hi my name is Robert Royston I'm a
five-time world champion of country
dance working with artists like Taylor
Swift Carrie Underwood Brad Paisley I
really hope that you learn how to line
dance and experience what it's like to
move to America's music and that's
country
so choreographing your own line dance
you've learned to line dance you've gone
out you've tried it you find your
favorite song and you go onions do a
line dance to this song that feels good
to me
so you want to choreograph your own line
dance how do we start first thing you
should do is chart the song you should
find out how the song feels right and
what it looks like kind of on paper now
you don't need to have a music degree
you don't need to know how to write
music you don't even need to know how to
read music right to do this I'm going to
show you a simple easy way to chart
music so what we're gonna do is we're
gonna chart a song here and I'm gonna
show you how it all works and this is
something you can do at home every line
that I make I'm gonna make a line and
every line that I make represents one
measure of music which is 8 beats to us
as a dancer what I'll do is alright
multiple lines and I'll write until the
next phrase happens when the next phrase
happens I'll start a new line so I do a
line of eights and tell another phrase
happens then I'll do another line of
eights so if I was to do blues music I
would have six lines before I start the
next one if I were to do pop music or
most country music I would do four and
then start the next one that being said
there's plenty of songs out there that
aren't perfectly phrased that don't just
work in 32 counts and I'll show you a
little bit about what we do when that
happens but let's go ahead and just
start by charting a song so here we go
so the song goes
five six seven eight two two three four
five six seven eight three two three
four five six seven eight
four two three four five six in a new
phrase one two three four five six seven
eight and two two three four five six
seven eight oh three two three four five
six seven eight of four two three four
new phrase here we go one two three four
five six seven eight and two two three
four five six seven eight and three two
three four five six seven eight and four
two three four - one more one more
phrase one two three four five six seven
eight and two two three four five six
seven eight and three two three four
five six seven eight and four two three
four five six seven eight one and
starting from there now let's go ahead
and kill the music for a second so we
take a look at this and we can see that
it works in four eights then a new
phrase or eights than a new phrase so on
and so forth but we actually want to get
a little bit more elaborate with this
charting especially if we're gonna do a
line dance that really fits to that
piece of music so what after I chart the
whole song I go through the entire song
doing this I then go back and re-listen
to the song and I make little silly
squiggly marks you can make things like
this you can make just slash marks you
can make loops you can make whatever
feels good if I hear a piano going think
think think think think I might go think
think think think think
right so whatever you kind of hear and
feel if it's a saxophone that goes wow
oh I go wow right but I'm gonna put that
over the lines just as I hear it just
start to scribble as you hear it so if
we start the song over I would do
something maybe like this three four
five six seven and eight
one two three four five six seven and
eight and one two three four five six
seven and eight and one two three four
five six seven and eight and one two
three four five six seven and eight and
one two three four five six seven and
eight and one two three four five six
seven and eight and one two three four
five six seven one two three four five
six seven eight and one two three four
five six seven and eight and one two
three four five six seven and eight and
one two three four five six seven and
eight and one two three four five six
seven and eight
three four five six seven eight and one
two three four five six seven and eight
and one two three four five six seven
one well let's go ahead and kill the
music there and let's see what we have
so the song goes one two three four five
six seven and eight and one and it feels
like it kind of speeds up doom-doom
doom-doom to that and eight and one
right but what happened very strange
here is right there and right there we
have it's called a break in the song so
it went through all that very very
consistently and then after two sets
right two sets of four eight there's a
break on seven boom it's a big break and
then it starts over and then look it
repeats itself now I would guess for
this song if we charted out the whole
song every second set of four eighths
there would be that break so I've
charted that all out I see how that
feels feels pretty good to me I got that
break how am I going to address this
well if we take these steps like alright
I have four eighths so if I started to
do something like just pick a side right
left forward back I'm gonna start right
and I'm gonna go one two three touch
four five six right I might want to run
backwards right seven and eight or I
could run sideways I could go one two
three four five six seven and eight and
just start to feel what that is that you
just charted out and then it's just
start to put it to movement to see how
we go so how do we address that break
well maybe let's say we want to make
this four wall dance on that break maybe
is where I switch my wall so I go one
two three four five six seven and eight
and one two three four five six seven
and eight and one two three four five
six seven and eight and one two three
four and when that break comes in where
it goes five six seven I might go five
six seven hit the break hold eight and
then we start over
with our line dance back back back back
side side side touch full or can't dunk
dunk dunk done side-side-side five six
seven and eight and one two three four
five six let's say the break happen
again we go seven eight new line and we
have a line dance that fits the song so
I tell you what we're new go ahead and
do our own little s scoot and run we'll
call it line dance to this song so check
it out what we've just done looks like
this three four five six seven and eight
and one two three four five six seven
and eight and one two three four five
six seven and eight and one two three
four five six seven and eight and one
two three four five six seven and eight
and two two three four five six seven
and eight and one two three four five
six seven and eight and one two three
four five six seven eight one two three
four five six seven and eight and two
two three four five six seven and eight
and three two three four five six run
run run run side two three four five six
seven and eight and one
three four five six seven and eight
inside two three four five six seven and
eight and one two three four five six
run run run run side side side touch
side side new wall side side side touch
run run run run run cool so we have our
own little line dance the running scoop
we'll call it right so this is just kind
of how we would take a song shark the
song out yeah so we see what it looks
like just start to move to it a little
bit what feels good we can give it
direction maybe you take what feels good
and choose right or left don't worry
about what you're supposed to do maybe
run forward maybe you go one two three
four five six side side side side
doesn't matter just pick a direction
start to move with it once you start to
get that going and go well where did I
end up I ended up on my laughter I ended
up on my right you even pick another
side to go then draw out it helps to
draw what your pattern is a song like
this what's really fun is that it give
us that break as it gave us that break
that happened to be a perfect spot to
make a quarter of a turn you could have
chose to make a half turn just start the
new wall to start the line dance all
over so we have the run and scooped and
that's how you choreograph your own line
dance