Recently, I have grown to love line dancing. And while Billy Joe’s Ribworks in Newburgh plays lots of country music, they sneak in pop and rock music quite often in their set. Songs as old as “The Way You Make Me Feel” by Michael Jackson and “Footloose” by Kenny Loggins are some of Billy's staples.

It is important to note that country music has made a significant pop-culture crossover in recent years.

Songs like “Choosin’ Texas” just surpassed Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” for the most weeks consecutively at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 at 23 weeks. “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” by Shaboozey is all over the radio too right now. Both of which are weekly rotations at Billy’s.

My first time at Billy Joe’s for line dancing was scary and exciting all at the same time. You walk into the line with your head turned looking at some random person’s half-right moves with yours lagging behind by quite a noticeable amount. Some songs like “Wagon Wheel” or “Kerosene” are always played and easy for beginners to hop in and learn on the spot.

As we move into the colder months, line dancing indoors is still just as fun with their cozy environment and decorative, seasonal walls filled with lights and music.

After my first few times, I started to learn harder songs but they’re my absolute favorite now. “Burn It to the Ground” and “Honky Tonk Hardwood Floors” seem impossible but they become some of the most fun dances you’ll do. I suggest breaking the songs into parts as they become very repetitive after the first 15 seconds. This makes visualizing what to do next very easy when you’ve done it the same way for the past 2 minutes of the song.

I promise it is not as intimidating as it seems. I hope to see you and your moves on the waterfront in Newburgh every Tuesday night from 8pm-11pm and every Friday night from 9pm-12:30am