THE DANCE : A Five, Six, Shake Your Hips to the Latest Boot Scootin’ Boogies at Country Clubs

She slipped into the denim skirt that flares when she twirls, wiggled into a glittery T-shirt and pulled on a well-worn pair of cowboy boots. Sunday had finally come, and, like every Sunday, Marissa Kirk was going dancing.

Slappin’ Leather, Electric Slide, Boot Scootin’ Boogie, the Romeo--Kirk knows them all. She does the rollicking line dances over and again with newfound friends who likewise crave the chance to kick and pivot.

In fact a few weeks ago, Kirk burst into tears after learning she had to skip her weekly country fix. Sound extreme? Well, she may look as sassy as anybody on the dance floor, but this little cowgirl is only 6 years old.

“I got mad,” explained the Westminster youngster whose aunt, Linda Clift, takes her dancing.

Many a cowboy-hatted adult in Kirk’s predicament might throw a temper tantrum, too. Her allegiance, however, helps explain the explosive popularity of country dancing, which has been holding steady at an all-time high for the past couple of years, nationwide and here in Orange County.

Dancers barely old enough to ride a pony as well as senior citizens and all sorts in between--are flocking to clubs where boots and bolos are de rigueur, the decor is Neo-Cowhide with Cattle Skull overtones and modern-day cowboys ride bucking broncos on ubiquitous video screens.

“It’s just going nuts out there, it’s unbelievable,” said Jack H. Schroeder, president of the Orange County-Long Beach chapter of the California Country Music Assn.

Indeed, the number of country radio stations nationwide rose to a record high of 2,402 this year, according to the Country Music Assn., a worldwide trade association that promotes country music.

And riding double with the boom is a surge in the number of Orange County venues large and small offering country dancing. Fewer than a dozen existed five years ago, but at least 40 are operating now, estimates Tom Potts, CCMA statewide president and a local country dance instructor.

“There isn’t a single (country venue) without a dance instructor, and most usually have two,” Potts said.

On any night of the week, fanatics young and old crowd local dance floors from San Juan Capistrano to Anaheim, adding fancy spins to a Cowboy Cha Cha, forming rows to execute one of myriad, partner-less line dances, or performing a two-step, the fox-trot like staple of country dance.

As the deejay played Charlie Daniels’ upbeat “Drinking My Baby Goodbye,” 68-year-old Suzanne Dimuccio handily kept up with dancers one-fourth her age at last week’s opening of In Cahoots in Fullerton (see Wanna Dance? column, page 14). That club is the latest addition to the local, burgeoning country scene, which is expected to expand even further when the Country Rock Cafe opens in Lake Forest sometime in the next two months.

Dimuccio, a.k.a. the Dancin’ Mama, swung her hips and slapped her bright red boots, which matched her bright red cowboy hat, which matched her bejeweled, bright red bolo, which matched her bright red shirt, knotted at hip-level over sexy white leggings.

“I’ve been dancing (elsewhere) once a week no matter what,” she said during a break, “but I might increase that because this club is closer” to home in Anaheim. “I love it.”

*

Many of today’s country dances, like early American square dances, have roots in such centuries-old, transplanted European folk, square or social dances as the French quadrille, the German schottische and the Viennese Waltz, country dance experts say.

Country music, first recorded in the 1920s then popularized through radio and film in the 1930s, flourished on the West Coast during World War II, thanks to fans who moved to California to work in defense plants, said Cliffie Stone, a Country Music Assn. Hall of Fame inductee who produced an influential country music TV show during the 1950s.

“They came from Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Arkansas and Tennessee, and brought with them their guitars and fiddles and some of their fun dancing,” Stone said.

The 1960s folk music revival brought about another surge in country music and dance popularity, as did the 1980 movie “Urban Cowboy,” starring a two-stepping John Travolta.

By the early ‘90s, the honky-tonk twang of traditional country music had largely given way, at least in Top 40 radio programming, to a new sound energized with strains of rock and pop. The crossover success of such singers as Garth Brooks, Travis Tritt and Mary-Chapin Carpenter helped boost country music popularity to its highest level yet, and impel more dancers to their feet.

