The rise of queer line dancing: 'A bit like going to church'

Neon-lit Albuquerque hosts queer country-western dancing in a historic gay bar, where dancers of different ages and identities share a sweaty, welcoming floor. Advanced dancers teach newcomers, strangers clasp hands, and flags and rainbow accessories create a visible sense of belonging. Line dancing and two-step continue a half-century tradition while a resurgence grows through steamy social media reels, changes in country music, and a hunger for face-to-face connection. In Los Angeles, the closure of Oil Can Harry’s during the pandemic forced the queer dance community to improvise and keep dancing. Organizers and founders helped sustain events and momentum by filling gaps left by lost venues.

"Tucked into the back room of the Albuquerque Social Club, the city's oldest gay bar, a motley crew of queers danced together on a beat-up wooden floor. Cut-off denim shorts with Dr. Martens met suede boots and glistening gay rodeo belt buckles. The bar was dim and dripping with sweat, holding decades of queer connection in its walls. Advanced dancers hollered dance steps to newcomers along the edges of the room while strangers clasped hands and spun each other in circles, rainbows of hankies swinging from their back pockets."

"Queer country-western dancing - particularly line dancing and two-step - has been thriving in the United States for half a century. Today, it's experiencing a vibrant resurgence, fueled by steamy social media reels, a shifting country music landscape, and a widespread hunger for in-person connection, evident in the sultry shadow dance worm I witnessed in New Mexico. Where I live in Southern California, you can find a queer line dancing event almost every night of the week. This wasn't the case just a few years ago."

"During the pandemic, iconic gay country bar Oil Can Harry's closed, forcing Los Angeles's queer country-western dance community to improvise. No stranger to pandemics and skilled in resilience, queer folks figured out how to fill the void. Sean Monaghan, a founder of Stud Country, held danc"

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