This Ain’t No Cotton-Eyed Joe 410 Soul Line-Dancing

by Diane Ciarloni | photos courtesy of Isha “Boomerang” Hutchinson

There’s a world out there that most of us never knew existed. It’s called Soul LineDancing (sometimes also referred to as Urban Line Dancing), and it’s slipped quietly into the top brackets of favorite pastimes since its beginning in the late 1980s.

Anyone living within a couple thousand miles of Texas is familiar with country linedancing; that boot-scootin, sliding, kicking, slapping your butt routine that functions as the voice of Cotton-Eyed Joe. Soul Line is also a choreographed series of dance movements, but the accompanying music is chosen from a much broader collection of genre. It can be anything from soul to hip-hop, pop, zydeco, jazz, and R&B – just about anything capable of accommodating at least a semi-spunky rhythm. The result is high energy, low impact, fun dancing. It was 1994 when Flower Mound resident Isha “Boomerang” Hutchinson moved from Pittsburg to Dallas, following his now-wife, Marlo. Both were dancers. Her passion was flamenco, while his was soul-line. Actually, his preference was completely logical since Pittsburg is where Dave Bush was crowned the godfather of the movement.

Marlo relocated for a new programmer job, and Dave became a senior IP project manager in 1997. That remains his “day job.” The work can be tedious and headache-causing, so he eventually decided he needed a way to de-stress. He found a club and began line dancing with a group of people there.

“I just wanted to meet people and have fun,” Dave said. “Unfortunately, there was a lot of cliquishness. To me, that defeated the entire purpose.”

The search for a club to meet his needs continued. In 2014, Dave and Marlo established 410 Line Dancers in Flower Mound. The name comes from an experience with an old fraternity brother who intended to be a 410 partner. Those plans fell apart but not the studio, which is currently in Coppell.

“Our motto is ‘No Cliques, No Drama....Just GREAT Dancing,’” Dave explained. “Today, we’re viewed as the leading line-dancing company in Texas, regardless of age or dance skill level. We teach and create the top soul line-dances from the simplest to the most complex. In soul line-dancing, one of the challenges is to create new dances. One of the latest is The Wobble! Our goal is a high standard of dance excellence within a low-pressure and positive environment.”

He added, “We have around 35 full-time members, and more women than men. Lifetime friendships are made at 410, and building camaraderie and self-confidence

are very important. We found out most people, whether they realize it or not, come to dance for a lot of reasons. Maybe they’re new to the area and need friends, recovering from a physical injury, or fighting depression. And there are a few who just want to dance.”

It’s important to Dave that he and Marlo use the platform they’ve built for good — for helping people, for giving back, for being a part of the solution, for helping to develop self-confidence. “I’m 50-years-old,” Dave said. “I’ve grown so much by leading these groups. I try to be a project manager for them. I share what I know, and I’m willing to bring in a professional if needed — especially if someone is dealing with a really difficult emotional issue.

“I derive so much pride from what we’re doing, and I do things I never dreamed of doing.”

The same is true for many of the 410 students. Some have started their own businesses. Others are involved in the ongoing work of 410 TV, which was started in 2017. They learn about production, programming, scripting, and more. It’s experience that can become an important stepping stone.

410 has received 85 award nominations over five years and has won 35 of those. Everything they do, create, sponsor, or produce all aspires to the same standard of the highest possible excellence. They simply refuse to accept anything less.