Edited by Azizi Powell
Latest revision- August 3, 2026
This is Part II of a pancocojams series on the differences between contemporary trail ride line dancing and some contemporary and older "soul" line dances.
This post showcases four* YouTube videos of African American contemporary trail ride dancing. Selected comments from the discussion threads for four of these videos are also included in this post. The comment feature is turned off for Video #3. Instead of comments, an excerpt of a 2021 article about African American trail rides is given after that video..
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/08/what-are-trail-ride-line-dances-how-are.htm for Part I of this pancocojams series. That post showcases these same YouTube videos and includes selected comments from a Facebook page about trail ride line dancing.
The content of this post is presented for historical, socio-cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and all those who are featured in these showcased videos. Thanks to all the singers and choreographers of the songs that are featured in these showcased videos. Thanks also to all the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
-snip-
-snip-
Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EHIje55fts for a 2012 YouTube video of an African American group doing a soul line dance (circle dance) to the 1992 house music hit song "Follow Me".
*UPDATE: August 1, 2026. This pancocojams post originally showcased five YouTube videos. However, I just learned that the video that I arbitrarily labeled as Showcase Video #1 is no longer available on YouTube. That video documented a large group of Black trail riders outdoors "stepping" in a circle line dance to the House music anthem "Follow Me."
Fortunately, I had copied some comments from that video's discussion thread and had published them in this pancocojams post.
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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S DISCLAIMER
I seldom line dance. I'm not a dance historian. And, regrettably, I've never been to a trail ride.
The information that is compiled in this pancocojams series on "Trail ride line dances" is gleaned from my internet searches.
Additions and corrections are very welcome.
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A GENERAL OVERVIEW OF AFRICAN AMERICAN LINE DANCING AND/OR TRAIL RIDE DANCING (Revised August 1, 2026)
Here's some information about African American line dances in general and/or specifically trail ride line dances:
Additions and corrections are welcome.
African American Line Dances
-"Line dance" is one of the referents that African Americans use for types of dances that are performed by groups of people standing in horizontal lines while performing certain choreographed steps while (usually) moving to face four walls (four different directions).
-Instead of the referent "line dance", African Americans from various parts of the United States may refer to these types of group dances as "hustles" "slides", "two-steps", or "stepping". However, those terms have other meanings besides "line dancing."
-African American line dances can be performed by people of all ages, genders, and races/ethnicities dancing together. However, these dances are usually performed by African American women who are 30 years and older.
-African American line dancing are mostly performed to a non-religious record from the soul (particularly Southern Soul, R&B, Hip Hop, House, and Zydeco music genre). However, African American line dancing may also be performed to religious record from the Gospel genre.
-Dancers are usually silent while performing African American line dancing. Onlookers are also usually silent while watching that dancing being performed and don't clap, chant, yell, or give shout outs to dancers during these dances.
-Dancers usually have a serious (not smiling or joyful) demeanor while performing African American line dancing (as if to convey that they are serious (intent) on doing that routine.
-Some of the records for African American line dances have instructional lyrics (i.e. "lyrics that tell listeners how to do that dance; how to move). Other records for African American line dancing aren't instructional and are repurposed dance records.
-With the exception of those that are performed to instructional records, most African
American line dances have more than one version of their routine during the same period of time or in specific cities and states. However, there may be a version of that line dance that becomes so popular during that period of time that it becomes "canon" (meaning that particular way of doing that dance is usually considered "the only way" that that specific dance is correctly done.
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Trail ride versions (of African American line dances)
-"Trail ride versions" are group dances that may either be versions of older African American line dances, versions of older or current African American social dances, or newly created line dances.
-Trail ride versions are also referred to as "circle line dances".
-The referent "trail ride versions" comes from how these dances are performed and where this style of dancing originated (i.e. outdoors during African American trail rides, particularly those trail rides in certain states in the American south, particularly South Carolina where African American trail rides (events) occur. However, trail ride versions can be performed during non-trail ride occasions
-Trail ride organizers began in the mid 1980s pulling sound setups—famously nicknamed the "Bread Truck" or using large boomboxes—on the trails themselves, turning the outdoor rides into moving parties that ended in massive campouts, feasting, and field dancing. [source: AI Overview]
-Trail Ride versions are performed by females and males that is usually younger than the population for African American line dances.
