By Sophia Noya | Staff Writer
The Cupid Shuffle, the Wobble, and the Cha-Cha Slide– the common thread between these dances, besides being played at all the best parties, is that they’re all line dances. But what is line dancing?
“Line dancing is a style of country dancing that uses the feet for movement, not so much the upper body. It’s a lot of footwork and coordination,” said Kirsten Maxwell, a sophomore Public Relations major who is the President of FIU’s Line Dancing Club.
In line dancing, all dancers follow the same choreography as they form a line, with the goal of moving in synchronization. Each song has different steps for dancers to follow.
“It’s exactly like that bar scene from ‘Footloose’,” she joked.
Attendees and Line Dancing Club members dance together | Sophia Noya, PantherNOW
Last week was the club’s bi-monthly Monday meeting, where they welcomed newcomers and seasoned dancers alike to have fun, dance, and learn new choreography.
Each meeting consists of 10 minutes of social dancing followed by lessons, where upwards of 3 new dances are taught. The lessons are completely beginner-friendly.
Memorizing choreography, Maxwell explained, is crucial to the art of line dancing.
“There are choreographed dances to lots of songs, and a line dancer should know the steps to each one,” Maxwell said, “It’s hard. There are more than 200 dances, and you need to know all of them.”
A common misconception is that line dancing is solely associated with country music. In actuality, the Line Dancing Club’s latest meeting included hits from Pitbull, Eminem, Kesha, and many, many more.
Line dancing has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity over the past year, and Miami is no exception. Maxwell founded the club only last semester, hoping to make the genre more accessible to anybody who wanted to get involved.
“The club is for people who want to learn together,” she said, “I don’t want anyone to be scared because they don’t know the steps. We are so friendly, we’ll teach you right on the dance floor in the middle of a dance.”
She continued: “It’s just really fun. It’s a great thing to do with your friends. We promise you that you’ll definitely have a good time.”
The Line Dancing Club has events every week. On alternating Mondays, there are regular club meetings and country swing lessons. Every Tuesday, the club meets at the Chili’s patio for their “Boots & Beer” event, where they play music and offer happy hour specials.
For Monday meetings, the club often meets at GC 316 between 7 pm and 9 pm. Follow their Instagram or Panther Connect page for more information.
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