Tuesday is Dollar Daze, Wednesday College Hump Night and Friday Noche Caliente, but Thursday marks the most popular San Luis Obispo night of them all — Country Night.
The Graduate turns from a sports bar into a country-style barn dance every Thursday starting at 9 p.m., and DJ Rich keeps the dances kickin’ until 3 a.m.
Even though some students might say dancing (and country music) just isn’t for them, it is definitely something students should try.
“Before I went line dancing for the first time, I disliked country music and I definitely did not like to dance,” computer science junior William Starr said. “Now, I can say that I really like country music, and I love to dance.”
Starr, who is also a member of the Country Line Dancing Club (CLDC) at Cal Poly, started line dancing his freshman year when his brother’s friend invited him. Now, he dances at The Graduate every Thursday during the school year. Starr said he hasn’t missed a single week of line dancing since his sophomore year.
Line dancing consists of several different dances, all varying in difficulty. Some are done in a physical line, some are couples’ dances and some are done in a “barn dance” style, where you rotate partners. Starr said there are at least 20 dances, and some are played more frequently than others.
“It can be fairly difficult if you have never danced before, but the CLDC offers lessons every week,” statistics sophomore Alyssa Davis said. “So if you go to those and try to watch others, you will eventually pick it up.”
On Nov. 10, the lessons for the “Two-Step” were postponed because of some confusion brought on by the Chargers and Raiders football game, but the CLDC said they would have those lessons again in the coming weeks.
Both Starr and Davis said they believe line dancing can be categorized as its own culture.
Starr said the atmosphere of line dancing is completely different from real life. However, with the country music, cowboy boots and hats, it can still fit the stereotype — and the denim and flannel shirts.
However, a student, or community member, for that matter, doesn’t need all these things to go dancing. All you need is patience, a learn by doing attitude and a tolerance for country music.
“It gives you a sense of accomplishment when you learn new dances and (it’s) an opportunity to meet new people and make new friends,” recreation, parks and tourism administration sophomore Rayna Davis said. “If you are not familiar with country music it exposes you to something different, expanding your horizons.”
Starr also agreed every student should get involved with line dancing, even if they only go once. Starr said line dancing has a little something for everyone, and is something to look forward to.
“My mind is so hard-wired to line dance on Thursdays, that if line dancing was to go away, I’d be lost.” Starr said.
The CLDC offers lessons at The Graduate every Thursday during school quarters from 8 to 9 p.m. The cover charge for the 18 to 20 age group is $10, while the 21 and over get in for $5, starting at 7:30 p.m. The club also holds workshops on Fridays at 5 p.m. in the Architecture and Environmental Design building, room 225.