Learning a new skill can be challenging; it requires time, energy, ambition and persistence to refine our abilities. Line dancing has become one of my greatest passions since entering college. It is both fun and offers many healthy benefits.ย
I have made a great group of friends and have met a fantastic community of individuals, all with the same love for dance. It’s been three years since I first set foot on the dance floor, and since then, I have become more involved in the line dancing community.
The California Lutheran University campus has a Line Dance Club that has been passed down for several generations. The club members, including myself, enormously enjoy line dancing and hope to spread our appreciation for this physical activity.ย
Line dancing, swing dance, and two step have many benefits such as improved balance, coordination, weight loss, mental health benefits, and improved cardiovascular health.ย
People of all ages can do these particular styles of dancing; it is a low-impact exercise that requires good memorization of steps.ย
Bryce Biglin, line dancing enthusiast, has had a long history with line dancing, two-stepping, and swing.
“All ages can [swing dance]. It’s just if you want to do it. My little brother swings; he’s 17. I started when I was like 12, 11ish,โ Biglin said. โMy older brother’s 33, and he swings. My parents swing, and they’re 56 and 52. Then my grandparents swing; I don’t think it’s like a certain age.”ย
Swing is an awe-inspiring form of partner dancing that includes lots of spins, dips and lifts.ย
“It is challenging. I don’t have the best patience. My sister is always bugging me to practice with her. It probably took me like five months, like every other day just doing it with her in the kitchen or backyard,” Biglin said.ย
Commitment and persistence are needed to master this art form. Biglin said that his hobby has been enjoyable to learn, but has required a lot of training.ย
“Once you get the basic sound, it’s pretty easy ’cause the main point of a swing or two-step is that there’s two terms. You have the guy and the girl. So, like, the guy’s a lead and the girl’s a follow,” Biglin said.ย
Biglin said that during a swing or two step, the lead should show the follow-off to their partner. According to Biglin, the most challenging aspect of the dance is being aware of your surroundings and not bumping into another couple on the dance floor.ย
Mia Sestich, a line dancing enthusiast and a junior at California State University Channel Islands, said, “I heard a lot of people from my school, talking about how it’s a fun activity. You get to meet many new people, and I grew up in a very beachy town, not around the area. I wanted to try something new, and honestly, as soon as I started, I was hooked immediately. It makes me so happy and it’s a fun activity to do, meet new people, learn new things, and like it is, I truly think it’s a workout.”
Sestich said that she has found the line dancing community to be very open and accepting when trying to learn a new dance. She has discovered that the best way to learn contemporary dance is by going to the dance floor and making mistakes.ย
“I think ’cause it’s easy to follow along too. So if I don’t know one and watch the person before me, I’ll get the idea and learn it as I’m doing,” Sestich said.
Each line dance has a different choreography with a particular song. Occasionally, a line dance will have a remix or be danced to a different piece.ย
“Honestly, me and my roommate will YouTube the videos, and we’ll spend like hours at night trying to land the line dances,” Sestich said.ย
Although learning to line dance, swing, or two-step may seem difficult to many, it can be fun when the dances are mastered. There are many health benefits if one wishes to get an extra workout.
