While spinning under the Sun Dome, The Country Dancing Devils offer a new twist on old traditions. Every Tuesday night, students are taught classic line and swing dancing.
Country dancing is back in style with the rise of country music's popularity and artists such as Morgan Wallen and Shaboozey.
The Country Dancing Devils is a student-run organization that allows anyone to not only pick up the basics but also continue to advance with members of all skill levels.
"There are multiple people who started last year and have now gotten so much better," said Dawson Stearns, the president of The Country Dancing Devils and a senior studying finance and business management. "I've gotten to see that progression and it's so cool because I've seen them come in, make friends with each other and get so much better."
Originally called the Country Line Dancing Club, the organization rebranded last year and began to incorporate swing dancing into itsI meetings for the first time. Stearns said club attendance jumped following the addition.
"The past three meetings we have had over 50 people attend, which is insane," he said.
Before being integrated into lessons, swing dancing was its own club on campus. However, the club had been inactive since the COVID-19 pandemic at the time of the rebrand, Stearns said.
Swing dancing, a dance traditionally led by men, is taught by passing partners in a circle. In The Country Dancing Devils, participants are invited to try both leading and following, regardless of their gender identity.
"When I'm leading I have to use my brain because I have to think of what's coming next," Cynthia Jackson said, a sophomore studying elementary education. "But when I'm following I can just turn off my brain and listen to whatever the lead is doing and just do it."
Jackson, who started country dancing last February, is now a club regular who dances five nights a week.
"I've built all of my friends that I've made through it and it's a good way to get exercise," Jackson said.
Dedicated members choose to compete outside of the club, which itself is noncompetitive. Instead, it provides a place where experienced dancers teach those who are just starting out.
"We are able to give students the opportunity to experiment," Stearns said. "To attempt to try and teach and better themselves."
Jasmine Solis, a senior studying biomedicine, recently attended The Country Dancing Devils for the first time. Solis said she was excited and was not sure what to expect.
At the beginning of each practice, participants are taught basic line dancing steps, such as a sailor step, a rock step and a shuffle turn. After learning some fundamentals, the moves are put together into a full dance.
"I thought it was a lot of fun," Solis said. "I think it's definitely some getting used to because I'm not a dancer at all, but the instructions were very easy to follow and I was just looking around at the other people, and I feel like by the end I really got the hang of it."
After learning one full line dance, which takes roughly 30 minutes, group members take a quick break before partnering up and learning a couple of basic swing dancing techniques. The swing dancing portion lasts another 30 minutes and afterward, the rest of the practice is an open dance session.
"I feel like it's really inclusive," Solis said. "I felt so welcome since I got here."
During open dancing, members alternate between line dancing, swing dancing and socializing while country music plays in the background.
"Just come in open-minded and have fun," Stearns said. "At the end of the day if you mess up every move it doesn't matter as long as you have fun with it."
Edited by Senna James, Abigail Beck and Alysa Horton.
Reach the reporter at allipper@asu.edu and follow @lippert_audrey on X.
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Audrey is a sophomore studying journalism and mass communication with a minor in Spanish. This is her first semester with The State Press. She has also worked at Blaze Radio.