But it was a savvy Nashville record company and a charismatic singer from Kentucky whom industry experts credit with ushering in the current widespread, unprecedented dance craze early last year.

Mercury Records executives, looking for a way to promote heartthrob Billy Ray Cyrus, knew that country dance was hot, but thought that no one had capitalized on the growing trend. So they hired choreographer Melanie Greenwood to create a line-dance for Cyrus’ catchy “Achy Breaky Heart” single, then sent the video--which includes the singer’s live performance of the song and a segment in which Greenwood shows viewers how to do the dance--to 26 dance halls across the country. (Other record labels have since employed this marketing method.)

“Some clubs used the video to teach the dance to their own dance instructor” who then taught it to patrons, said Mercury spokeswoman Sandy Neese, “and some clubs played it on a big screen” so patrons could learn the hip-swiveling dance themselves.

Mercury then sponsored an Achy Breaky Line Dance contest at each of the 26 clubs to further encourage patrons to learn it, and the rest, as they say, is history.

“Country music has brought America back to the dance floor,” Neese said.

But just what makes country dancing so compelling? Why does it seem to be holding strong when disco, in its first incarnation, died before anyone’s polyester raveled? How has it become so mainstream that soap operas and prime-time television dramas feature scenes of jamboree-happy hoofers?

The new country music has a lot to do with it. It’s appealing to a younger audience that had been turned off by both the traditional George Jones-Hank Williams approach of country and the pervasive, hard-to-dance-to rhythms of heavy metal and rap music, industry officials say.

Many rock-oriented clubs across the country “are either having a country night or have changed over to country completely,” said Craig Campbell, vice president of the Nashville-based Aristo Media, which promotes country artists and music videos.

Owners of the Denim & Diamonds chain switched three of their California clubs (formerly called Bentley’s) from a Top-40 format to country in 1991, shortly after Brooks won a record six trophies at the year’s annual Academy of Country Music awards in Los Angeles.

“We saw the future in country,” said Greg Stewart, a managing partner of the chain.

Denim & Diamonds in Huntington Beach is where Dean Shiraga hangs his black cowboy hat.

Shiraga, a 34-year-old accountant at Mitsubishi Motors in Cypress, is the quintessential country convert. He liked to dance well enough, but for six months before The Transformation, he turned down his church friend Sherry Khatab’s countless invitations to try country.

“I said, Sherry, I don’t like country music. I probably never will,” he said recently.

When Shiraga finally took the plunge last September, “I was hooked really quick,” he said. He now dances five or six times a week, and has taken a cotton to the sound that Denim & Diamonds cocktail napkins describes as “a shot of country with a splash of rock n’ roll.”

“The rhythm is great; you can dance to all this stuff,” he said.

A friendlier atmosphere than he’s encountered at other bars or clubs also attracted Shiraga. He shared holiday meals last Christmas and Easter with about 30 dancer friends he described as “family.” (Denim & Diamonds, where 6-year-old Kirk dances, is one of a few venues around that offers lessons and dancing for children, often on weekend afternoons. See venue list, page 3.)

As for the dancing itself, it’s the sense of accomplishment--absent from doing improvisational freestyle moves--that keeps Shiraga going back for more. He and partner Cathie Scott recently won first place in beginner’s level swing (another country favorite) at a Southwestern regional competition in Fresno.

“Whether you’re doing the two-step, swing or line dances,” Shiraga said, “there’s a specific pattern you have to do, and when you first start, you think, ‘Oh God, this is not easy.’ But as you learn and get better and better, you feel like you’re on top of the world.” Country dancing is great exercise and stress reduction, fans say. And because line dances are performed solo, nobody has to have a date to go out and have a good time.

“That’s why I started coming here,” said Kathy Krauss, a 33-year-old nurse from Stanton who often goes to Anaheim’s Cowboy Boogie alone and doesn’t mind asking men to dance. Country dance clubs generally aren’t meat markets like other places, Krauss said.

“Most people come here to dance. I think the ones who go to other bars are there for something else.”

