What's That Dance

The Texas Two Step

The Texas Two Step is synonymous with the Country Western Two Step or, simply, the Two Step. A dance for partners, it’s usually danced to music in 4/4 time and pairs move counter-clockwise around the floor. The Two Step has many regional variations on its steps, but generally follows a step pattern of 4 steps, two slow and two quick, with either the slow or quick steps kicking off the action. The key component of the Two Step is its smooth, flowing presentation. From the simplest Two Step through to the most complex with tricks and turns, the dance should look effortless and smooth the whole time.
The Two Step is inspired by both the foxtrot and Swing dancing, and incorporates elements of both within it. Its strong associations with cowboy culture stem from its close connections to country/western music and its popularity throughout the southern US states.

Although the roots of a Two Step can be traced back to folk dancing in Germany and Hungary in the 1800s, it gained mass appeal in North America following the success of the 1980 movie Urban Cowboy, which starred John Travolta as a Two Step dancing cowboy.