Posted on 05/30/2008 10:34:20 PM PDT by bruinbirdman
France brings line dancing craze under state control
They turn out in their hundreds in Stetsons and boots as hits such as the Crazy Foot Mambo and the Cowboy Strut echo around their village halls.
They are drawn by a love of American culture - although definitely not American politics - and a passion for line dancing, which enables them to swing but avoid all human contact.
Now country and western has become so big in France that the country's bureaucrats have decided to bring the craze under state control.
The French administration has moved to create an official country dancing diploma as part of a drive to regulate the fad. Authorised instructors who have been on publicly funded training courses will be put in charge of line dancing lessons and balls.
The rules, which come into force next year, come after the rapid spread of country and western in France, where an estimated 100,000 people line dance several times a week. Jean Chauveau, the chairman of the country section of the French Dance Federation, said: “It's growing at a crazy rate. There are thousands of clubs and more are springing up all the time.”
He said the French shunned the square dancing that is popular among country and western fans in the United States because it involved physical contact. “They don't want to take anyone by the hand or anything like that,” he said. But they were passionate about line dancing, where participants follow the steps without touching anyone else. “I think this corresponds to the individualism of our times,” Mr Chauveau said.
Village associations boast dozens, and sometimes hundreds, of members; competitions are flourishing, and a country music festival is expected to draw 150,000 people this summer, he said. “Britain caught the line dancing bug a long time before us, but now we are really going for it,” Mr Chauveau said. “It's complete madness here.”
The majority of enthusiasts in France are women, who leave their husbands and boyfriends in front of the television while they go out for le country. They often spend several evenings a week perfecting steps to the sound of Every Cotton Pickin' Morning, Country Walking or Irish Spirit.
Yannick Bigard, who has been line dancing for four years, told Sud Ouest, her local daily: “I couldn't imagine going without the costume or at least the boots and the hat. I spend my time imagining new choreographies.”
Mr Chauveau said the trend illustrated France's “complicated and ambiguous” relationship with the United States. “We love American magic and the American dream,” he said. “But we hate Americans when we confront the hard reality of their behaviour throughout the world. We go for the cowboy hats but not George Bush.”
In a peculiarly Gallic approach to the phenomenon, French civil servants say line dancing should be submitted to the same rules as sports such as football and rugby. This means imposing training courses for line dancing teachers and a state-approved diploma for anyone who wants to give lessons or run clubs.
Amateur instructors will have to take 200 hours of training under the new rules. Professionals will get 600 hours, including such subjects as line dancing techniques, “the mechanics of the human body” and the English (or at least Texan) language. They will also learn how to teach line dancing to the elderly.
The cost of the courses, about €2,000 (£1,570) for the professionals and €500 for the amateurs, will be largely met by taxpayers. Mr Chauveau said the regulations highlighted the French state's obsessive desire to organise all public activity. “France is the only country in Europe apart from Greece where sport is controlled through the state,” he said. “Line dancing is now considered a sport, so it is being controlled, too.”
Partners in popularity
— Modern line dancing evolved from “contra” dances, popular in New England in the early 1800s and developed from earlier European folk dances
— In the 1970s, the country and western form was developed. It is this form that has global popularity today
— A promotional dance was choreographed for Billy Ray Cyrus’s 1992 single Achy Breaky Heart. The song and the dance went on to become Cyrus’s most popular hit and was one of the bestselling country songs of the 1990s
— The most popular line dances, “the old favourites”, are the “Tush Push”, the “Electric Slide” and the “Boot-Scootin’ Boogie”
— The most common move in line dances is the Schottische: step, cross, step, scoot
It’s nice to know that the French like some things American.
The UK is a huge place for Country and Western music, too.
Funny, they will soon have mosques in place of Notre Dame and they hate Americans.
Wow.
**”“We love American magic and the American dream,” he said. “But we hate Americans when we confront the hard reality of their behaviour throughout the world. We go for the cowboy hats but not George Bush.”**
Well, Frenchie we like the Fwench when they cower in fear due to lack of spines BUT we hate the fwench when they have to call us to bail them out.
Carry on with your inferiority complex and good luck on some good ole American line dancin, my gutless pardner! Yee HAaaa
Do they require 200 hours for Honor Killing 101; living on the Dole 102 or strapping bombs on myself 103?
Morons.
Get a LIFE...
le idiot.
I guess keeping a distance from each other is a result of lack of contact with soap and water.
Amateur instructors will have to take 200 hours of training under the new rules. Professionals will get
600 hours, including such subjects as line dancing techniques, “the mechanics of the human body” and the English (or at least Texan) language. They will also learn how to teach line dancing to the elderly.
The cost of the courses, about €2,000 (£1,570) for the professionals and €500 for the amateurs, will be largely met by taxpayers. Mr Chauveau said the regulations highlighted the French state's obsessive desire to organise all public activity. “France is the only country in Europe apart from Greece where sport is controlled through the state,” he said. “Line dancing is now considered a sport, so it is being controlled, too.”
OMG, articles like these must send chills up the spines of the staff at The Onion. Indeed, if something like this can happen in the real world, what is there left to satirize? And how would anyone know the difference? 600 hours of training...? Holy crap, if you can't learn line dancing in 6 hours you probably shouldn't even be sweeping the frickin floor!
writhing, fetal position stupid ping!
They love line dancing but are ever so quick to use the word “cowboy” in a derogatory fashion against Americans.
This is what happens after generations of Socialism and demanding that everyone else fight your battles for you....no brains, no spine, and no honor.
I don't see how it's possible to separate the two.
There are so many things wrong with this that I don’t even know where to begin. I guess it can be summed up by saying that this is what nanny state socialism leads to. Sniveling, good for nothing, useless bureaucrats who will always find just one more thing to have total control over. Truely pathetic and pitiful creatures. I thank God that I don’t live there and have pity on those who do.
“It’s nice to know that the French like some things American.”
Like Jerry Lewis? ;)
They like Jerry Lewis because he makes Americans look like fools.
Is the French version played with accordion bands as a backdrop?
Have they gone in for bolos and turquoise?
The french dealing with muslim youth rioting and burning is so fun to watch.
It’s like a comedy watching them surrender to these criminals.
“the English (or at least Texan) language”
Texas twang French.
Hey, my Red River friend, you on board with this, cowboy? Texas French?
Would that be ‘oui’ or ‘oua’? ‘S’il vous plait’ or ‘Sill veh play’?
Step one: regulate non-french culture dancing/customs.
Step two: ban said dancing.
Step three: institute sharia rules regarding any dancing.
Well, - - - - we all know W can’t dance too well.
I’m conflicted.
One one hand, we have Country Music. If they have a jukebox in Hell, that baby is loaded with it. On the other hand, we have bureaucrats and government employees. Enough said on that.
I’ve got it, just nuke France and start over!
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