BOOTS SCOOT TO COUNTRY CROONERS

Sid and Vicki Allen of Neosho demonstrate a double swizzle at Stroder Country in Jackson last week. The Allens were among four dance instructors of the Missouri Professional Country Dance Association that gave a workshop on country-western dances. The elaborate belt buckles were won in a dance competition in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Lou Peukert)

They came from as far as Clarksville, Tenn., to learn new wiggles and jiggles to add to their repertoire of country line dances. And they came from as near as Jackson to discover new combinations to the Texas two-step.

Cowboy boots, Stetsons, sequinned shirts and denim skirts thrashed and flashed across the dance floor at Stroder Country in Jackson on Saturday, June 24, as about 40 people took advantage of dance lessons taught by national champions of the Missouri Professional Country Dance Association.

The occasion was one of seven dance workshops offered by the association this year. The aim of the association, says President Sidney Allen of Neosho, is to promote country-western social dancing.

Participants were taught the latest moves to dances that continually evolve -- the two-step, double two-step, waltz, swing and line dancing.

Donna Gertis, line dance instructor at Stroder Country on Tuesday nights, said the workshop was the first of its kind at the three-year-old business.

"The four instructors came at their own expense," said Gertis, who last year went to Myrtle Beach, S.C., to attend line dancing workshops. "Country dancing has always been popular and the dance association promotes the tradition."

Becky Floyd, whose husband is president of the Country Club Western Dancers and the High Cotton Western Dancers, two clubs that meet one night a week at Stroder, attended the workshop because "these kind of dances are a lot of fun.

"I love the two-step and it can get complicated, so I'd like to improve on it. I do line dancing. I try them all."

The Floyds were introduced to country dancing about six years ago at a club in Cape Girardeau. Becky Floyd says the first three to four weeks of learning various dances are the hardest.

"In the beginning, the hardest thing is to get your feet to do what your brain tells them to do," she said, as Allen, the dance association president, picks through a pile of CDs prior to demonstrating a double swizzle with his wife, Vicki.

"People come here the first night and say they can't do it. But you have to keep trying. Pretty soon things will start clicking."

Jim Bollinger and his wife, Jan, who live in Marble Hill attended the workshop to learn new combinations to the two-step, the east coast swing and the waltz.

"If you just do the basics all the time it gets rather mundane," said Bollinger, an insurance agent.

The Bollingers belong to the Country Club Western Dancers and have been dancing country-western style for over four years. They used to belong to a dance demonstration team that performed at county fairs.

"My wife has a lot of good rhythm and she makes me look good," said Bollinger, as his wife twirled then sashayed left and right on the dance floor to the beat of "Cotton-Eyed Joe" and the discerning eye of Allen.

Bollinger says he often takes a list of favorite dances when he and his wife go to area boot scootin' halls. He says people "who just live line dancing," probably know 1,500 to 2,000 versions.

Paul Royal and his partner, Angie Rawlins, drove almost four hours from Clarksville, Tenn., to pick up a few pointers from Allen and Missouri Professional Dance Association instructors Ralph and Cindy Veemer.

They heard about the workshop a month ago while dancing at an area honky tonk called Cadillac Ranch.

"We travel to dances when we can," said Royal, who works at a manufacturing plant. "Our favorite couple's dance is the cha-cha, and the worst one I ever tried was the achy-breaky -- I didn't like to hike my leg up."

The Fred and Ginger of country

Sidney and Vicki Allen began country-western dancing about 12 years ago; about eight years ago they began entering dance competitions.

In March they won a contest in Forth Worth, Texas, the same month they taught a three-day workshop in Alaska. In April their well-choreographed moves won them a contest in Oklahoma.

Two years ago they performed a spotlight dance on "Dance Club," which is on The Nashville Network. And they once danced with Kenny Rogers.

Sidney Allen teaches truck driving at Crowder College in Neosho, about 20 miles south of Joplin. He also teaches a line dancing class there. He and his wife are dance teachers at the Pure Country Cafe in Branson and they have a dance studio in Springfield.

"You can say we've got dancing in our blood," said Allen, a heavy-set man of 46. "We like competing and teaching. It's fun to see others trying hard to learn all the different steps."

Allen says country-western dancing is constantly evolving, and he's not sure where it's going. He remembers when the most difficult line dance was called the fish-fish, but now it's one of the easiest to do.

People take the basic dances such as the two-step, the double-two step and the waltz and elaborate on them, he said. They choreograph new moves, new combinations, new twists, turns and twirls.

At the workshop, Allen taught a new line dance called the Tropicana parking lot. He called it involved and difficult.

"I don't know who choreographed it," he said, adjusting the large, gold-colored belt buckle he won at the Forth Worth competition, and explaining there is a magazine called "Country Dance Lines" that publishes 25-30 new dances every month.

Allen said when the song "Watermelon Crawl" came out the next issue of the magazine had 15 to 20 dances in it named after the song.

Dances can be choreographed to about any country-western song, and some songs can be used for different dances.

"You can go to big clubs like the one in Little Rock and a song will be playing and you can look at the dance floor and there may be six or seven different groups doing six or seven different line dances to the same music.

"I got a song I use called "Get In Line" and you can do probably a hundred line dances to it because of the beat.

"Everything has just blossomed. It's unreal."

Line dances, says Allen, were pretty much invented for women, because women were finding it hard to find men to dance with. The line dance class Allen teaches at Crowder College is limited to 40 people and one recent class had enrolled in it 37 women and three men. The last class he taught had 35 women and no men.

"Guys are scared to get up and try it," said Allen, chuckling. "They'd rather stay home and cut the grass. Of course, some of the line dances look better for the girls 'cause they have a lot of wiggling moves.

"I enjoy teaching the two-step, waltz, double two-step and the swing the most, but I got to teach line dancing 'cause there's always a bunch of women who show up alone.

"A lot of people say those line dancers ought to be shot, but the guys ought to be shot for not asking them to dance other dances."

The Missouri Professional Dance Association competes with other state dance associations and national grand champion dancers are selected.

The Missouri association, of which there are about 300 members, belongs to the American Traditional Country Dance Association.

The Allens compete in many contests and frequently win special belt buckles and jackets. And when they compete, they "dress to the nines."

Sometimes they wear bridal silk shirts, and some shirts are made of black velvet. Plenty of outfits have plenty of sequins.

The boots they wear may be made of ostrich skin or lizard skin, and they favor hand-made Charlie One-Horse hats in beige, black, white or silver.

"Traditional country dancing is a lot of fun," said Sidney Allen. "And that's what we promote. There's so many new country music stars, so many great songs and so many dances to do. There's just a lot to it. It can get in your blood."