Is Line Dancing the Newest Cardio Craze?
Grab your cowboy hat and pull on your best boots, because the girlies are line dancing. “My friends literally skip the gym to learn new dances,” my Gen Z sister tells me back in Arizona. Line dancing isn’t necessarily a groundbreaking activity for many folks throughout the country, but the notion that people are trading the treadmill for a two-step immediately piques my interest. What are the chances the latest cardio trend is actually down at the local honky tonk?
Line dancing’s cool-girl rebrand isn’t just anecdotal: Per a recent Eventbrite Trend Report, this affinity may actually be part of a larger Western revival. Data shows line dancing events are up 165 percent, partially motivated by aesthetic appeal, yes, but also by a movement towards phone-free living. People are craving authentic connection, analog activities, and joyful movement.
Curious to see what all the hype was about (and if line dancing truly could double as my daily dose of cardio), I decided to give it a whirl. Here’s what I learned, what I loved, and what my actual Oura ring stats ended up conveying.
My Line Dancing Experience
In all honesty, I was dreading my first line dancing class. I had booked a beginner class with Stud Country, a queer line dancing studio in Los Angeles. Still, after spending nearly a decade in Arizona, it was difficult for me to separate the fun of line dancing from the Old West’s less-inclusive underbelly.
Thankfully, the Stud Country studio immediately assuaged my concerns. We danced to “Señorita” by Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes, and “Champagne Promise” by David Nail. And while the learning curve was steep, the energy was lighthearted and upbeat.
Our instructor walked us through the (fairly simple) choreography for about 20 minutes each time, which we learned facing the front of the room. The twist? Most of the dances are designed to change direction (front, side, back, side) which I found confusing at best, and completely disorienting at worst.
In the beginning, this switch up caused all choreography to see its way out of my brain, leaving me stressed, sweating, and panicked at the two step. But the second go-round, I finally found my footing, adding some modest flair to my movement until I genuinely enjoyed the repetition . . . even if I didn’t nail every single step. By the end, I had made a few friends, broken a sweat, and learned two dances to keep in my back pocket should I ever muster up enough courage to attend a real line-dancing party.
My Line Dancing Takeaways
I can officially confirm that line dancing is a legitimate form of cardio. It might not replace an arduous session on the StairMaster, but by the end of class, I was definitely sweating (and only partially because of the lack of air conditioning in the studio).
All told, my Oura ring tracked 327 active calories, 3,500 steps, and an average heart rate of 102 BPM — but truthfully, I barely noticed the effort in the moment. Instead of worrying about getting a workout in, I was more focused on remembering the steps, staying out of people’s way, and living in the moment.
There’s also a very sweet social side to line dancing. Before class even started, I struck up a conversation with a kind couple who didn’t mind me bumping into them every so often. At the end of the 90-minute class, at least three different people asked me if I’d be coming back next week. Even my existing friends slid into my DMs and asked to come with me next time (and they were only a little annoyed that I hadn’t invited them in the first place).
My final verdict? If you’re bored of the same ol’ 12-3-30, line dancing might be the thing to break you out of your rut. Who knows? If your experience is anything like mine, you might just surprise yourself.
Chandler Plante (she/her) is a social producer and staff writer for the Health & Fitness team at Popsugar. She has over five years of industry experience, previously working as an editorial assistant for People magazine, a social media manager for Millie magazine, and a contributor for Bustle Digital Group. She has a degree in magazine journalism from Syracuse University and is based in Los Angeles.