-In contrast to African American line dances that are performed by people standing in horizontal lines, "trail ride versions" are performed by people standing in a vertical single line which moves in a (usually winding) circular, follow the leader fashion. These dances have the same formations as conga lines and historically Black Greek letter fraternity or sorority strolls. However, the ways that trail ride versions are performed differ from the ways that conga lines or historically Greek letter fraternity/sorority strolls are performed.
-More than one single line of trail ride dancers can (and usually does) occur at the same time and in the same space. These lines don't cross each other during their winding, circular movements.
[The other points that are listed above for line dancing also apply to "trail ride versions:.
Read more about "trail rides" and "trail ride dances" in the comment section below and in the comment section for Part I of this pancocojams series.
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SHOWCASE VIDEOS OF TRAIL RIDE VERSIONS (OF AFRICAN AMERICAN LINE DANCES)
(These videos are given in no particular order. Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.)
That video was found at the top of this pancocojams post, but unfortunately, is no longer available on YouTube o(
-snip-
Selected comments:
1. @68heavyChevyRida, February 2025
"OHH OK, so dis wut be goings-on at da
trail rides, I never knew, beings a resident of South Florida 👍🏽👌🏾😎"
**
2. @MichaelBrown-xl5qr, March 2025
"Oh my goodness this is tight...this gave me chills just watching the BLACK FOLK UNITY😅"
**
3. @v.p.6422, March 2025
"I can see me and my equilibrium turned
off self. They going this way me going that way🤭They turning around! Me
going straight..... LORD HELP 🙌🏼🥰😁🥴BUT
I WANNA GO!!! DERN IT 😂"
**
4. @ms.t.g.9176, April 2025
"I LOVE IT!!! trying to learn the steps
now!!! LOVE MY PEOPLE!!!"
**
5. @shadowblackt, April 2025
"Fans up my FBA and Freedman family 🏹🪶
what a beautiful sight keep our culture going ❤"
**
6 @Chan-og8pu, April 2025
"Whoóaaaaaaa y'all see this. It's
freaking multigenerational. Did y'all see all them young folks.😮😮😮❤❤"
**
7. @catc6088, April 2025
"I need to get me a fan and whistle 😂😂❤"
**
Reply
8. @mrswilliams4831, April 2025
"Same😂😂"
**
9. @karenjones824, May 2025
"Love this! 🙌🏾🙌🏾❤️
What is the name of the song and line dance please?
Thank you! 😊
**
Reply
10. @iamrachaelreed, May 2025
"@karenjones824
The song is Follow Me by Aly Us"
**
Reply
11. @karenjones824, May 2025
"@ Thank you! 😊"
**
12. @TheWorldOfRagus, May 2025
"All these beautiful people creating SOOOOOOOO many wonderful vibes. Loving it and can‘t get enough of this. Thanks for sharing this very special moment and best regards from Munich / Germany. HOUSE MUSIC RULEZZZZ 
️️️"
13. @LadyKayC, May 2025
"I was there. What a
time. Sooooo much fun, vibes, and
hospitality....10/10"
**
14. @mauricegranger3788, June 2025
"I was there and it was such an incredible vibe!! Dancing/eating/drinking all day. Drove from
ATL and had the best time.
**
15. @Countingthedays28, June 2025
"I like the house music with this🎉🎉🎉🎉
**
16. @CollabraBurnette, June 2025
"Loving this here in Ireland ❤❤❤
Chicago house + line dancing + spanish fans + percussion + synchronicity-
love love love ❤️"
**
17. @MeganDanee, June 2025
"Meh
If the trail riders arent from Texas or
certain parts of Louisiana… then it’s not an authentic trail ride. It’s just
mfs cosplaying black western culture.
