Line Dance BPM: How Fast Are Line Dances?

Short answer

Line dances run at about 80 to 160 BPM. That is the range in the Line dance 32-count entry of the Count Studio count library, and the 48 and 64-count walls share it. They are all in 4/4, grouped 4+4, counted 1&2&3&4&5&6&7&8& after a 5 6 7 8 lead-in.

BPM means beats per minute: tempo is measured in beats per minute, so 60 BPM is one beat per second. A line dance has no fixed BPM of its own. The number belongs to the song.

Typical line dance tempos

Here is what the library lists for each wall length:

The range is wide because a line dance is a repeating sequence of steps, and each dance is usually linked to and named for a specific song. Line dances have been done to pop, swing, rock and roll, disco, Latin, rhythm and blues and jazz, though the form has grown mainly with country and western music. So different songs mean different speeds.

For a musical reference, Wikipedia's tempo page gives Moderato as roughly 108-120 BPM and Allegro as roughly 120-156 BPM. Those are approximations that vary by composer and work, but they show where much of the line dance range sits.

What changes between a slower and a faster song

The steps stay the same. The time you have for each one does not.

At 80 BPM one beat lasts 0.75 seconds, so a full eight takes about six seconds. At 160 BPM one beat lasts 0.375 seconds and the same eight takes about three seconds. Half the time for every weight change, turn and hold.

So when a step sheet feels easy at the slow end and rushed at the fast end, nothing about the dance has changed. Only the clock has. And there is no published BPM line between a beginner dance and an advanced one, so check the tempo of the actual song rather than trusting a label. A turn that sits comfortably across two counts at 90 BPM can feel crowded at 150.

Counting a line dance at speed

The count is 1&2&3&4&5&6&7&8&. The "&" is the half beat between two counts, so it gets shorter as the tempo goes up. At 160 BPM an "&" lasts under 0.2 seconds, which is why fast dances reward counting out loud in a steady, even voice rather than rushing the numbers.

The wall length does not change the speed, only how long you dance before you turn. A 32-count wall is four eights, a 48-count wall is six and a 64-count wall is eight. Tags and restarts go in a phrase sequence, so you may repeat or cut part of the pattern before the next wall. For the full picture, see how 32, 48 and 64-count line dances are counted.

Always start on the lead-in: 5 6 7 8, then the first step lands on 1.

Working out the BPM of your own song

Because the speed belongs to the song, the useful question is not "how fast is this dance?" but "how fast is this track?". Two ways to answer it without any outside tool:

• Count a minute. Tap along to the beat for 15 seconds, count your taps and multiply by four. Do it twice and take the number that repeats.
• Count the eights. If you already know the dance, count how many 1&2&3&4&5&6&7&8& phrases fit in 30 seconds. Each eight is eight beats, so multiply the number of eights by 8, then by 2, to get beats per minute.

Check the result against the 80 to 160 range. If you land far outside it, you have probably counted double or half: tapping every half beat doubles the number, and tapping only on the 1 of each four halves it. Both mistakes are easy to make on a song with a busy bass line, so settle on one beat to follow and keep to it.

A tempo you worked out yourself also tells you whether a song suits the group. A class that has only just learned the steps will not settle on a track at the top of the range.

Line dance next to other dances

Country two-step, the partner dance often heard in the same rooms, is faster in the library's two-step entry: 140-200 BPM, counted quick quick slow slow with a 5 6 lead-in. If you move between a line dance and a two-step in the same night, expect the top of the line dance range to feel like the bottom of the two-step range. For every style side by side, see the BPM chart for every style.

Practise it

1. Find the song's tempo first. Finding the 1 in a song is the step before any BPM number is useful.
2. Walk the dance slowly, well below the song's speed, until the order of the steps is clear.
3. Raise the speed in small steps until you reach the song's own tempo.
4. Count the & out loud on the fast eights, then stop counting once the steps are in your feet.

Count Studio sets the speed anywhere from 20 to 320 BPM, and you can tap the beat to set the speed from the song you are dancing to. It is coming November 27 to iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch.

Bottom line

Line dances sit at roughly 80 to 160 BPM in 4/4, and the song decides where. The 32, 48 or 64-count wall decides how long you dance before you turn, not how fast you go. Check the song, tap the tempo, and slow it down first.