Dances trying to hold line (8)
I believe the answer is:
ancestry
'line' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'dances trying to hold' is the wordplay.
'to hold' indicates a hidden word (I've seen 'holding' mean this).
'ANCESTRY' can be found hidden inside 'dances trying'.
(Other definitions for ancestry that I've seen before include "Line of descendants" , "Person's ethnic descent" , "Any crest (anag.)" , "Lineage" , "Family tree" .)