Press & Media Kit
Double or Nothing in the Press
Double or Nothing Two-Step teaches Austin to two-step. Texas Monthly, Garden & Gun, the Austin Chronicle, Austin Monthly, Tribeza, and the UK's Country Music People have all written about the school, the scene, and founder Vanessa Vaught.
Email for InterviewsBest Two-Stepping Lessons, 2024 Austin Chronicle Best of Austin Awards.
The Lead Story
Texas Monthly
❝The city's most popular provider of country-dance lessons❞
Two-Stepping: A Love Story, by Josh Alvarez, August 2026 issue. Photographs by Chad Wadsworth.
Texas Monthly's August 2026 feature on Austin's honky-tonk revival names Vanessa Vaught and Double or Nothing Two-Step as the reason the scene became a scene, and calls the company not just the center of that scene but its growth engine.
The piece traces the whole arc: a residency secured at Sagebrush during the pandemic, eighty people at the first lesson in March 2021, and the daily honky-tonk lineups that became essential reading for the community.
The clippings.
Austin Chronicle
Best of Austin: Best Two-Stepping Lessons
The Chronicle called the lessons the portal you pass through into South Austin's country scene, and credited the nightly calendar that became Where to Two-Step Austin with making Vaught a mainstay of the scene.
Garden & Gun
Boots on the Ground: A Two-Stepper's Guide to Austin
Garden & Gun's Austin two-step guide credits Vanessa Vaught with naming the city's own variation of the dance.
Tribeza
Dancing the Two-Step With a Touch of Swing in Austin
Vanessa Vaught on the record about the style itself: ❝I call it honky tonk two-step❞, and the closest thing to it is the jitterbug.
Austin Monthly
Where to Two-Step in Austin
Austin Monthly's guide to the city's dance floors opens on a photo of Vanessa Vaught being dipped at Sagebrush, and quotes her through the venue-by-venue rundown.
CBS Austin
Blanton All Day: The Two-Step Edition
CBS Austin came back a second year running to talk two-step ahead of the Blanton Museum event, with anchor Allison Miller taking the lesson on air.
CBS Austin
Two-step into fun this Saturday at the Blanton Museum and bring the kids!
The first of the two segments, on CBS Austin This Morning. Dalton and Vanessa two-stepping inside the museum, with Aaron McDonnell on the music.
On the Job
Perfecting the Turn
A full episode on Vanessa Vaught, from the Express Employment podcast with iHeartMedia, on finding a livelihood on a Texas dance floor.
Country Music People (UK)
Austin's honky-tonk scene, in print in the UK
A British country magazine devoted a feature to the Austin honky-tonk scene, with a photo of Vanessa Vaught and a mention of Double or Nothing Two-Step alongside the bands.
Austin American-Statesman
Honky tonks, house music and lederhosen. The best (and Wurst) Austin-area fall fests
The Statesman's fall preview opens on the dance floor at Sagebrush, one of the honky-tonks where we teach every week.
The full index.
Every mention, print, digital, and broadcast, newest first. The two television spots without a clip live only here.
Open the full coverage index
| Date | Story | Outlet | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2026 | Two-Stepping: A Love Story | Texas Monthly | Feature |
| Aug 2026 | Blanton All Day: The Two-Step Edition | CBS Austin | Television interview |
| Nov 2025 | Honky tonks, house music and lederhosen | Austin American-Statesman | Scene coverage |
| Sep 2025 | Austin's honky-tonk scene | Country Music People (UK) | Feature |
| Aug 2025 | Two-step into fun this Saturday at the Blanton Museum and bring the kids! | CBS Austin | Television interview |
| 2025 | Austin City Limits Music Festival | Hulu | Television interview |
| Jan 2025 | Where to Two-Step in Austin | Austin Monthly | Feature |
| 2024 | Perfecting the Turn | On the Job podcast | Podcast episode |
| Oct 2024 | Boots on the Ground: A Two-Stepper's Guide to Austin | Garden & Gun | Feature |
| Jun 2024 | Dancing the Two-Step With a Touch of Swing in Austin | Tribeza | Feature |
| 2024 | Best of Austin: Best Two-Stepping Lessons | Austin Chronicle | Award |
| 2022 | Turnin' Texan: The Texas Two-Step | FOX 7 Austin | Television interview |
Casting, choreography, and on-camera production credits live on Film, TV & Commercials.
