DOZENS SHUFFLE TO COWBOY BEAT AT AREA DANCE SEMINAR

JACKSON -- Dozens of feet shuffled to keep track of the steps as their cowboy boots scooted across the dance floor. An instructor counted out the beats above the din of the country music.

About 40 couples attended the country dancing seminar at Stroder Country in Jackson Saturday. Ralph and Cindy Veemer, instructors from Washington, Mo., taught the class.

"We try to promote social dancing," said Sidney Allen, president of the Missouri Professional Country Dance Association.

"People don't have to dress up just to have a good time," Allen said.

And many of the dancers cautioned about getting too dressed up because it's more exercise than dancing.

"We call it Cowboy Aerobics 101," dancer Ed Neace said.

Carolyn Campbell of Cape Girardeau agreed. She came to the seminar to learn some new dance steps.

On Monday, Tuesday and Thursday nights, the dance hall is open for lessons, owner Lina Stroder said. About 100 to 120 people usually attend the classes.

Saturday's seminar focused on two-step, double two-step, waltz and line dancing.

Most of the dances were taught by the Veemers.

"We try to do popular line dances," Ralph Veemer said. "We have to gauge what level the dancers are at."

Sidney Allen and his wife, Vicki, dance the dances before they were taught to the crowd.

The Allens have been dancing for about 12 years and competing for 8. Two years ago, they danced a spotlight dance on "Club Dance," a dance program on The Nashville Network.

"My sister and her husband started to do a few line dances," Allen said. "And she showed me how to two-step."

And he has been dancing ever since. He and his wife practice dances every night at their home in Neosho. They compete about once a month.

"Learning to lead is the biggest problem," he said. "We teach the two-step and the basics like proper footing. We don't get too technical because people are here to have a good time."

Some of the most popular line dances are the "Tush Push" and the "Force," he said.

There are only a certain number of steps that can be done in a line dance, but shuffling the steps creates new dances, Allen said.

Donna Gertis, who teaches line dances at Stroder Country, said she likes to give the dancers a choreographed copy of the original dance so they can learn the proper steps.

Some of the favorite dances at Stroder Country are "Baby Likes to Rock It" and "Cotton-eyed Joe."

"When I put the music on, the floor fills up," Gertis said.

Country dancing has always been popular, she said.

"There are a lot of people who love to dance but who simply don't have the partners," Gertis said.

The line dancing "craze" didn't start until the dances became synchronized and didn't require partners, she said.

To learn more about country dancing and line dancing, Stroder Country offers classes from 7-10 p.m. on Monday and Thursday and from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday.