Line Dance History Australia
Line Dance History Australia
Australia's Line Dance Origins
A Historical Journey
Unveiling Australia's Line Dancing Heritage
It is through Country Goss' Magazine that we will explore Australia's Line Dance Origins - The Early Years.
Join us in the footsteps of the original pioneers, their dance venues, their dances and their music. The rise of influential choreographers and instructors, rare timeless footage of days gone by and our relationship with country music radio.
We would love to have your input
This article is by no means the entirety of those early days, it is just the beginning. We expect this page to constantly grow, as readers, instructors and dancers share their memories of line dancing's evolution Australia wide. Already, our history is being lost and forgotten, especially those old photos of the Paddington Green, Mars (Pheadra's) and Terminus pioneers.
Trevor Smith's Origin Highlights
Including the Historic BOOTSCOOT Manual
In the July/August 1996 edition of Country Goss', Trevor Smith, one of our line dance pioneers, recalled in great detail, Australia's early line dance origins. We are pleased to share the highlights of Trevor's article with you below. Trevor also donated to Country Goss' at the time, a fabulous piece of line dance history, Australia’s first ever Line Dance Manual titled BOOTSCOOT by Maxcy Moon which we have meticulously reviewed and reprinted for the purposes of viewing on this website.
But first, in Trevor's own words.......
"It was an eye opening experience to have seen the beginnings of bootscooting in Australia, as humble as they were, to what it has risen to. It is also exceptionally satisfying and gives me a feeling of great pride knowing that I have seen its beginnings across Australia. I would like to pay tribute to Geoff Perkins who through a love of bootscooting could see just what fun could be attained through this dance. It is unfortunate that Geoff is no longer with us 'god rest his soul'. Today the heritage of aussie bootscoot can be traced back to Geoff Perkins Ian Wilby, Ken Wheatley and others and I was lucky enough to know them all. Hat's off to you. Remember we are the pioneers of the best toe tappin, knee slappin' yee-haa'n good times this country has ever seen. Keep your smile nice and bright, put on your hat and pull on your jeans, cause we're going bootscootin' tonight".
Trevor Smith 1996.
Those very early years... So, where did it all begin?
Campaign Australia magazine in 1988. Source: Supplied / National Library of Australia
1986 Sydney, Australia
The Paddington Green Hotel in Sydney
In August 1986 Line Dancing or “Bootscooting” as it was commonly referred, was introduced to Australia by Mr Geoff Perkins of Lilyfield in Sydney. As a regular visitor to the USA, Geoff had come across "Bootscooting" and saw a fun form of dance and exercise with great music that could be enjoyed by everyone. It was relatively unknown in Australia, and best of all, it didn’t require a dance partner.
Following one of those visits to the USA, Geoff returned to Australia with a booklet of invaluable dance routines. Titled “BOOTSCOOT” and along with friends Ian Wilby, Ken Wheatley, Mark and Trevor Smith, set up Australia’s very first line dance class at the Paddington Green Hotel in Oxford Street, Darlinghurst, Sydney. There were 12 beginners.
“Bootscoot” or the Bootscooter’s Bible, as Geoff’s dance book later became known amongst the Paddington Green Hotel dancers, was written by Maxcy Moon of the USA and consisted of seventeen (17) dance routines along with a glossary of around twenty-two (22) Terms & Steps. We have now re-published this fabulous piece of line dance history for your enjoyment.
The Imperial Hotel Sydney
Just as Geoff's line dance classes were beginning to take off, the Paddington Green was sold. In 1987 the classes relocated to the Imperial Hotel in Erskineville (in Sydney’s inner west) however due to other work commitments at the time, Geoff decided to hand the classes over to Ian Wilby where they continued to prosper and grow.
Ian later took on the name Bootscoot Sydney Australia and made application to the Australia Intellectual Property Office (IP Australia) to Trademark both the name and his logo. The application was filed under Class 041 covering the teaching of Country and Western dances. A second application under Class 025 extended to branded clothing apparel. Records from IP Australia identified the logo as "2 Boots on 2 Stacked Diamonds crossed by Trapezium". Whilst Ian was granted a Trademark Application Number, it is believed the applications subsequently lapsed. The logo drew a striking resemblance to the cover of Maxcy Moon's Bootscoot Manual.
The Terminus Night Club Brisbane
In 1988 Mark and Trevor Smith moved to Queensland, starting classes at the Terminus Night Club in Brisbane with the help and support of Neil McLucas and Steven Claffey. Terry Hogan, line dance teacher and choreographer, would be one of their original students.
The Mars Bar Adelaide
With a strong connection to the Instructors of the 1988 Brisbane dance scene, Alan Hibberd and his partner commenced "Bootscoot" classes at the Mars Bar (formerly Phaedra's) in central Adelaide, also widely referred to as the Cactus Patch because of its décor which featured potted cacti against glam orange walls. Unfortunately, Allan passed away in the latter part of the 90's and thereafter his partner moved (back) to Queensland. Described as flamboyant and wonderful dance hosts, little else is known of the couple.