Ain’t no real cowboys in Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, and the Carolinas.
Y’all were NOT part of the old west or
the Wild West.
The rest of the south love to say “Texas isn’t really southern”… but love to cosplay our culture and capitalize off of our aesthetic.
Y’all say Texas has too much Mexican influence, when the original Vaqueros were Spaniards in Mexico. “Rodeo” and other western/cowboy terminology comes straight from the Spaniards.
The first black cowboys and black rodeos were held in Texas.
Y’all don’t even dance Zydeco in the
southeastern parts of the south 😐 that’s why yall so stuck on them fans"
**
18. @sandramilfort9261< June 2025
"Black joy shall not be suppressed ❤ no
matter what 🎉🎉🎉"
**
19. @TheGQKing, July 2025
" "Follow Me" being a Trail ride song is wild lol. It's Time for the Perkalator is NeXt🤣 Love to See"
-snip-
Here's some information about the "Follow Me" record from its official YouTube sound file:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8yL2Lmzvn0
"Aly-Us 'Follow Me' (SR1288) Strictly Rhythm
1992" -snip- Here's some information about It's Time For The Perculator": https://princevault.com/index.php?title=Coffee_Pot_(It%E2%80%99s_Time_For_The_Percolator). "Artist: Cajmere (also known as Green Velvet)
Original Title: "Coffee Pot (It's Time for the
Percolator)"
Initial Release Year: 1991
Label: ClubHouse Records
Significance: The track is an iconic example of Chicago house music, popular for its rhythmic style and the associated "Percolator" dance move.".
**
20, @StevenNichols-t3f,, July 2025
"So beautiful everybody on beat love my
people Heyyy"
**
21. @2828SHAY2828, July 2025
"Idk why this almost made me emotional!?!? Something about when we unite, that large circle of us coming together, and the connection to Mutha Earth all at the same time ❤❤❤😊😊😊😊"
SHOWCASE VIDEO #2 -
Big Mucci, Oct 1, 2020
Big Mucci The King of LineDance Music & Rico C brings you the Official Video for the TrailRiders Shuffle LineDance. a Mixture of Southern Soul and Trailriders Music
Song: Trailriders Shuffle
Artist: Big Mucci Ft. Rico C
Visuals by: Mr. Kap Bugsy of THEKAPXTC Visual Production
-snip-
Selected comments:
1.@gsmpharmacist, 2020
"Move on over Electric Slide!"
**
2. @DarrSays, 2020
"I love it! I hope it catch on and become a black staple with
electric slide, cupid shuffle, and wobble!"
**
3. @MrDhill26, 2021
"Where was this video shot at?"
**
Reply
4. @BigMucci, 2021
"It was shot in Rockmart Georgia at 101 Backwood Riders
Trailride"
**
5. @spetersonize, 2022
"How do you join the trail ride clubs I would love to be a
member what do I do"
Reply
6.
"Depending on what city you live in, look up Trailride
parties in your area or near by. Start supporting and attending them and peep
out which club suits your liking,
ask a member that you see, can they get you in contact with their CEO / President / Founder of their club and talk to him about what all it takes and what you need to do to join their club.
Every Club functions different some may say you have to have
and ride a horse, some may say you have to have an ATV … Every Trailride Club
operates different. Sh-t* some is just immediate Family and Friends."
-snip-
*This would is fully spelled out in this comment.
**
7. @josephinebenish, 2022
"Amazing song and video and dancing I know how to dance to any line dancing with my own twist"
****
#30Talk,
"EPIC" 2025 Boots on the ground Trail Ride in NC.
-snip-
Comments for this video are turned off.
Here's an excerpt of an online article about African American trail rides: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/creole-trail-black-cowboy-history "Creole trail rides highlight black cowboy history" written by Joel Balsam, Jan 25, 2021
"On any given weekend in towns across Louisiana and Texas,
hooves click-clack on pavement and wagons blast infectious zydeco rhythms.
