Line dancing comes to Greensburg

Jan. 18—GREENSBURG — Line dancing is coming to the Beach Tiki Bar and Grill on the west side of the Greensburg Square.

Every other Thursday evening, regionally respected line-dance instructor and Greensburg native Brenda (Crosby) Dorsey is bringing her brand of "Cha-Cha Slide," "Cowboy Boogie" and "The Trailrider shuffle" to small town Indiana.

Dorsey began her dancing career substituting for a line-instructor friend who needed a night off at the now defunct "Saddle Up" club on 82nd Street in Castleton.

She enjoyed the experience, as did her students, and so she started teaching in Kokomo, Franklin, Greenwood and Indianapolis, as well as other parts of the state.

During the COVID lock-down, when her favorite bars closed, she and a DJ friend began hosting dance sessions in parking lots.

"It was actually pretty cool, and many lines dances require social distancing anyway," Dorsey said with a laugh.

Many of the students who started following her parking lot dances on Facebook during COVID still follow her today.

It was on Facebook where she heard The Beach Tiki Bar owners Lou and Deb Caperoon were interested in offering line dancing instruction and so now they are.

Line dancing is a worldwide craze that started in the '70s in European bars and saloons. Movies like "Urban Cowboy" and "Saturday Night Fever" fanned the flames, and now line dancing is enjoyed by dance fans the world over.

There's even an internet web site maintained by dance instructors from places all over the world at www.copperknob.co.uk/. More than 160,000 separate dance instructions called "stepsheets" are free for the taking. Dorsey said she depends on the site to keep her up on the newest steps.

Dorsey teachers to the level of each dancer in her class, whether they be beginners who don't know left from right up to professional dancers, who share their tips with her.

Dorsey teaches couples line dancing as well.

"I just love to move with a group of people on the dance floor," she said. "It's being part of something bigger than yourself, and that's what makes it so much fun!"

Dance sessions are 7 to 11 p.m. every other Thursday through winter and are offered free of charge.

For more information and class session schedules, call the Beach Tiki Bar at (812) 663-5554 or look for them on Facebook.

Contact Bill Rethlake at 812-651-0876 or email bill.rethlake@greensburgdailynews.com