“Right heel, left tew (toe),” a man called out with a semi-southern twang while my roommate and I tried to learn a “couple’s dance” on the floor. My other friends trailed behind us, grabbing each other’s hands in preparation. 

In a sea of dancers in Northeastern cowboy gear, it was easy to spot the nonconformist Brown crew as newcomers to the Mishnock Barn in West Greenwich, R.I. My friend sported a retro, homemade grey crocheted tube top next to a man in a shirt that said “Me and my country ass goin’ fishin.’” 

For a growing number of Brown undergrads, line dancing at the Mishnock Barn has been a much-needed respite from all that is paper and exam. The most popular days for students are Mondays and Tuesdays because the Barn does beginner lessons. 

Julia Nguyen ’27, a biochemistry and Egyptology concentrator, has become a regular.  She began by going to the Barn as part of a team bonding activity for her intramural volleyball group. Nguyen was hooked. “Line dancing is really fun,” she says, and “it’s also so community based.