A line dancing event was held on Point Loma Nazarene University’s campus, inviting students of all line dancing levels to participate. Hundreds of students went and said the event was an awesome opportunity to dance, listen to music and get a workout.
On Oct. 17 at the Ryan Learning Deck, students gathered for the first-ever Loma Line Dancing club event. What started as a casual conversation and a few parking garage practices soon turned into an effort to make a line dancing club.
“My freshman year at Lomaland, they hosted line dancing, which sparked some conversations and helped me locate friends who had the same hobby,” Kirra Farris, a second-year marketing major, said in an email interview. They tried dancing in the Fermanian parking garage, but it didn’t stick.”
At the start of the year, Farris met with Calie Anton, Stella Carlson, Abby Pogue, Issa Flores, and Emma Wood to create a different plan.
“We had the same hopes to start a club, so we combined forces and the rest is history,” Farris said.
The new club was formed to give students a chance to enjoy one of San Diego’s popular activities, line dancing, without leaving campus.
Stella Carlson, a second-year health science major and vice president of the club, said she wanted to create a Friday night line dancing option that fit PLNU’s culture. The process of combining the club with the Associate Student Body allowed this idea to move forward.
“We wanted to provide a more reliable and much closer to home option for students and also make line dancing available for beginners, too,” Carlson said.
After seeing more than 100 students show up to their first event, Carlson said it’s clear the interest was already there.
“I think lots of people love to line dance at Loma or are very interested in learning how,” Carlson said. “There are not a ton of 18 and up places in San Diego, so I think it is highly desired but unavailable until now.”
To prepare for the first event, the leadership team created a list of dances and their corresponding songs. They also collaborated with media services to ensure the dancers had a suitable sound system. The team created an Instagram account to get the word out. Before the event started, the leadership team got there early to set up speakers, mics, signs and water.
From 6-9 p.m., the club met on the Ryan Learning Deck, where they featured lessons for dancers of all levels. Carlson opened the night by teaching beginner lessons, which eventually led to an intermediate dance and an advanced dance taught by other board members, Calie Anton and Abby Pogue.
“We also had a song request list at our DJ booth that we pulled from in between all those lessons,” Carlson said. “We danced the entire time, and I was so impressed by the turnout. We definitely had a few waves of people, but it was busy from beginning to end.”
Sadie Whaley, a second-year health science major, said this was her first line dancing event on campus and won’t be her last. She enjoyed the lessons, song requests and swing dancing that were thrown in.
“I just hope to see that club grow and for even more people to get involved,” Whaley said. “It was truly welcoming to all levels and such a fun way to spend a Friday night.”
After weeks of planning and coordinating, the club finally saw students enjoying the night as they had imagined. Watching it all unfold in the way the board wanted it to was a highlight for the team.
“My favorite part was seeing our vision come to life,” Carlson said. “There were just so many students excited to dance, no matter their experience. So many people approached us and thanked us for bringing line dancing to PLNU.”
Farris said the first event exceeded their expectations and showed how much interest there is on campus.
“The first event honestly couldn’t have been more perfect,” Farris said. “My favorite part was the surprise of how many people already knew a handful of dances.”
The unity of the club is what pushes Farris and other members to keep building on that excitement.
“We hope the club brings people of all skill levels together to participate in an activity that is a shared love of many,” Farris said. “A mental and physical challenge, fun music, making mistakes and learning and laughter are some of the main traits of Loma Line Dancing club.”
For students who have never tried line dancing before, Farris encouraged them to join.
“I would encourage someone who hasn’t line danced before to not be afraid to embarrass themselves,” Farris said. “The point of line dancing is attempting each song by watching others, and you’re bound to mess up in that process. Even after going consistently for two years, I still trip over myself when trying to catch on. I think you’ll learn much quicker and have more fun if you take the pressure off and full send it.”
For more information, visit @lomalinedancing on Instagram.
