performed to this Mikel Knight song.

COUNTRY GIRL, SHAKE IT FOR ME - LUKE BRYAN

Sometimes dancers will do shuffle steps to this song, while others will break into the corresponding line dance.

K WANG - KHIA

This one may not get played as often as other line dance songs, but it's still one of the songs that get requested the most when I'm deejaying. (caution-lyrics)

COTTON EYED JOE/SCHOTTISCHE - ISAAC PAYTON SWEAT

You could call this a bonus line dance since it rarely gets played anymore. But, us old schoolers still love playing it and dancing to it.  I couldn't really find a tutorial, but these folks kind of get the steps down, for the most part.

Just a Few of the Many

There are so many more line dances that are quite popular and get played often at country dance halls

• Cotton Eyed Joe - Rednex Version
• Good Time - Alan Jackson
• Electric Slide - Grandmaster Flash
• Macarena
• Achy Breaky Heart

And, let's not forget about the brand new song from Beyonce - "Texas Holdem". The first time I heard that song, I knew it was destined to be the newest line dance craze.