Linedancing is a passion for Jan

Jan Wyllie leads the Hervey Bay Country Moon Bootscooters through their steps at the Pialba Memorial Hall.

Alistair Brightman

JAN Wyllie is Hervey Bay's very own dancing queen - and what she doesn't know about linedancing quite simply isn't worth knowing.

The Hervey Bay woman has been bootscooting for decades, but she's not only good at doing the steps - she's also a deft hand at choreographing them as well.

People send her music from all over the world and Jan sends them back choreographed dances for their songs.

As the undisputed queen of linedancing choreography, Jan enjoyed a very special form of recognition recently.

David Sheriff, a country music singer from Britain, wrote a song for her, titled Waltz Queen, after she taught him how to linedance. Not surprisingly, Jan choreographed a dance to her own special tribute soon after she heard it.

She is legendary for the dances she creates.

First she puts on the music, then she lets her instincts take over, letting her feet decide the steps that best suit the song.

"If you feel the music, that's really what choreography is all about," she said.

Then she writes the steps down and sends the finished work back to the person who requested it.

When asked how many dances she had choreographed, Jan was unsure.

When a friend suggested about 500, she said it could be a lot more than that.

Her dances have also stood the test of time. Steps she choreographed 15 years ago are still being used today.

"It's just my life," she said.

Aside from being a prolific choreographer, Jan is a qualified judge of linedancing competitions and is also the editor of a linedancing magazine.

She reckons linedancing is one of the best forms of exercise around for seniors and people of all ages because you can do it at your own pace, you don't need a partner and the social aspect of it is a bonus as well.

"I can't praise it enough," she said.

Jan recently returned to the Tamworth Music Festival after having had a break when diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010.

Fearing it might be the last time the Australian National Choregraphy competition was held, she entered it and her dances came first and second in one section and second and third in another.

"It was absolutely lovely," she said of her visit to Tamworth.

Jan dances regularly with the Country Moon Bootscooters, but will be starting her own beginner classes on February 20.

The new class will be held at the Anglican Church Hall on the corner of Denman Camp Rd and Doolong Rd at 9am.

For more information, phone 4124 5534.