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Slapping Leather

Gayle Brandon - 1978
40 count, 4 wall, Upper Beginner/Improver Line Dance
Tulsa Time by Don Williams (104 bpm) or Swingin' by John Anderson or Backroads by Ricky Van Shelton [172 bpm] or Six Days On The Road by Sawyer Brown or Ain't Goin' Down til the Sun Comes Up by Garth Brooks

This step description is the exact wording of the original step sheet, as signed and distributed by the original Choreographed by. Notes at the end were added to cover variations that have crept in since it was choreographed in 1978.

PIGEON TOE (HEEL SPLITS)
1-2    Swivel heels together, swivel heels to center
3-4    Swivel toe together, swivel toe to center

SIDE STEPS
5-6    Touch right to side, step right together
7-8    Touch left to side, step left together
9-12   Repeat 5-8

FLOOR TAPS
13-14  Touch right heel forward, touch right heel forward
15-16  Touch right toe back, touch right toe back

SLAPPING LEATHER
17        Touch right forward
18        Touch right to side
19        Flick right back, Slap right foot behind you with left hand
20-21   Repeat 18-19
22        Touch right to side
23        Turn ¼ left and hook right over left, Slap right foot in front of you with left hand
24        Flick right back, Slap right foot behind you with left hand

GRAPEVINE
25-26   Step right to side, cross left behind right
27-28   Step right to side, hop right to side, Lift left heel up beside your right knee
29-30   Step left to side, cross right behind left
31-32   Step left to side, hop left to side, Lift right heel up beside your left knee

33-34   Step right back, step left back
35-36   Step right back, hop right back, Lift left heel to your right knee
37-38   Step left forward, step right forward
39-40   Step left forward, stomp right together
REPEAT

CHICAGO VARIATION: Dance begins on beat 5, with a foot pattern of RRLL instead of RLRL, and putting beats 1-4 at the end of the dance. Also, replace the steps done on beats 19-24 with just three steps, which happen to be the steps shown above in beats 19, 24, and 23, in that order. To make the dance come out even, the hop on beat 36 is done twice instead of once.

SHORTER VERSIONS: In some places, the dance is shortened to 38 counts by leaving out counts 20-21. In some places, the dance is shortened to 36 counts by leaving out counts 19-22.

OTHER VARIATIONS: In fact, this dance has seen more local variations than probably any other dance. Other variations that have taken hold over the years in various places include toe taps instead of heel taps, touches to the front instead of the side, putting the ¼ turn in, at a different place, and starting at various places in the dance. If you travel to different places throughout the world, expect to see this dance done several different ways.