Grapevine vs. The Weave

🌀 Into the Weeds (and 🍇Vines!) of Line Dancing

​Let’s be honest: if you’ve ever line danced, you’ve grapevined right and left, weaved, rolled, and turned those vines. These combos are the bread and butter of line dancing! Because these moves are “beginner,” we can take them for granted and get sloppy with them.
So today, we’re going to get into the weeds🌿 — or should I say vines — and untangle these classic steps for smoother💃, safer, and ✨better-looking dancing! 
​
🍇 The Grapevine (a.k.a. “Vine”)
The grapevine is a three-count combination that travels sideways with three weight changes. Most instructors just call it a vine — because who has time for all those syllables while calling a dance?
Grapevine:
1️⃣ Step R foot to the right side.
2️⃣ Step the ball of your L foot behind the right.
3️⃣ Step R foot to the right side again.
 
👉 Pro tip: Keep that “behind” step on the ball of your foot — not flat!
 If you put your heel down, you’ll slow your momentum and risk stepping into the dancer behind you. The toes of the L should be near the heel of the R, keeping your steps small, and under your body.
 
Count 4 is usually a touch, but depending on the dance, it could also be a stomp, kick, scuff, brush, cross, or whatever the choreography calls for.

👉 Pro tip: Absolute beginners and older dancers can find vines and weaves tricky, there’s no shame in simplifying to “side-together-side.” Safety first, always! 💃❤️
 
🔄 Turning Vines
Ready to change direction? Let’s turn those vines!

¼ Turning Vine:
1️⃣ Step R to the side.
2️⃣ Step L ball of foot behind R.
3️⃣ Turn ¼ right on L ball and step R forward.
 
½ Turning Vine:
1️⃣ Step R to the side.
2️⃣ Step L ball of foot behind R.
3️⃣ Turn ¼ right, step R forward on the ball.
4️⃣ Turn another ¼ right, step L to the side.
 
👉 Remember: your heel is your brake! Stay on the balls of your feet to keep it smooth, stylish, and just enough turn to keep things interesting!
 
💫 Three-Step Turn (The Rolling Vine)
For dancers who love to twirl, you can often swap a grapevine for a Three-Step Turn. The 3-step turn is a progressive turn — not stationary — that travels down the line of dance (like a Chainé).

Three Step Turn:
1️⃣ Step R ¼ right on the ball of foot in the direction of the turn.
2️⃣ Draw the L foot under your body as you Step L ball of foot ¼ right.
3️⃣ Draw the R foot under your body as you turn ½ right stepping R to the side, completing the turn.
 
🕺 Tip: Match your turn speed to the music.
 Fast song? Fast turn. Slow song? Slow turn.
 If you finish your turn early and just stand there waiting for the beat… you’ve gone too fast!
 
🧵 The Weave (Vine’s red-headed step-Cousin)
Here’s where it gets interesting — and a little controversial!
According to the NTA Dance Terminology Booklet (p. 66), a weave is “a continuous grapevine pattern crossing behind and in front, taking at least 8 counts or beats of music.”
But… many instructors (myself included!) define it differently.
 
💡 My take:

• If the combination starts with a step to the side, it’s a grapevine.
• If it starts by crossing in front, it’s a weave.
• If it starts behind, we’ll often call it behind-side-cross. 

For example: 

• “Side-behind-side-cross” I would call “Vine-Cross” 
• “Cross-Side-Behind-Side” I would call “Weave -2-3-4”
• “Behind-Side-Cross” I would call “Behind-Side-Cross”  

So, if a new instructor calls a weave, be ready to cross both in front and behind, usually for at least four counts, maybe starting to the side or across. You will have to discern what this instructor means by “weave”.
 
💬 Your Turn!
 
How do you call these moves?
Have you heard other terms used for vines or weaves?
Which terminology makes the most sense to you?
 
Drop me a message — I’d love to know how your dance community talks about these classic line dance steps!