Who we are.
Double or Nothing Two-Step teaches Austin to dance. Two-step first, the partner dance at the heart of a Texas honky-tonk, plus the line dance and country dancing that fill the dance floor between bands.
We are lucky in our timing. Austin's honky-tonks are having the best run they have had in a generation, and we get to be right in the middle of it, boots on the dance floor most nights of the week.
Double or Nothing was named Best Two-Stepping Lessons in the 2024 Austin Chronicle's Best of Austin Awards, and has brought two-step and line dance to companies from Apple to Google to Meta.
How Austin dances.
A quick field guide to what happens on the dance floor, and what we teach.
Two-Step
The one everybody wants. A partner dance that travels counter-clockwise around the room, the backbone of a Texas honky-tonk. It looks impossible for about an hour, then it clicks.
Line Dance
No partner, no problem. Everybody faces the same way and learns the same steps. It is the fastest way to get a room of strangers moving together, which is why groups, companies, and large events love it.
Everything Around the Edges
Waltz, polka, country swing, jitterbug, cajun, and zydeco. Then the shuffles and swing-outs a good band pulls out of a room without warning. Stay out long enough on an Austin dance floor and you'll meet all of it.
What we've built.
Double or Nothing runs three sites, each with its own job.
Double or Nothing Two-Step
doubleornothingtwostep.comThe home base. Book Double or Nothing for social lessons, private lessons, group workshops, weddings, bachelorette parties, birthdays, corporate and private events, festivals, TV and film, and choreography.
Where to Two-Step Austin
wheretotwostepaustin.comA free daily guide to two-stepping in Austin. It lists every honky-tonk and live-music dance night across the city and the surrounding Hill Country, updated by hand every day, so a dancer can find a dance floor any night of the week. Texas Monthly called the feed essential for the community.
Honky-Tonk Dance School
honkytonkdanceschool.comAn online school teaching two-step and country dancing through video lessons, for dancers who cannot get to Austin and beginners who want to arrive at their first honky-tonk already knowing the basics.
We also collaborate with
Red's Western
Custom western hat bars, bandana necklace charm bars, and trucker hat patch bars for events. redswestern.com
Boilerplate.
Use either version verbatim. One click copies it.
Long version
Double or Nothing Two-Step is an Austin two-step company founded by Vanessa Vaught. It helps keep Austin's honky-tonk dance tradition alive and accessible with free and low-cost two-step lessons at the live-music venues where the scene happens, along with private classes, workshops, and boot camps. Double or Nothing also runs wheretotwostepaustin.com, a daily guide to two-stepping in Austin, and honkytonkdanceschool.com, its online school for learning two-step by video. It was named Best Two-Stepping Lessons in the 2024 Austin Chronicle's Best of Austin Awards, was called the city's most popular provider of country-dance lessons by Texas Monthly, and has brought two-step and line dance to teams from Apple, Google, Meta, and Amazon.
Short version
Double or Nothing Two-Step, founded by Vanessa Vaught, teaches Austin to two-step with free and low-cost lessons at the city's live-music venues, plus the daily guide at wheretotwostepaustin.com. Texas Monthly called it the city's most popular provider of country-dance lessons, and it was named Best Two-Stepping Lessons in the 2024 Austin Chronicle's Best of Austin Awards.
About Vanessa Vaught.
Vanessa Vaught was fortunate enough to grow up in Austin. She has been part of its live music scene since she was a kid, dancing since she could walk, and hanging around honky-tonks since her first fake ID.
She founded Double or Nothing Two-Step and grew it by holding the door open: putting lessons right where the live music plays, so anyone, partner or not, can walk in and dance.
Austin's honky-tonks are roaring back louder than they have in years, and her whole approach is about access and joy: no partner, no experience, no pressure.
That same spirit is why companies, wedding couples, and private groups book her too.
Who we've danced with.
Beyond the community lessons, we have brought two-step and line dance to nearly a thousand Austin teams, weddings, bachelorette parties, and private groups.
Fast facts.
