Students fill the square for Lipscomb Gone Country

Boots, Raising Cane’s and music filled the square at Lipscomb Gone Country, hosted by the Lipscomb Line Dancing Club. Over 100 students gathered to learn dances and spend time together.

Kennedy Duncan, vice president of the line dancing club, said her passion for dancing grew after coming to Nashville from New Jersey.

“I didn’t realize how I would fall in love with it and how it would become, like, half of my personality,” Duncan said. “I got connected to the club through a friend of mine.”

Planning events like Lipscomb Gone Country takes more work than students may realize.

“A lot of emails back and forth with administration and jumping through hoops of forms to fill out, reserving spaces, talking to different people in student life, making sure we have the right supplies and pitching to SGA,” Duncan said.

Kennedy Duncan swing dances with student Lorelai Kline. Photos by Ashlen Jones.

Duncan said beginners should not feel intimidated to join.

“We all started at square one. I’ve only been dancing for a year and a half,” she said.

She also said the club welcomes students who may not enjoy country music.

“People think, ‘Oh, it’s country, and I don’t like country,’ but the majority of it is pop songs,” Duncan said. “There’s more pop in line dancing than what people think.”

“I don’t go a week without dancing, so to dance in good company is such a blessing and an opportunity that I look forward to every single time,” she said.

Co-presidents Alyssa Gagnon and Jacy Stricker said the club creates a sense of community for students.

“When I transferred last year, my first event was Boot Scoot, and I immediately fell in love with it,” Stricker said. “I’ve lived in Nashville for a while, but I’ve never really gotten a chance to be a part of that line dancing culture.”

Gagnon said she has been line dancing since she was young. “I’ve been line dancing ever since I was little, so I discovered the line dancing club my freshman year and immediately joined,” Gagnon said. “I’ve just been here ever since.”

Gagnon will be the club’s president next semester. “I’m a little nervous. I have so many people to live up to from the past four years of line dancing,” she said.

Students danced, learned new routines and had the opportunity to swing dance throughout the night.