Under the shining lights of the Student Union patio, California Lutheran University’s Line Dance Club gathers to learn dances and enjoy one another’s company every Wednesday night.

Vice president Colby Kalisek said the club meets once a week to teach the dances performed at The Canyon in Agoura Hills. The club provides food as well as an open  environment for those interested in attending.

“Everyone is welcome, you know, regardless of who you are or how good you are at dancing,” President Victoria Rose Meek said. “It’s just about coming together and, like I said, we just want everyone to feel comfortable coming and asking questions.”

Sophomore Breanna Basmajian, who has been a member of the club since she was a first-year, said she originally did not have a taste for country music. However, she was attracted to the club due to the closeness and community value brought by the other club members.

“Everybody that went was like a family,” Basmajian said. “So, it wasn’t like you just went to dance … You met people and like you all became so close that it was like a family.”

Club member and Cal Lutheran senior Fernan Diamse said the club provides a welcoming environment for students while giving them the opportunity to make friends through music.

“Line dance club is more than just a club,” Diamse said. “I think when you have a passion toward like community and friends, and just like trying to get together to just have a good time, it’s all of that. It’s significance to me was that I made friends through country music.”

Line Dance Club members previously attended Borderline Bar & Grill. Members now  continue on at The Canyon with positivity and in remembrance of the mass shooting that took place on Nov. 7, 2018 at Borderline. Victoria Rose Meek, who lost her brother Justin Meek in the shooting, uses the club as a way to remember his legacy. Justin Meek was one of the founding members of Line Dance Club.

“One of the big parts…when he started the club was for a lot more Cal Lu students to come and hang out at Borderline and to learn the dances. So, that’s why it definitely holds a special place in my heart and I didn’t want to let the club go just because he was gone,” Victoria Rose Meek said.

Diamse said the club helped those affected by Borderline to “stick together.”

“It’s not just a club, it’s a place where people can gather,” Diamse said.