You know what I've noticed about line dancers?
We can say an awful lot without actually saying anything.
Sometimes all it takes is the T-shirt we're wearing.
You walk into class, spot someone's shirt from across the room and immediately think:
Yep. She's one of us.
Maybe it's something about forgetting a restart. Maybe it's a big declaration of love for line dancing. Or maybe it's simply a shirt that says exactly what the person wearing it is thinking.
And that's what I love about them.
A line dancing T-shirt doesn't have to be serious fashion. Sometimes it's just a bit of fun — and sometimes it tells everyone on the dance floor exactly what sort of dancer they're dealing with!
So...
What's Your Dance Floor Personality?
The “This Is Basically My Life Now” Dancer
You started with one class.
Just one.
Then somehow another class appeared in the diary.
Then a social.
Then somebody mentioned another social.
And now you're checking what's happening next weekend before you've even finished this week's dancing.
If that sounds familiar, Eat Sleep Line Dance Repeat probably doesn't even feel like a joke anymore.
It's more of a weekly schedule.
Eat. Sleep. Line dance. Repeat.
Sounds about right.
The “Please Don't Complicate Things” Dancer
Then we have those magical words every line dancer loves to hear:
No tags. No restarts.
YES!
Just tell me which wall I'm facing and let's get on with it.
Our No Tags, No Restarts, Let's Move! shirt was made for exactly this person.
Of course, the moment someone says there is a restart, everything can go pear-shaped remarkably quickly.
Which brings us to another favourite...
Honestly, is there a line dancer alive who hasn't thought that at least once?
You're doing brilliantly.
You know the dance.
You're feeling confident.
Then...
RESTART!
And suddenly you're looking around the room hoping somebody else knows where we're up to.
The “I Absolutely Know This... Hang On” Dancer
This might be my favourite dance-floor personality.
The music starts.
You LOVE this song.
You've done this dance dozens of times.
Your brain, however, has apparently taken the afternoon off.
Our I Love This Song... How Does It Start Again? shirt pretty much sums that moment up.
Because sometimes we know every step of the dance.
We just can't remember the first one.
Once somebody starts moving, we're fine!
Usually.
The “Don't Follow Me” Dancer
Every class has one.
Actually, quite a few classes probably have several.
You're reasonably confident you know where you're going... but perhaps nobody should be putting their entire faith in you.
That's where Risky Dancer — Follow Me at Your Own Risk comes in.
It's less of a T-shirt and more of a public safety announcement.
Follow at your own risk.
You've been warned.
The “I Just Love Line Dancing” Dancer
Sometimes you don't need a joke at all.
You simply love it.
The music, the friendships, learning something new, laughing when it all goes wrong and that wonderful feeling when a dance you've been struggling with suddenly clicks.
That's the personality behind our I Love Line Dancing Western T-Shirt.
Simple.
Straight to the point.
I love line dancing.
And really, what else needs to be said?
The Peace, Love & Line Dance Crowd
This one's for the dancers who are there for the whole experience.
Good music.
Good friends.
A dance floor.
And preferably considerably less drama than whatever is happening outside the hall.
Peace Love Line Dance says it rather nicely.
Peace.
Love.
Line dance.
I'm not convinced the world needs much more than that.
The “This IS My Happy Hour” Dancer
Some people's happy hour involves sitting at a bar.
Ours looks slightly different.
Give us a good song, enough room on the floor and someone willing to call out the steps when our memory suddenly disappears.
That's happy hour.
Which is exactly where My Happy Hour Is Line Dancing came from.
No cocktails required.
Although what happens after dancing is entirely your business.
The “Who Needs a Gym?” Dancer
Then there are those classes where you finish a dance and suddenly realise...
Good grief.
I'm sweating.
We've turned, shuffled, kicked, stepped, crossed, rocked, recovered and probably travelled several kilometres without leaving the hall.
Hence Line Dancing Is My Cardio.
Because frankly, if I've danced for two or three hours, I'm counting it.
And Then There Are the Shirts We Haven't Thought of Yet...
This is actually one of my favourite parts.
Most of our ideas come from the funny little things that happen when we dance.
The forgotten starts.
The tags.
The restarts.
The dances we swear we know.
The sayings we hear in class.
The things that make an entire room of line dancers laugh because everyone gets it.
And I'm sure there are plenty more we haven't thought of yet.
So here's my question for you:
Is there a line dancing saying you've always wanted on a T-shirt but can never find?
Maybe it's something your instructor always says.
Maybe it's an inside joke from your class.
Maybe it's something you've thought while standing on the dance floor wondering why everyone else has turned left and you're confidently heading right.
Tell me.
If you've got an idea you'd love to see, send it through to Step Culture Collective.
I can't promise every suggestion will become a design — but if it's something other line dancers will laugh at, relate to or proudly wear on the dance floor, I'd absolutely love to see what we can come up with.
Because Step Culture was never meant to be just about putting pictures on T-shirts.
It's about us.
The laughs.
The friendships.
The mistakes.
The music.
The dances we love.
And occasionally having absolutely no idea what wall we're on.
So... what does YOUR line dancing T-shirt need to say?
I'd love to hear it.