Line Dancing Club steps into the spotlight

Every Monday night, the Younker Hall first-floor lounge turns into a dance floor as over 20 Grinnell students come together to line dance.

Line dancing involves participants dancing with the same moves while in a line. It is normally done to the tune of country music, but it can be compatible with almost any genre. The club was unofficially started last year, according to Crystal Kaczmarczyk `25, the club’s co-president and co-founder.

“A lot of track and cross country people got together to learn how to line dance. We had a few unofficial events last year,” said Kaczmarczyk.

“There are definitely some people who weren’t a part of track and cross country and really wanted to join,” said Sophia Ford `25, the club’s other co-founder and co-president.

After several unofficial events, Kaczmarczyk and Ford decided to make the club official. Both Ford and Kaczmarczyk had dabbled in line dancing prior to founding the club.

“I did line dancing in elementary and so did Crystal, so we bonded over that,” said Ford. With that previous experience, both of them wanted to bring their love of line dancing to the Grinnell community.

The club is open to all students, regardless of experience in line dancing. New members are taught the fundamentals of the dance form.

“It’s a social dance where we’re all in lines and we kind of do the same move over and over again. It’s really easy to pick up,” said Kaczmarczyk. After learning the basics, club members have the opportunity to challenge themselves with more difficult dances. “There are some more complicated moves that we’re doing right now,

but we find that the most successful [moves] are just chunks that we go over and over again,” said Ford.

Regardless of the complexity of the moves, line dancing is more than just dancing to both Ford and Kaczmarczyk — it means taking a break and having fun with friends.

“I like finding so much joy and dancing together with my friends. I like having a space where I can keep working on my dancing skills with my friends and a supportive community,” said Kaczmarczyk.

Both Ford and Kaczmarczyk expressed that line dancing is open to anyone from any grade and regardless of skill. They both also encourage people to come to a club meeting and experience what line dancing is.