(Flickr photo by Jeff Croft)

No tellin’ how long this line dance has been around. Dance halls, street dances, wedding receptions–anywhere there are enough people to string together and enough room to line ’em up, you’re likely to hear Cotton-Eyed Joe. And if you don’t join in, you’re missing out on one of the best dances America has to offer.

In Give the Lady a Ride, Patricia learns the dance pretty much the same way everyone else learns–just gets out there and does it. Badly of course. But soon she’s kickin’ and steppin’ along with the best of them. The repetitious dance steps are among the easiest to learn, and if you haven’t caught on the first couple of times, having a cowboy’s boot stomp your toes will give you incentive to figure it out quick.

Depending on the band and the area’s traditions, two times around is all the time you’ll have to learn the steps because the tempo keeps getting faster. When the music finally stops, you won’t need your Zumba classes for a week!

Congrats to Pegg Thomas, winner of this week’s give-away. Thanks for playing along, Pegg!

Every week, I’ll be giving away some little something to promote my book, Give the Lady a Ride, which debuts March 14. Tune in Wednesday to see what I have in store for you!