Kick up your heels

MOUNT OLIVE TWP. — Morris County will get a taste of “country” on Friday night Jan. 16, 2009 when one of the most popular dancing trends kicks into high gear when the Wyndham Garden Hotel hosts a night of Country Line Dancing and Couples’ Dancing. Ronnie Landolfi of Ronnie’s Dance Studio and Trattoria in Hopatcong will lead the dancing event from 6 to 10 p.m. Food will be available for purchase and there will be a cash bar. You don’t have to be an expert; all levels of dancers are welcome, from beginners to advanced with free lessons offered to anyone who would like to participate. Line dancing has a distinctive “country” flavor as it is danced predominantly to country western music although this has changed since the 1970s when the hustle line dance became popular. Line dancing became even more popular with a wider range of music in the 1990s, as more young people took up line dancing (largely due to several pop bands releasing songs with videos featuring what later became line dances). Today, country music still makes up the majority of a line dance DJ’s playlist, but with the balance spread over a variety of musical styles both new and old. Genres including Celtic, Swing, Pop, Rock, Big Band, Folk, and almost anything else that has a regular beat. Tickets purchased by Jan. 7 are $10 per person, $15 at the door.