Aleah Nothstein grew up rebelling against her dad\u2019s love for country music. Now, she\u2019s strutting across the dance floor teaching line dancing \u2014 and dreaming of owning a country line-dancing bar of her own one day.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nothstein is the heartbeat of Seven Sirens\u2019 weekly line-dancing nights, where country, pop, rock and rap blend with the rhythm of stomping feet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She discovered line dancing six years ago, spending nearly every weekend practicing steps with friends \u2014 something she said they always looked forward to.<\/p>\n
That passion quickly turned into teaching.<\/p>\n
\u201cI enjoy line dancing so much,\u201d Nothstein said. \u201cI would help others on the fly, and people told me I should start teaching classes, so I gave it a shot. Here I am three years later. It\u2019s an awesome journey to get myself into.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her favorite dance, set to \u201cLove Somebody\u201d by Morgan Wallen, is one she choreographed herself and has since become a crowd favorite.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nothstein welcomes dancers of all skill levels, emphasizing that she encourages beginners and enjoys seeing new people join the dance floor.<\/p>\n
Scott Cameron, a bartender at Seven Sirens for three years, said Nothstein\u2019s classes have brought in younger crowds.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of new people coming into the brewery that normally wouldn\u2019t,\u201d Cameron said. \u201cIt\u2019s been going really well for her and for us. Even if you\u2019re not dancing, just watching it is pretty exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the dance floor fills on Wednesdays, Cameron watches from behind the bar. He tried line dancing once and said it was a good time. Over time, he\u2019s built friendship with regulars, Nothstein and her partner, Codi Sigley, who goes by DJ Mullet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For some, the classes have been life-changing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ashley Patterson said she first stumbled into a class last February during a difficult period in her life.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe last year of my life has been one of the toughest years,\u201d Patterson said. \u201cOne day, I went to the bar after work, and it was probably the best experience I\u2019ve ever had. It\u2019s just the best place you could be.\u201d<\/p>\n
That night, Nothstein gave Patterson not just a business card, but a new community. She\u2019s attended classes at least twice a week ever since.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
When the opening beats of \u201cGeorgia Peaches\u201d hit, Patterson and others rush to the floor. For her, it\u2019s the highlight of the night.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Patterson, works as a service support professional for people with disabilities, often brings her clients to dance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s such a privilege to bring my clients on the floor and see what they do,\u201d Patterson said. \u201c(Nothstein) is so helpful with them as well. It\u2019s an amazing place to bring everyone of all abilities.\u201d<\/p>\n
Inspired by the experience, Patterson began teaching a class at Solo Expressions, a dance studio for people with disabilities.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She said Nothstein and Sigley make every effort to play requests and ensure their events appeal to everyone who attends.<\/p>\n
She said that same energy carries through every event Nothstein runs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s such a beautiful thing that (Nothstein) created \u2014 no matter who you are, what song you\u2019re running to request, or where you come from, it\u2019s the same energy and excitement at every venue they\u2019re at,\u201d Patterson said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For Patterson, the impact has been deeply personal.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She said Nothstein introduced her to a support community that\u2019s had a meaningful impact on her life and creates a welcoming, safe environment where people can momentarily forget personal struggles.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One running joke began when dancers turned Nothstein\u2019s instructions into a drinking game.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I would say \u2018Does that make sense to everybody?\u2019 they would cheer (for) one another and tell me, \u2018Hey, you\u2019re doing it again,\u2019\u201d Nothstein said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She later turned the phrase into her own line of T-shirts.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe community is what makes (line dancing) so special,\u201d Patterson said. \u201cEveryone is just so welcoming and encouraging. It doesn\u2019t matter what your skill is. Everyone\u2019s just so happy to be there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cameron said Nothstein\u2019s warmth and positive energy stand out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He said Nothstein and Sigley are genuine people who draw a loyal following, with many of the same faces returning each week and forming connections with the staff.<\/p>\n
Cameron said the atmosphere is rowdy, loud and fun every Wednesday.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For Nothstein, line dancing is more than steps \u2014 it\u2019s connection. She said she enjoys watching new dancers build confidence and create lasting memories.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She\u2019s now working to turn that passion into a business.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI would love to have line dancing and my own country bar,\u201d Nothstein said.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Aleah Nothstein grew up rebelling against her dad\u2019s love for country music. Now, she\u2019s strutting across the dance…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":154427,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[48710,119,121,120,524,523],"class_list":["post-154426","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-allentown","tag-3-min-read","tag-allentown","tag-allentown-headlines","tag-allentown-news","tag-community","tag-people"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154426","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=154426"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154426\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/154427"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=154426"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=154426"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=154426"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}