The appeal of touch-dancing that’s easy to learn is another draw, observers say. Disco’s demise came in part because the ‘70s couple dances were relatively difficult to master. But beginners can learn enough in a single two-step lesson to glide about in the arms of their partners with their first foray.

“People come up and tell me ‘Man, you saved our marriage,’ ” said dance instructor Potts, who has been teaching for about 20 years. “And this happens all the time. Country dancing gives (couples) the chance to hold on to each other and have a good time all night.”

Some in country circles believe that country dance mania is bound to diminish. If nothing else, oversaturation of the market will squeeze out smaller venues.

Others say that the strength of country music, which has seen Garth Brooks emerge as the hottest-selling pop artist of the 1990s, is reason to expect longevity.

Potts believes that line-dance madness will reduce to a simmer. Since these dances can be learned in 15 minutes and performed without a partner, they’re a great introduction to country, he said. But once over the hump, many people find they prefer cozier touch-dancing, which, after all, has endured for centuries.

But if a recent Monday night--make that Tuesday morning--crowd at Denim & Diamonds is any indication, the country craze isn’t cooling off just yet.

David B. Carden, a 35-year-old father of three who’s been dancing three times a week since February, has a busy, full-time job as engineering manager for Federal Express in Irvine. But he was part of a sweaty group that kept at it until well after 1 a.m., dancing their cares and calories away.

“I must have lost 20, 25 pounds in the past five months,” Carden said a few days later. “I love it. I tell ya, I’m going tonight.”

Where the Floors Are

* Baxters 14346 Culver Drive, Irvine. (714) 857-2103. Dancing 8 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, starting with a free dance lesson.

* Bill Medley’s Music City 18774 Brookhurst St., Fountain Valley. (714) 963-2366. Dancing Wednesday 6 to 11 p.m. with a beginner’s lesson at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 5 p.m. to midnight with an intermediate lesson at 6:30 p.m. $5 cover.

* Black Angus 12900 Euclid St., Garden Grove. (714) 638-9981. Open 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Friday, 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday, noon to 1:30 a.m. Sunday. Dancing starts at 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 9 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday, which is teen night for ages 18 and over. Free dance lessons 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

* Black Angus 17920 Brookhurst St., Fountain Valley. (714) 968-4477. Open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, 4 to 11 p.m. Saturday, noon to 10 p.m. Sunday. Dancing Tuesday starting at 7 p.m. with a lesson.

* Cactus Jack’s 710 E. Katella Ave., Anaheim. (714) 978-1828. Open 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Free dance lessons every night at 7:15 p.m. Cover is $2 on Tuesday and Thursday, $3 Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

* Canyon Inn

6821 Fairlynn Blvd., Yorba Linda. (714) 779-0880. Open 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. Dancing to live music Tuesday and Wednesday, 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.

* Capistrano Depot

26701 Verdugo St., San Juan Capistrano. (714) 496-8181. Dancing 7 to 10:30 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, with free dance lessons.

* Cook’s Corner

19122 Live Oak Canyon Road, Trabuco Canyon. (714) 858-0266. Open 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. daily. Live music Thursday beginning at 8 p.m.; Friday and Saturday at 9 p.m.; Sunday at 5 p.m. Free dance lessons 7 to 8 p.m. on Thursday and Friday.

* Cowboy Boogie CO.

1721 Manchester Ave., Anaheim. (714) 956-1410. Open 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Sunday. Free dance lessons Tuesday through Saturday beginning at 7:15 p.m. Live music Sunday at 4 p.m. with a $10 dance workshop; children welcome from 1 to 4 p.m. Cover is $2 on Thursday, $3 on Tuesday and Sunday, $5 on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

* Crazy Horse Steak House

1580 Brookhollow Drive, Santa Ana. (714) 549-1512. Open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for lunch; for dinner and dancing 5 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Monday through Saturday, till 11:30 p.m. on Sunday. Dancing to live music nightly (except on featured artist concert nights), beginning at 8 p.m. Free dance lessons Wednesday through Friday 6 to 6:30 p.m., Saturday 7 to 7:30 p.m. Cover is $3 Sunday through Thursday, $4 Friday and Saturday. Sunday 8:30 p.m.