Holding the horse's reins in one hand, and a cold beer in the other, is a long
line of cowboys. Not the John Wayne-type typically seen in Hollywood westerns,
but African American men and women, celebrating their culture on a Creole trail
ride.
These campout festivals involve a procession of horses and wagons, spicy Creole food, traditional line dancing and all-night partying. Bring a cowboy hat, an empty stomach and a horse if you got one because everyone's welcome (as long as they behave). Here's what you need to know about Creole trail rides.
Creole trail ride history
No one knows exactly when trail rides first began, but they
have surged in popularity in the last decade as urbanites skip the clubs in
favor of these wildly fun parties in the dusty countryside. The first trail
rides were organized by black Creoles – descendants of Africans and the French
or Spanish colonizers who settled the area before it was part of the US – who
were excluded from white cowboy culture
It’s thought that West Africans enslaved by the French in the Lafayette area of Louisiana in the 1760s were among the original American cowboys – horse-riding cattle herders – then known as vachères, a Creole term from the French for cow. Some historians say as many as one in four cowboys in early America were black. Yet the image of an African American riding on horseback has largely been omitted from popular culture, save for a few movies like Django Unchained and Blazing Saddles, or songs like Bob Marley's “Buffalo Soldier,” an ode to the all-black 10th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army.
Traditionally, trail rides included only members of the local community – family, friends and members of cowboy associations – but Paul Scott, the coordinator of Step-N-Strut, a three-day trail ride commonly known as the Creole Woodstock, said when outsiders come, regulars fall all over themselves trying to welcome them....
Saddling up
People tend to show up early in the morning for trail rides,
which are usually held on Saturdays in Texas and Sundays in Louisiana. Some
feed their horses before the ride begins while others set up an RV for camping
out, though not everyone stays the night. Those without a horse – the majority
of attendees – ride along in wagons, which are usually equipped with
loudspeakers, an ice chest packed with booze and a port-a-potty for
emergencies. When everyone's ready, the lead wagon begins the ride and the riders
follow along, with everyone else dancing their way down the trail or partying
inside the wagons. While trail rides might sound like they’re restricted to
backcountry dirt roads, they can go along streets and through towns, just so
long as they finish where they began."...
****
Tonio Armani, May 20, 2025 SPARTA
Tonio Armani Live In Sparta, Georgia
#TonioArmani #CountryGirl #LineDance
Song : Country Girl
Artist : Tonio Armani
Video Shot By @iamyungnina
-snip-
Selected comments:
1. @gxyz0475, June 2025
"I just learned how to do the Country Girl line dance! I'm ready for that Trail Ride now😂"
**
Reply
2. @AshEyeCandy, June 2025
"😂😂 make sure you cut up!!"
**
3. @sharoneverett7468, June 2025
"I love this song❤,Along with Tonio and them two
chocolate 💪🏾 backup dancers 🔥
🍫
on my right of the stage facing the crowd."
**
4. @HopeGrant423, June 2025
"love this song and tonio. I just need more footage of singer
and the steppers in the crowd... the stage steppers werent doing it for me.
**
5. @mahoganymarz2693, June 2025
"I AM FROM THE CARIBBEAN BUT WHEN I TELL YOU I JUST GOT PUT
ON TO THE SONG I LOVE IT GROWN MAN THINGS😊"
**
Reply
6. @heavenhoward0129, July 2025
"Same vibe from Jamaica 🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲
we got the pum pum shorts the south have daisy duke GIDDYUP"
**
7. @laticialax5647, August 2025
"This song!!! Omg!! 🔥. Gives me chills, sound like he's
testifying!! So beautiful to see our
people enjoying one another ❤️"
****
Buck Tv, Mar 26, 2025 SOUTH CAROLINA
The energy was off the charts at the tour kickoff! Watch 803 Fresh deliver an electrifying live performance of his #1 Billboard R&B hit, "Boots on the Ground," produced by T Da Wizard and Snake Eyes Music Group. Featuring special guest DJ CLEVE and the legendary TNT Steppers, this unforgettable night marks the beginning of an epic tour. Don't miss out on this exclusive performance only on Buck TV Network!