- Company
- Double or Nothing Two-Step
- Founder
- Vanessa Vaught
- Head instructors
- Dalton Albus, Rachel Nayer, Phillip Schulze
- Based in
- Austin, Texas
- What we do
- Free and low-cost two-step lessons at live-music venues; private two-step and line dance for companies, weddings, bachelorette parties, and groups; workshops and boot camps
- Also run
- Where to Two-Step Austin the free daily guide to every Austin dance floor Honky-Tonk Dance School two-step lessons online
- Lessons taught
- 5,000+ lessons, classes, and events
- People taught
- 90,000+, across public lessons, private events, festivals, and TV and film
- Clients include
- Apple, Google, Meta, Amazon, HBO Max, Red Bull, Starbucks
- Award
- Best Two-Stepping Lessons, 2024 Austin Chronicle's Best of Austin Awards
- Reviews
- 285+ five-star
- Press contact
- Press@DoubleOrNothingTwoStep.com
Press photos.
A few shots you're welcome to run with a Double or Nothing Two-Step credit.
Need high-resolution originals, the logo files, or something specific? Ask and it goes out the same day, every time.
Request Hi-Res PhotosPress FAQ.
What is Double or Nothing Two-Step?
Double or Nothing Two-Step is Vanessa Vaught's Austin two-step company. It helps keep the city's honky-tonk dance tradition alive and accessible with free and low-cost two-step lessons at live-music venues, plus private classes, workshops, boot camps, a daily dance guide, and online lessons.
Who is the founder?
Vanessa Vaught founded Double or Nothing Two-Step and leads the community in Austin, Texas.
What is the real story here?
Two-step is in the middle of a full-on honky-tonk revival, and the rooms it lives in are more alive than they have been in decades. Our part is simple: we make it easy to walk in and try. No partner, no experience, just a dance floor and an hour.
What is wheretotwostepaustin.com?
A free daily guide, run by Double or Nothing Two-Step, listing every honky-tonk and live-music dance night in Austin so anyone can find a place to dance any night of the week. Texas Monthly described the feed as essential for the community.
What is Honky-Tonk Dance School?
honkytonkdanceschool.com is Double or Nothing's online home for two-step lessons and how-to resources, for dancers in Austin and beyond.
Where can I take a lesson?
At live-music venues around Austin including Sagebrush and Donn's Depot, plus private classes on request. The current schedule is always at wheretotwostepaustin.com.
What awards or recognition does it have?
Double or Nothing Two-Step was named Best Two-Stepping Lessons in the 2024 Austin Chronicle's Best of Austin Awards, and holds more than 285 five-star reviews. In August 2026 Texas Monthly called it the city's most popular provider of country-dance lessons.
Where has it been featured?
Double or Nothing Two-Step and Vanessa Vaught have been featured in Texas Monthly, Garden & Gun, the Austin Chronicle, Austin Monthly, Tribeza, the Austin American-Statesman, and the UK magazine Country Music People, and have appeared on FOX 7 Austin and in the Austin City Limits Music Festival broadcast on Hulu.
Does a lesson require a partner or experience?
No. Every lesson works with no partner and no experience. We do not guarantee a partner, and nobody sits out; most lessons run about an hour.
What companies and groups have you taught?
Weddings, private groups, and companies including Apple, Google, Meta, Amazon, HBO Max, Red Bull, and Starbucks, plus nearly a thousand Austin teams, weddings, bachelorette parties, and private groups.
Can I use your photos in a story?
Yes, with a Double or Nothing Two-Step credit. High-resolution originals and logo files are available on request by email.
Can Vanessa provide a quote or interview?
Yes. Vanessa Vaught is available for interviews, quotes, and background on Austin dance culture, the two-step revival, and building community through dance. She also does live on-set demonstrations for television segments.
What is the best way to reach the company for press?
Email Press@DoubleOrNothingTwoStep.com. That reaches the team directly, and press gets a same-day reply.
How should the company be named on first reference?
Double or Nothing Two-Step. Founder: Vanessa Vaught.
Working on a story?
Interviews, high-resolution photos, or a spot at a live lesson in one of the honky-tonks. Whatever you need, fast.
Email the TeamSame-day response on press. On deadline tonight? Say so in the subject line.
Press@DoubleOrNothingTwoStep.com 512-270-0444
Casting or choreography for a shoot? See Film, TV & Commercials.
Updated August 7, 2026
© Double or Nothing Two-Step LLC · Austin, Texas · doubleornothingtwostep.com · wheretotwostepaustin.com · honkytonkdanceschool.com