Source: Radio New Zealand
Dancers Caitlin Martin (left) and Tennille Arthur help the class stay on beat as Nigel Mooney (centre) announces the moves. RNZ/Anisha Satya
Line dancing was once a thumbs-in-belts, fringed boots affair, but it has found a second home in New Zealand’s cities in the last decade.
Linedance Christchurch co-founder Nigel Mooney had taught the style for 35 years after learning when he was a teenager.
Linedance Christchurch instructor Nigel Mooney steps dancers through a new routine. RNZ/Anisha Satya
American pilots would drop in to his parents’ country-styled bar in Christchurch in between their visits to Antarctica.
“Right when line dancing exploded in the US, these guys would be learning it at a bar, mid-week.
“They would fly out to New Zealand, come into [his parents’] bar, teach us.
“We saw it and thought, ‘that looks like a total joke, and would be good to do behind the bar for a laugh’.”
At 14-years-old, Mooney started teaching line dancing. In that first year, his class grew from 12 students to 300.
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The beginner classes today pack more than 100 attendees into the Westburn School hall.
Dancers learned 10 basic routines, getting a walk-through of the moves before the music went on and the party started.
Tennille Arthur’s favourite line dancing song was “Church” by T-Pain.
Dancer Tennille Arthur says line dancing is for all ages. RNZ/Anisha Satya
“It’s not one that we do, because not everyone can keep up.”
She had started dancing on stage to help guide newer dancers through the routines – as practice for running private classes, which were attracting growing interest in Christchurch.
“They want more [dancers] to be able to go to weddings and parties and hen’s dos and things.”
The rise of country and country-pop into mainstream music genres had played a role in the growth of line dancing. So had social media, where algorithms had exposed a wider audience to viral line dance routines.
Pitbull’s hit song “Fireball” slotted perfectly into Linedance Christchurch’s beginner track list, which also boasted Sabrina Carpenter and Elton John.
But most importantly for Mooney, there was an appetite in Christchurch for fun fitness.
“If people are sitting at home on the couch, getting chubby, trying to work out, ‘how do I get fit?’, I’m not going to go to a gym.
“It’s too hard to run round the block, our weather isn’t conducive to evening or morning walks, but line dancing … I can give people an hour of gentle, easy exercise that just sneaks up on you.
“You’re laughing, you’re breaking a sweat, having some fun.”
You can wear whatever footwear you like for line dancing these days – though some stick to the traditional boots. RNZ/Anisha Satya
Learn more:
- Learn more about Linedance Christchurch here.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
