An outdoor country dance social, consisting of open line and partner dancing, as well as multiple dance lessons: three or more line dances and two partner dances.
Line dancing is a style of dancing that consists of dancers organized in lines all facing the same direction performing the same choreography on either 2 or all 4 walls of a given space. Each line dance has a name, administered by the choreographer(s) of the dance. A DJ or host calls out the name of the choreography as the song begins, and those who know the steps gather in lines on the floor.
Sometimes the DJ will play what we call a song swap: a song that a piece of choreography was not originally choreographed to, but based on the beat groupings and beats per minute, can still be danced to that song.
2-Stepping is a style of partner dance practiced across the country that follows a “slow, slow, quick quick” step, with the lead and follow facing each other and following a line of dance in a counter-clockwise circle. Country western dance provides opportunities for folks to engage in joyful body movement with others, with the option of making physical contact with their fellow dancers (partner-dancing), or with some personal space (line dancing).
Hosting an event outdoors will add a measure of COVID safety that indoor events do not provide, making the space more accessible for our senior and immunocompromised community members.
We will teach both beginner and advanced dances to accommodate newcomers and experienced country western dancers, and we will have experienced dancers from our organization on the floor at all times so individuals learning choreography on the floor have someone to watch.
Our event will celebrate the beach and our relationship with the shoreline as historically marginalized people not always welcome on the beach. Our main activity will be dancing, but beach games and water recreation will be encouraged. We are also proposing to make this daytime event a picnic. Potential partners include LGBT owned food trucks or catering companies, with a special focus on drinks and ice cream. Other partners involved would be professional dance teachers or DJs so that this event can function smoothly and offer more to the attendees.
Organized by our Better Beaches partners at 617 Country.