Broadview Scout Hall
By 1993, line dancing had moved into Adelaide's mainstream with the first public beginner class at the Broadview Scout Hall with instructor Peter Heath. An accomplished square dancer, Peter came upon line dancing from a Tamworth video. With his interest sparked and an uncanny offer to demonstrate line dancing at a local nightclub, Peter quickly pulled together a group of square dance friends, learnt a few routines and undertook his first paid gig. Outgrowing the Broadview Scout Hall, the classes relocated to the Walkerville YMCA before expanding across South Australia.
In Tamworth 2020, Peter Heath's Line Dancers of South Australia were awarded the “Opal Boot Award” from the Line Dance Association of Australia for contributions to line dancing.
The Laird Hotel & Mulcahy's Hotel Melbourne
Almost simultaneously in the late 80's, line dancing arrived in Victoria. Whilst the Laird "Mens" Hotel in Abbotsford would welcome in this new era of dance, it would be Mulcahy's Hotel in North Melbourne that would soon ignite Melbourne's line dance scene. In those early years, line dancing on a Wednesday night at Mulcahy's was accessed separately from the hotel's main bars via the door on the left hand side of the lower street, creating a private dance space. The crowds loved it.
At the forefront of Melbourne's early line dance scene was John Bishop. Initially a volunteer instructor with the New Frontier Dance Association, John set up his own business "Cowboy Culture" in 1993, now one of Melbourne's oldest and enduring dance groups.
Darwin, Northern Territory
In 1991 Rodney Thomas and Chris Harlow were teaching Jive and Swing in Darwin under the name Darwin Juke Box Rock. That year, having attended a Rock and Roll workshop in Melbourne, their interest in a new form of dance - line dancing, was piqued. Unsure whether it would be popular with students, they cautiously offered a class out of their small studio in Nightcliff. A swag of beginners turned up. Line dancing had now officially arrived in Darwin. However, it wouldn't be until 1992 when class numbers would surge with the arrival of the "Achy Breaky" freight train, forcing a move to the much larger Italian Club in Mararra.
With regular demonstrations in schools, shopping centres and Sunday afternoon sessions on the Darwin Wharf, Rod & Chris would change the name of their dance school to Fonzies and also initiate the first Northern Territory line dance camp at Lake Bennett, 80kms south of Darwin.
Perth, Western Australia
Meanwhile, by April 1992 following many years on Australia's east coast, pioneers Mark and Trevor Smith had moved quietly to the other side of the continent to Western Australia, setting up classes in Perth as the Silver Spurs. Classes were held once a week, were free with around 45 beginners. Having attracted a reasonable following, Mark and Trevor changed the name of their club to Mustangs and set about promoting line dancing's image.
Then (in Trevor's own words) "it all happened"! At around the same time as a full page editorial and a 10 minute prime time television expose on "bootscooting" with the Mustangs, Billy Ray Cyrus released his smash hit Achy Breaky Heart and overnight the Mustangs classes boomed from 45 to 187 dancers. Classes were held in halls, car parks or wherever they could fit the huge numbers. Line dancing had arrived in WA and the rest you could say - is Australia's Line Dance History!
The Early Pioneers of Australia's Line Dancing
Out of those early years at the Paddington Green and Erskineville's Imperial Hotel with Geoff Perkins, Ian Wilby, Ken Wheatley, Mark and Trevor Smith, evolved the Australian Line Dancers (ALD). It would be ALD's Tony Burns, Tony Coggin, John Taverner and friends that would soon pioneer the Longest Line in Tamworth, NSW.
ALD would also produce the first Australian line dance magazine “Between The Lines”.
Tony Coggin & John Taverner
The Rise of Influential Teachers and Choreographers from ALD
Some of Australia’s best-known teachers, choreographers and personalities would emerge from ALD including Gordon Elliott, Lance Pritchard, Terry Kelly, David Dickson, Mark Simpkin, Tracie Lee, Tina Salvestro and Lisa Harper.
Tracie, Mark and Lance, would later start classes and social dancing at the Ermington Hotel, after which Lance would move to the Ryde Eastwood Leagues Club (Sydney). David commenced classes at the Marrickville Community Centre and Wentworthville Leagues Club in Sydney whilst the Leichhardt Bowling Club (Sydney) would go on to be the venue of choice for Terry Kelly's very popular daytime sessions. Tina remained a pivotal figure in ALD demonstrations and would work very closely with Gordon Elliott.
