With many clubs on campus, it’s difficult to find which one is right for you. However, if you’re looking to get active and have fun while doing it, the Sonoma State Line Dance Club might be your match. This club teaches and practices line dances in order to perform at local, all age line dance bars. 

Line dancing is a form of dance that originated in the 1970s. To summarize it, people line up in one or more rows and perform movements in a synchronized manner. These choreographed dances consist of a sequence of steps and people generally face either each other or the same direction and move at the same time without physically touching. 

This club meets every week on Mondays and Wednesdays from 8 – 9:30 p.m. in the Niagara Room, the bigger dance room, at the Recreation Center. They typically learn two new dances each meeting from their instructors Megan Barsuglia and Chris Gonzalez. 

Some of the dances are local while others are globally known. Some can be harder than others to master, but members have a lot of fun learning new ones. They take what they learn in practice and perform in front of crowds on Thursday nights at either the Twin Oaks Roadhouse in Penngrove or HopMonk Tavern in Novato. 

If you are interested in joining the club, it’s simple. Junior Rileigh Varga, treasurer of the club, stated line dancing is easy and everyone can learn.

“The dances are much easier than most would think, so we encourage everyone to join, regardless of their skill level.” said Varga. “All you have to do is show up when we meet and you can dance with us. We love new members and will work with them to make them more comfortable and be able to get the dances down,”

Another positive of this club is that it’s free and doesn’t require any dues. This college student budget friendly, and is espcecially important because if you’re worried about money, this is something you can enjoy without having to pay for it. 

The Line Dancing Club also tables almost every week in the Seawolf Plaza. This allows students to talk to a member first without first going to practice, allowing students to ask any or all of their questions. 

Something else to consider is while line dancing is well-known for country music, that’s not the only type of music this club dances to. They pull songs from many different genres to switch it up and make it fun for everyone. 

When asked what her favorite part of being in the Line Dance Club was, president of the club Morgan Ruthig shared how line dancing helps her relax. 

“I really like how line dancing helps me relieve stress from school. Whenever I’m learning a new dance, I have a smile on my face. It’s my way of taking a break from classes and having fun!”

If you think this club is something you’d be interested in, make sure to reach out and show up to a practice to meet the dancers and watch them! You might decide to join and discover a new talent or hobby, or simply find a sense of community and fun on campus.