About Us - The Texan Dudes Line Dancing


Tel: 020 8440 7340	Mobile: 07786 248740	e-mail: info@ texandudes.com		A Brief History

We took up line dancing as a hobby in 1994 and within a very short space of time came to love the freedom of expression that line dancing gave us. We decided that we both wanted to teach line dancing and so qualified with the International Dance Teachers Association.

We are very proud to say that the club, created in 1994, has gone from strength to strength.
We have taught a few famous people and been involved in some memorable experiences.
Here are just a few of those experiences:

Press Cutting from
London Metro

Boxing
Clever

Very early on in our career we were involved in a fund raising event at a local gym. The former world middle weight boxing champion Nigel Benn was taking part in the proceedings and under the guidance of Lavinia took his first line dancing steps. He was very generous in his praise of the tuition he received.

Robbie
Williams

In 2006 we were involved in the making of a video for channel 4 for a track from Robbie Williams album ‘Rudebox’. Although the album didn’t quite have the success that was hoped for, we had a great day filming. The track used was ‘Viva Life On Mars’ and the ‘shoot’ was in the exotic surroundings of a working mans club in Bethnal Green !

The video story was all about an old chap who belonged to a Country & Western club and was out to impress a lady that belonged to the same club. A fun day and a fun video which was aired on Channel 4 a couple times. (See photo).

The
Holloways

In the same year as the Robbie Williams video we were asked to take part in a promotional video for an up and coming group called the Holloways. We travelled to Shepherds Bush and joined various other dancers to perform while the group played a song called ‘Two Left Feet’ !

We took along two of our club dancers, Dave and Vivien, and spent a long day shooting the video on the hottest day of the year! We were the only line dancers there, the other dancers were demonstrating Salsa, Ballroom, Ballet, Street Dancing, Bollywood and many other forms of dance. Click here to see the video.
Quite an experience and a very long day. (See the photos)

4
Poofs
and
A
Piano

In 2007 we had the good fortune to be booked to do a line dancing slot for a birthday party. We didn’t know at the time but it was for Ian Parkin who is a member of the group ‘4 Poofs and A Piano’.

They are regulars on the Jonathon Ross show shown on BBC1.

We received a thank you e-mail from Ian who wrote:

Hi Y’all,

I just want to thank you properly.

As I mentioned before, booking someone over the internet is a risky business and I had no idea what you would be like. I needn’t have worried. The feedback from everyone at the party was that they had had a wonderful night and that the line dancing was the icing on the cake.

You chose great dances so that everyone from children to grannies could join in and feel they’d achieved something and you made the whole experience great fun.

You have a wonderful friendly approach to your teaching which made my guests feel more at ease and far more willing to ‘have a go’.

I would have no hesitation in recommending you to my friends and will certainly keep your details in case I throw another party.

I wish you continued success.
With very best wishes. Ian Parkin.

Las
Vegas,
USA

On Christmas day in 2007 we were asked if we would like to teach some dances to some line dance club members on the outskirts of Las Vegas. We took a short car drive to a suburb called Pahrump and met up with Teri who runs classes in the town. Teri took us to one of her class members homes where the ‘American sized’ garage had been turned into a dance studio. We had a wonderful day and met some very generous and warm people on a Christmas day like no other in our past.
(See photo)

Abbey
Road
Studios

In 2008 we were asked to take part in TV fashion show in Abbey Road studios. This ‘spot’ was for a young fashion designer called Gareth Pugh and was to be the ‘finale’ of a three day event. The show went out on cable TV and radio and was an unforgettable experience. We were to ‘front’ the line dancing on a dance floor made up of black and white squares, like a chess board. The dancers all wore white dungarees and we wore white outfits topped off with white cowboy hats. The dancing was done to Country & Western music in the light of blue florescent lighting. Quite an experience to say that we had trodden the same route as The Beatles !

‘Strait Talkin’

Choreographed Dance:
Some years ago Lavinia choreographed a dance called ‘Strait Talkin’ which was published in the trade magazine ‘Line Dancer’. The dance has received a lot of acclaim around the world and is danced and taught by a great many clubs around the globe. Initially written as a stepping stone to the more advanced dances it is now accepted as a fun dance in its own right. Lavinia is quite rightly proud of its success.

Click here to see the
step sheet.