-snip-
Selected comments:
1. @monicamcfarlane9086,May 2025
"Biggest song of the Year ..Love the
Unity this song is bringing ❤🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥👑💥💥"
** 2. @Gullahbae, May 2025 “Can’t nobody do it like us Southern folks! Shout out to my SC brothers and sisters! Keep the culture and vibes alive!
**
3. @BigRelly1, May 2025
"Country Music is starting to return to
it's original roots.
I love my people..... It feels like Black people are the root of every creation except for pain and suffering."
**
Reply
4. @msintegrity8328, June 2025
"This Southern Soul or Blues Music and it’s been just like
this ever since ever since… just social media—more exposure but we are country
music! Period🎉"
5. @Tonia710, May 2025
"
**
Reply
6. @lindseypettit208, June 2025
"Yes!! Love that tambourine!"
**
Reply
7. @dorisminter485, June 2025
"Yes Jordan Gilmore be playing that tambourine"
**
8. @lenasearcy9511, May 2025
"The world is falling apart, and I’m shopping for fans!😂😂😂"
**
Reply
9. @memenow2345, May 2025
"❤❤❤❤😂😂😂😂😂"
**
Reply
10. @tammiejones2731, May 2025
"We might as well enjoy good music. lol 😂"
**
Reply
11. @sljcsu, May 2025
"And a cowboy hat with boots to match!!! 😆 🤣
😂"
**
Reply
12. @PreachNPraise, May 2025
"I’m looking for a tambourine! Sister
girl is killing it! I don’t have good knees like he said so…I’ll just sit on
the sidelines and beat my tambourine for y’all! 🤣🤣"
**
Reply
13. @candacetyler6211, May 2025
"I may get a tambourine too 😂😂😂"
**
Reply
14. @lenasearcy9511, May 2025
"Imma need me a whistle too 😂"
**
Reply
15. @Dizzle93,June 2025
"Well if the globe is going to keep
warming, get as many fans as you can."
**
Reply
16. @tussiecat1harris, June 2025
"😂😂😂😂😂😂do
your thang we R strong African culture
you're doing what we have done 4 thousands of yeàrs we will be okay"
**
Reply
17. @sheilablue7500, June 2025
"When I 1st heard this, I said, is he saying, “ where them
fans at” we the ppl are crazy creative 😂😂😂"
**
Reply
18. @vlmcgee5017, June 2025
"Get Yo' Fan On!"
**
Reply
19. @aivat32thomas75,June 2025
"😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 I laughed way too hard at this. 😆
**
Reply
20. @russelllarkin5665,June 2025
"Wouldn’t be first time the world felt apart
You better have your boots on the ground! Lol"
**
Reply
21. dawns505,June 2025
"RIGHT...got me goin' ' roun to old church mothers asking for
they fan!!!!😂😂😂😂😂"
**
Reply
22. @BonnieSamuel-xh7ex,June 2025
"Go ahead Enjoy ❤❤❤😊😊😊
**
Reply
23. @biancaclarke5825, July 2025
"Shopping for fans and trying to learn a line dance 😂😂😂!! 🗣Where them fans at!?!!?"
**
24. @trodgers20091, June 2025
"Southern Black traditions ❤ Bringing it back to the forefront. This is a movement! This is our history being reawakened 🙌🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾💪🏽💯 💃🏽💃🏽💃🏽💃🏽"
**
25. @evelynwright9805, June 2025
"This song is a spiritual calling … look
at US ALL EVERYWHERE COMING TOGETHER💜"
**
Reply
26. @BonnieSamuel-xh7ex,June 2025
"Totally agree, Isn't it Beautiful"
**
27. @Bnic392, June 2025
"Bruh People In New York Is Line Dancin
To 'Boots On The Ground'.😂 This Is A Global Hit Beyond Years❤️💯"
****
This concludes Part II of this two part pancocojams series.
Visitor comments are welcome.