Lisa Harper, also a prominent clogging instructor, would soon move to Brisbane, teaming up with Mark and Trevor Smith before commencing her own classes on the Gold Coast Hinterland (Queensland) at the Jimboomba Tavern and Beaudesert Bowls Club.
One of David’s original students, Julie Talbot, would take over David's Sydney classes when he moved interstate in 1988.
The Songs and Dances of the late 80's
According to Country Goss' and Australia's Original Bootscoot Manual there were just 17 line dances to choose from back in the late 80's at the Paddington Green Hotel. However, with no reference to the music that the dance was choreographed to, Geoff Perkins and his dancers would have had to choose their own songs.
Using the vague notes scribbled across various pages of the Manual and along with some archival digging by Line Dance History Australia, we now know at least 10 of their 17 original music selections from the late 80's. Below are just three of those dances with video links to the original music at that time. See the Bootscoot Manual page for the rest.
(1) San Antonio Stroll danced to the song of the same name by Tanya Tucker, this was a circle dance that could be done in groups of two, three or four making it a whole lot of fun on the dance floor.
(2) Cowboy Hustle danced to "Heartaches by the Number" by Dwight Yoakam.
(3) Ten Step danced to "Mule Skinner Blues" by Mary Schneider. All three of these dances would have been very popular at the above venues.
INTERESTING FACT: Mary Schneider is the mother of Melinda Schneider who would go on to have her own smash line dance hit Tighten Up Your Pants nearly a decade later!
Further handwritten notes on the inside jacket of the Bootscoot Manual suggest more dances from the USA were in the pipeline. They included - Touche (Tush) Push, Butt Stop, Elvira, Flying Aces, Reggae Cowboy, Circle Jerk, Roll Back The Rug and Tumbleweed. Several of these would go on to become all-time classics. Hopefully these old timers bring back some great memories for you or a newfound appreciation of those early laid-back years.
The One Song that Supercharged Line Dancing
In March 1992 Billy Ray Cyrus released his smash hit Achy Breaky Heart. Leading the charge from old country to new country, the song quickly crossed over to Top 40 radio and spawned its own dance "The Achy Breaky". It was ubiquitous. Suddenly, everybody, everywhere, wanted to learn "that dance". Who would have guessed, from humble beginnings at the Paddington Green Hotel with just 12 dancers, line dancing was set to become a national phenomenon overnight! Love it or hate it, the Achy Breaky got us all line dancing!
Line Dancing Hotspots of the 1990's
Embracing the rising phenomenon in early 1990, Sydney and Melbourne would soon see the rise of several very important dance venues. In Sydney, it was the Harold Park Hotel, the Ermington Hotel, the Arizona Cowboy Bar and Wentworthville Leagues Club. In Melbourne it was Mulcahy's Pub. All strong supporters of line dancing and country music.
However it was Sydney's iconic Arizona Cowboy Bar, a hotspot for instructors, dancers and American sailors that set the scene abuzz! Hosted every Wednesday evening by instructor, DJ and 2RRR radio presenter Robyn Skinner, this "wild west" themed bar was the hottest place to be for all the latest line dances and American country music. It wouldn't be unusual to see an American sailor in town for the night, rip off his cowboy boot, fill it with beer and then "down it". Beer everywhere! A wild night out!
Robyn Skinner
Rare Footage from Yesteryear
We have managed to locate some very early footage of three of these venues. The Arizona Bar footage features lots of familiar faces coming and going on the dance floor throughout the night including Tracie Lee, David Dickson, Julie Talbot, Mark Simpkin, David Jones and Robyn Skinner. See anyone you know? Recognise the music or dance routines?
Country Goss' - Newsletter to National Magazine
With American country music and "Bootscooting" sweeping Australia and the interest in line dance classes and activities surging, a small non-descript newsletter was circulated amongst industry stakeholders in 1994 seeking to provide a forum for business and dancers to come together. That newsletter was Country Goss' and over 6 years, would go on to capture line dancing's popularity worldwide. Check out that simple newsletter now and each subsequent issue as it is re-released bi-monthly to capture 30 years ago today. Some fun reading!
The Bootscooting Boom
Today there are hundreds of instructors, dance groups, line dance festivals, competitions, country music radio stations, DJ's and line dance websites Australia wide. Some of the early pioneers are no longer with us however it is through their legacy that Line Dancing now lives on bigger and stronger than ever.
What's Your Story?
What are your memories of line dancing in your suburb, town or state? Did you start up brand new classes as a teacher, or attend new classes in your area? Send us your line dance story and a photo for the historic Photo Wall. Be a part of Australia's Line Dance History.
Email your photo and share your story at: linedancehistoryaustralia@gmail.com
Australia's Original Bootscoot Manual
“BOOTSCOOT” written by Maxcy Moon and introduced into Australia in 1986. Consisting of seventeen (17) original dance routines along with a glossary of around twenty-two (22) terms & steps.
