Line-dancing is having a moment – here’s why, according to Saddle Club founder Marzy
Line dancing is having a moment – and Saddle Club is giving the tradition a fresh, queer twist, turning dance floors into inclusive, high-energy spaces built on connection and self-expression. This May, co-founder Marzy is bringing that energy to the Sunshine Coast for the Horizon Dance Hall event at Horizon Festival – a free, all-day, all-ages celebration of music and movement, and a chance to step into the Saddle Club experience. Ahead of the festival, we caught up with Marzy to talk line-dancing hype, how Saddle Club took off and top tips for beginners.
Queer line dancing is bringing a whole new energy to the dance floor – what first sparked the idea for Saddle Club?Saddle Club was inspired by Stud Country, a queer line dance night in the US and generally the resurgence of line dancing in a queer space. Having grown up line dancing, I was so excited to see it making waves again in our community.
For anyone discovering Saddle Club for the first time at Horizon Festival this May, how would you describe the experience – and what makes this setting feel a little different to your usual sessions?Most importantly, don’t worry about getting the moves right! The best thing about line dancing is you don’t need to know how to dance and at Saddle Club we always ensure our routines are very friendly. This session will be a bit more ‘Saturday night’ vibes, the lights will be low, you can enjoy a refreshment in between dances and stay on for DJs and more dancing to show off your moves.
You’ve spoken about influences like Stud Country in the US – what did you feel was missing locally, and did you expect the concept to take off the way it has in Australia? We didn’t feel like anything was missing as such, there are so many amazing line dancing groups that have been going for years. Shout out to Josh Talbott and Madison Glover!! For us, it was about creating space for our community. I LOVE to dance, it’s the place I feel most myself and I love sharing that passion by creating environments where you don’t have to be a dancer to enjoy dance. As a proud queer woman, having a space to dance that didn’t require us to go to the club on a Saturday night (while we do love that) was something really exciting. In no way did we imagine it would take off, we really thought it would be ten of our supportive mates that would come.
There’s a real sense of connection and release in what you do. What is it about line dancing – in this format – that helps people drop their guard and enjoy themselves? There’s something so special about doing something individually, but with a group – to me it epitomises community. You don’t have to have a partner to line dance or even come with friends, but when you walk into that room and everyone is doing a stomp, heel-toe-heel or a huge double clap in unison you’re reminded that you’re with your people.
Saddle Club blends traditional steps with pop anthems and modern beats – how do you strike that balance between honouring the roots of line dancing and reshaping it for a new crowd?We do love a ‘song swap’ at Saddle Club! A huge part of what makes our lessons so fun is taking classic line dances and teaching them to tracks that our community already know and love. Dancing in unison to Robyn’s ‘Dancing On My Own’ is transcendental. That said, we are country music fans and there are some dances we will always do to their original tracks – some combos hit differently and we’re not messing with that! Whenever we do put our own spin on things though, we always make sure to shout out where a dance originally came from. It’s our way of honouring those creators and allows our dancers to discover new music and keep practising at home.
Your sessions have built a reputation for being inclusive, high-energy and a little bit cheeky. How intentional is that atmosphere, and what does creating a safe, expressive space mean to you?It’s very intentional. We want people to leave Saddle Club ‘loving themselves sick’. Dance can be super vulnerable, we all think ‘what if I get it wrong?’ and ‘what will people think?’. We don’t take it for granted that when people come each week, most of them are probably challenging themselves and stepping out of their comfort zone. So it’s up to us to make sure they feel amazing.
You’ve grown a strong following in a relatively short time – what have you noticed about the community that’s forming around Saddle Club?It’s so special. We’ve noticed so many beautiful friendships blossom, people saying ‘we met through Saddle Club’, even relationships! Most of all we’ve noticed how much everyone is there for each other, the claps, the laughs and the buzz of chatter before class – everyone makes Saddle Club the fun and supportive space that it is.
For anyone feeling a bit nervous about jumping into line dancing, what would you say to encourage them to give it a go?The best thing is, if you make a mistake, you get to dance again eight counts later – you’ll do the same moves over and over, so you’ll pick it up quicker than you think. Oh, and also stand in the middle – if you’re on the outside, you’ll end up being at the front!
Horizon Festival is a ten-day celebration of art, culture and community, held across the Sunshine Coast from May 1–10. Visit the festival website to explore the full program.
Event details:
Horizon Dance HallHungerford Hall, Nambour State CollegeSunday May 109:00 am 6:00 pm
This article was written in partnership with our friends at Horizon Festival.
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