How to Do the Cotton Eyed Joe Dance

Co-authored by Andrey Stanev

Last Updated: August 15, 2023 References

The Cotton Eyed Joe is a country dance made popular by the release of Rednex's version of the classic folk song in 1994. The dance is similar to line dancing, with relatively easy steps that are repeated over and over again. By breaking down the dance into step-by-step moves, and practicing slowly at first, you'll be able to join in the fun the next time you hear the Cotton Eyed Joe!

Part 1

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Learning the Steps

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On the first two beats of the chorus, stick your right foot out and tap the ground with the bottom of the heel twice. Your taps should line up with the beat of the song. Rest your hands on your hips or in your pockets.^{[1]
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On the next two beats of the chorus, put your right foot behind you and tap the ground with your toe twice.^{[3]
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For the next two beats of the song, you will perform a scooping motion across the front of your body with your right leg. Tap your right foot beside your body (beat one), before touching your right foot with your left hand (beat two).^{[5]
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Tap your right foot to the side, and bring your right heel across and behind your body. For the following two beats, you will perform the same scooping motion behind your body. Tap your right foot beside your body again (beat one), before reaching back to touch your right foot with your left hand (beat two).^{[6]
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- Altogether, these first four moves make up the first 8 beats of the dance.
For the next four beats, shuffle your body to the right by doing a grapevine move with your feet. Step your right foot to the side, step your left foot behind your right, step your right foot to the side again, and step your left foot together with your right. Clap your hands on the fourth beat of this move, when your two feet come together.^{[8]
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Take four side steps to the left while spinning your body. For the final four beats of the song, take four small side steps while turning your body 90 degrees with each step. In this move, you'll return to your original position on the dance floor while rotating your body a full 360 degrees. As you move your feet in a sideways shuffle on the beat - left, right, left, right - turn your body in a circle to the right as well.^{[9]
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- These previous two steps make up the second 8 beats of the dance. One entire round of this dance is 16 beats long.
As you spin your body and move to the left, keep your left hand on your hip while pretending you are swinging a lasso overhead with your right arm.
As the song continues, these same 16-count dance moves keep repeating, but they'll alternate sides every time. When you lead with your left foot, you'll perform your grapevine to the left as well.

Part 2

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Mastering the Dance

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In order to learn the moves, it's best to practice slowly, counting the beats out loud while going through the motions. By taking the time to learn slowly, you'll have an easier time remembering the moves later on.^{[10]
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Watch other people perform the dance. If you're new to the Cotton Eyed Joe dance and want to join in at a dance party, watch the first few rounds of the dance before joining. The dance repeats for the entire length of the song, so you'll have plenty of time to join in after watching and getting the hang of the moves from the sidelines.^{[11]
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- You can also find videos of people doing the Cotton Eyed Joe on YouTube.
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Learn how the dance moves line up with the song lyrics. Spend some time listening to the Cotton Eyed Joe song and try to remember which counts of the dance line up with specific words in the chorus. If you get lost during a round of the dance, you'll be able to listen to the song to help you find your place.
- The chorus of the song is 16 beats, and is the same length as one round of the Cotton Eyed Joe dance.
- The final hook, “Where did you come from, where did you go? Where did you come from, Cotton Eyed Joe?” lines up with your final 8 counts of the dance, where you will be moving from side to side.
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Join in on the chorus. The Cotton Eyed Joe is a long song, and it is most common to see people join in on the chorus. When you're new to the dance, try performing the moves during the chorus so that you'll have lots of other people to blend in with.
- If you get lost or forget the moves along the way, wait for the top of the chorus ("If it hadn't been for the Cotton Eye Joe, I'd been married a long time ago...") to start the dance over again.
- During the rest of the song, feel free to keep performing the Cotton Eyed Joe dance, or dance in any other way you please!
Once you get the moves down, try adding tiny jumps on your left foot as you perform the first stationary toe-tap moves. Bounce on your right foot when you lead with your left foot. The bouncing will help make the moves look and feel more upbeat.^{[12]
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Does dancing help relieve stress?

Andrey Stanev
Professional Dance Instructor
Andrey Stanev is a Professional Dance Instructor specializing in ballroom, Latin and wedding dance. With over 25 years of instruction and dancing experience, Andrey is also the Owner of Ballroom Dance in NYC, a studio based in Manhattan, New York and in Hawthorne, New York. He was born and raised in Bulgaria and won the Bulgarian National Championship for Ballroom and Latin Dance in 2000-2001. He has also worked at the Fred Astaire Dance Studio where he received the Award for Outstanding Performance in the advanced department of teaching.

Andrey Stanev

Professional Dance Instructor

Expert Answer

There are so many benefits to dancing and releasing stress is certainly one of them. One of the biggest mood changers is music. If you are dancing to it, then definitely you can quickly shift your mood and have a better experience.

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What level of dancing is this, is it an easy/beginner dance, or is it more difficult?

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This is very simple! It is popular at school dances and parties, so you shouldn't have trouble learning it.

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When I do the Cotton Eyed Joe dance, I seem to move slow compared to everyone else. My school is doing this for a play. How can I dance faster?

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You might just have to practice it many times. Once you're sure you have it, start speeding up little by little until you reach the desired tempo.

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Try it with friends so that you can learn it together. If they already know it, have them help you.

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Bounce with beat

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Listen to the song before hand so that you know the tempo of the song.

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