About 10 years ago I went to an almost exclusively black, middle-aged party for the retirement of a government employee my wife knew through work. I have never seen anything like it: scores doing the Electric Shuffle in unison. The same basic steps as a country line dance, but a lot more motion, and a lot faster. It would be hazardous to be in the middle of it if you didn't know the steps.
Steven | Homepage | 01.02.03 - 9:05 am | #

With all of the goddamned television I watch, I am amazed that I have not seen this one.

Also, I'm very very proud to say that I never did, and never will do the Macarena. Anything where a lot of people are encouraged to all do the exact same thing at the same time terrifies me.
interrobang | Homepage | 01.02.03 - 2:02 pm | #

Would this include the splendor of a kickline, as Ken's mention of choreography might suggest? I do love a kickline. Also, I imagine one can embue the line dance with one's own individual flair. After all, when aren't we alone together?
ereck | Homepage | 01.02.03 - 7:46 pm | #

Yes. It includes kicklines, chanting, "the wave" (though that one has a built-in temporal delay), praying, "moments of silence", national book-clubs, and especially that dance that Nazis would have done if they had danced, das Line Dance.

How does one imbue a line dance with one's own flair? Do you have to be missing a limb?
interrobang | Homepage | 01.03.03 - 11:32 am | #

three words for you, interrobang:

gold lame spandex

(i can't remember the alt. number for the accent over the e. it should read "lam-ay." not "lame." although a case could be made that it doesn't make a difference...)
b o b | Homepage | 01.03.03 - 3:36 pm | #

If one *were* missing a limb, it would indeed be gold spandex for the lame.

interrobang | Homepage | 01.03.03 - 6:35 pm | #