Soulful Steps: A Soul Line Dance Journey with J&J (2018)

Soulful Steps sheds light on this dance style's history, evolution, and trajectory, through the lens of husband and wife team James and Jackie Rice, whose dance serves as the foundation of their romance. The birth of this dance style is due largely in part to the soulful music it uses as its backdrop. All the dances are choreographed to popular soul music. The Internet has helped the growth of the dance style's recent explosion. Soul line dancers across the world share new variations through sites like YouTube and Vimeo. We revisit their union and explore their lives, the lives of soul line dancers, and fellow teachers. Soulful Steps culminates in their creation, the first Soul Line Dancing convention on the west coast. James and Jackie met dancing 35 years ago. Jackie had just performed horribly on her nursing exam and planned to stay in the house for as long as humanly possible. Jackie's girlfriends insisted on cheering her up and drug her out to the club, to dance her blues away. James had worked all day and also had no intentions of going out. He needed go home and take a shower. His friends, however, were also insistent on taking him to the club. James had a tendency to search for the "finest woman in the room." He'd find her, talk to her, and if she responded, he was happy. If she didn't, he was ready to go. Well, on that particular night, he spotted Jackie. He felt she definitely fit his criteria, so he made his move. She obliged, and they danced the night away. They have been dancing ever since.