* Del Rae

2151 N. Harbor Blvd., Fullerton. (714) 870-1711. Open 11 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. Monday through Friday; 5 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. Dance lessons ($6) on Mondays, 7 to 10 p.m.; live music on Tuesday begins 7:45 p.m.

* Denim & Diamonds

7979 Center Ave., Huntington Beach. (714) 892-4666. Open Monday thorough Friday, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.; Saturday, 5 p.m. to 2 a.m.; Sunday, 2 p.m. to 2 a.m. Dancing nightly beginning at 8:30 p.m. Free dance lessons 7 and 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday; Sunday lessons for children from 3 to 5 p.m. (all ages) and 6 to 8 p.m. for adults only. $5 cover after 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

* Disneyland Hotel

1150 W. Cerritos Ave., Anaheim. (714) 778-6600. Live music Wednesday through Sunday from 9 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. in the Neon Cactus.

* Duke’s

Hyatt Newporter, 1107 Jamboree Road, Newport Beach. (714) 729-1234. Open 5 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Wednesday through Saturday, 4 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Sunday. Free dance lessons Wednesday through Saturday, 7 to 8 p.m.; Sunday, 5 to 7 p.m. Validated valet parking.

* In Cahoots

1401 S. Lemon Ave., Fullerton. (714) 441-1666. Open Monday through Saturday 5 p.m. to 2 a.m.; Sunday noon to 2 a.m. Live music on Sundays beginning at noon. Free dance lessons daily, 6:30 to 8 p.m., plus Sundays at noon for all ages.

* Knott’s Berry Farm

8039 Beach Blvd., Buena Park. (714) 220-5200. Saturdays through November, 6 to 10 p.m. Open to children and adults; free dance lessons throughout the evening. Park admission is $25.95 for adults, $17.95 for seniors 60 and over, $15.95 for children 3 to 11.

* Marbles

1160 N. Kraemer Blvd., Anaheim. (714) 630-0121. Open daily 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Dancing Tuesday beginning at 8 p.m., with free lessons at 8 and 9 p.m.

* Maxi’s Lounge

Red Lion Hotel, 3050 Bristol St., Costa Mesa. (714) 540-7000. Dancing 5 to 11 p.m. Tuesday, till midnight Wednesday. Free dance lessons both nights at 7 p.m.

* The Press Box

6471 Westminster Ave., Westminster. (714) 898-2058. Open daily noon to midnight, till 2 a.m. Thursdays. Dancing Wednesday beginning at 7:30 p.m., with free lessons throughout the evening. Cover $2.

* The Starting Gate

5052 Katella Ave., Los Alamitos. (310) 598-8957. Open daily 7 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. Dancing to live music Thursday through Saturday, starting at 9 p.m. Free dance lessons on Tuesday and Wednesday from 7 to 9 p.m.

* Swallows Inn

31788 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano. (714) 493-3188. Open 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday and Tuesday; till 1 a.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Live music starting at 8 p.m. Wednesday, 9 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 4 p.m. Sunday. Free dance lessons Thursday at 7 p.m.

OVER THE BORDER

* Silver Bullet Saloon

3321 South St., Long Beach. (310) 634-6960. Open nightly, 6 p.m. to 2 a.m., with live music beginning at 8:30 p.m. Free dance lessons 6:30 to 8:30 Tuesday through Saturday. Cover is $5 Tuesday, Friday and Saturday; Wednesday, women get in free, men pay $3; Thursday men get in free, women pay $3.

* Spurs

6270 Pacific Coast Highway, Long Beach. (310) 594-0082. Open daily 4 p.m. to midnight. Dancing nightly, with free lessons nightly at 7 p.m. for adults, Sunday at 4 p.m. for children. $3 cover after 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

* Western Connection

657 W. Arrow Highway, San Dimas. (909) 592-2211. Open 6 p.m. to midnight Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday, till 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Live music begins at 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; 8:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Free dance lessons 7 to 8 p.m.; beginners Sunday through Tuesday, advanced on Wednesday. Cover is $2 after 8 p.m. on Sunday and Tuesday through Thursday, $4 on Friday and Saturday.