General News
28 November, 2025
Nutbush dancing to the Horsham City’s limits a decade ago
THIS weekend marks 10 years since the original Guinness World Record for Nutbush Dancing was set on the Horsham City Oval on November 29, 2015, with 256 people participating.
Most Australians can attest to something deep within them reacting whenever the fuzzy, slightly overdriven Southern-funk-influenced guitar riff starts, the drums kick in and the first line of Ike and Tina Turner’s 1973 song, ‘Nutbush City Limits’ – “A church house, gin house” – belts out.
The iconic moves were actually invented by the NSW Department of Education in 1975 to encourage students to dance – possibly based on earlier line dancing – but have become a staple at weddings, parties and other celebrations.
The phenomenon was virtually unknown outside Australia for decades, but several social media videos around 2019 drew international attention, and this has begun to change.
In Horsham, under the watchful eyes of judges, witnesses and cameras, the group made history when they danced together for 5 minutes, 15 seconds to create the first-ever record.
It had been attempted before, but for the record to be approved by GWR in London via a video, the dancing had to meet a minimum standard, with everybody in sync and no more than 5% of dancers making an error.
In the lead-up to the attempt, dancing classes were held at the Horsham Aquatic Centre, in local schools and on Sunday afternoons in May Park and the Sound Shell.
Flash mobs of Nutbush dancers would even promote the project at random places around Horsham.
The event was founded on highlighting the performing arts and raising funds for the construction of the new Horsham Town Hall.
On the day, the youngest dancer was six years old, and the oldest was 90, with the oval marked out with a cross for each dancer.
Following a warm-up, at 5.20pm the music started, and the dance went ahead under the leadership of dance instructor Lynne McKenzie, with two attempts.
With the evidence sent to London, it was a few months later until GWR informed them, “We are thrilled to inform you that your application for largest Nutbush Dance has been successful and you are now the Guinness World Records Title Holder!”
However, the record was officially for 253 dancers, as three weren’t deemed to have done it well enough.
The record set on the oval didn’t even last two years; on October 19, 2017, students at Rivermount College in Yatala, Queensland, more than doubled it with 522 dancers.
The current Guinness World Record for Nutbush Dancing is 6779 Dancers, set at the 2025 Mundi Mundi Bash north of Broken Hill.
Nevertheless, the Official Guinness World Record certificate still lives in the Horsham Town Hall, and the memory can be re-lived online at bit.ly/44wu1OS