by Lindiwe Vilakazi, The Washington Informer
Every week, Veronica “Ronnie” Tolliver teaches line dancing classes to people across the D.C. area, spreading the art and joy of the favored pastime at family reunions, weddings, and seasonal gatherings alike.
“Everybody’s interested in learning,” said Tolliver. “It’s fun.”
With cookout season already gearing up, Tolliver emphasized it’s important people are up-to-date on the latest line dances, such as “Boots on the Ground,” which former First Lady Michelle Obama and Tina Knowles showcased knowing how to do during the latter’s “Matriarch” book tour on April 30 at Maryland’s MGM National Harbor.
“Summer is coming, and there’ll be plenty of picnics, plenty of cookouts, plenty of weddings.,” Tolliver told The Informer. “You’re gonna be left out if you don’t know that dance.”
While dance is historically a popular expression throughout Black culture, line dancing has experienced quite the surge in popularity in the past four decades. There’s the famous “Electric Slide,” inspired by Marcia Griffin’s 1989 Remix to the “Electric Boogie”; the 2000 “Cha Cha Slide” by DJ Casper; the “Come Dance With Me” choreographed in 2022 to singer Tamia’s famous “Can’t Get Enough” (2006); the 2007 “Cupid Shuffle”; the “Chuck Baby,” choreographed to the 2007 song by D.C.’s legendary Godfather of Go-Go Chuck Brown; and this year’s popular “Boots on the Ground” by 803Fresh.
“We were kind of having fun and it just turned into this bigger thing,” Tamia told NBC 4 after her daughter posted a now viral video of the songstress and her husband, former NBA player Grant Hill doing the “Come Dance With Me” in 2022. “There’s joy in the learning of line dances. Once you get it, there’s joy in doing it together. It’s an artist’s dream to give people joy. But I’ve been given Black joy as well.”
The Health Benefits of Line Dance
While Tolliver enjoys the entertainment aspect of teaching and participating in line dancing classes and events, she said that the benefits go well beyond just a good time.
“Well, there’s the physical, mental, and emotional. Physically, I think that it draws people that don’t want to just do something like aerobics or whatever they may feel as too extraneous, and they also want to have fun and be a part of something where you’re learning a lot of coordination,” Tolliver said. “You’re learning to use your brain power, because you have a lot of different steps that you’re doing, and even once you master the steps.”
Further, it was to Tolliver’s surprise when she found herself curing previous health challenges after months of teaching line dance. At the beginning of her tenure teaching classes, Tolliver’s doctor diagnosed her as diabetic, with high cholesterol levels of 7 mmol/L. However, her results soon took a turn for the better.
“Well, low and behold, three months later, my A1C went down to 5.30. I kept on trying to pinpoint it. And I knew I changed my diet a little bit, but I hadn’t done much,” Tolliver explained. “But at the time, I was teaching about three classes a week, and I said that’s the only thing I’m really doing differently.”
Line Dancing is for All Ages
From toddlers to elders, line dancing offers intergenerational fun.
While line dancing classes were originally something marketed to more mature crowds, Tolliver teaches people of all ages.
“When I was younger, I started out [dancing in places that you couldn’t participate in until you were 60,” Tolliver said. “We definitely have people, especially in their late 80’s, [come out to dance]. But you know, when we go to big line dance [events], I noticed the crowd is starting to get younger and younger too. So, it’s going to be around for a while because it’s just booming.”
All across social media, people can be seen line dancing – from Obama to former Vice President Harris and people of all ages at family gatherings across the country.
Tiffani Moore, 33, does not consider herself a veteran line dancer, but she thoroughly enjoys doing so with family members during special events and occasions. For her, she says it allows her to create memorable moments shared with loved ones.
“We always dance together during the holidays or birthday parties with the family,” Moore told The Informer. “It’s the one thing that will get all of the family up and moving together. Even my brothers who don’t usually want to dance in front of everyone.”
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