Country Swing
There are only a couple places in town where students can walk through the doors and be greeted by Kenny Chesney, Brooks & Dunn or Sarah Evans.
Western swing, line dancing and two-stepping have become popular for many USU students who dance at the Cache Valley Fun Park and Club NVO. Both places offer country swing every week, the Fun Park on Wednsdays and NVO on Thursdays. And according to dancers, everyone can learn.
“If I can learn, anyone can,” said Becky Carlisle from Logan. “I like the watermelon slide. All you have to do is slide.”
Country swing is easy, said Chris Cottrell, a junior in political science. His favorite part is line dancing.
According to Corlin Fawcett, statistics graduate student, the most important part for guys when dancing is making sure to not drop the girl, a mishap that’s only happened to him a couple times. He said the worst part about dancing is accidentally ending up with drunk girls.
“I’ll just dizzy her up and say, ‘See ya later,'” Cottrell said.
Wednesdays are busy at the Fun Park, cars filling the parking lot and lining up down the road. The dance floors are packed as couples flip, twirl and spin each other. The atmosphere is lively, the music is loud and a disco ball and lights flash around the entire room.
“The music is better at NVO, but the people are funner at the Fun Park,” said Karina Baird, senior in anthropology.
NVO offers more variety of things to do though. Besides country swing, the club also has karaoke, free pool and a hip-hop room. On Saturdays the club hosts Noche Latina, where the main floor has salsa dancing and the back floor hosts hip hop and reggaeton.
Brock Brower from Rocksprings, Wyo., said he prefers dancing at NVO because the floor isn’t as sticky. However, he doesn’t like what he calls the “boom boom room.”
“I don’t like the gyrating and freaking that goes on there,” he said.
Brower has been dancing since he was young and drives down frequently for country swing in Logan.
Lisa Lloyd, senior in speech and language pathology, said she comes every week.
“I went to Snow College and swing is big down there,” she said. “That’s what you do there. You go to Fat Jack’s and dance.”
She said dancing is more fun when the guys really know what they’re doing.
“And when they ask you dance, that’s the best part,” she said.
Most people go to dance, Lloyd said, although some come just to be social and hang out.
“Then there are those who just sit on the side and never dance and it doesn’t seem like they’re talking to anyone either,” she said. “I don’t really know why they come. It confuses me.”
Stephanie Johnson, junior in community health, said she comes for the guys.
“Why else?” she said.
Her friend Lindy Hunger, junior in social work, said she comes for the music, dancing and the guys too. It’s the one social event of the week that she can go to, she said. She suggests that girls don’t wear flip flops when they come because they will always fly off. Also, she said, don’t wear slippery shoes or it will feel like ice skating.
The Cache Valley Fun Park is located at 225 E. 1770 North in Logan and is $3 to get in. Dancers can come from 9 p.m. until midnight. Club NVO is located at 339 N. Main, costs $4 and is open from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Both places teach swing dance instruction for one hour at 9 p.m.