On Feb. 9, music could be heard from the Storer Ballroom in the Student Center from 6 to 8 p.m. as people gathered to learn line dancing from Shepherd instructors with friends and other fellow students.
Brooke Taylor, social media chair for Program Board, organized the event with a goal of creating community on campus.
“There’s a lot of students who love to line dance and who don’t know other line dancers, so by coming here, you can meet new people or maybe start a new hobby,” said Taylor, “I think that’s one of the things we really worked to.”
Taylor asked Amelia Dugan, a business administration major at Shepherd, and her friends to lead Shepherd students in learning common line dances to songs such as “Merry Go Round” by the JaneDear girls, “Neon Moon” by Brooks & Dunn and “Cotton Eye Joe” by Rednex.
Dugan has been teaching line dancing since she was 8 years old and has been to three other line dancing events at Shepherd in the past.
“If students can learn one dance, then I’ll be happy,” Dugan said. “There are levels of difficulty to these dances, but I mean — they’re fun. I just want everyone to have a good time really.”
The event had a showing of 29 students, all with varying levels of experience in line dancing. Kayla Shaffer, a business major, only started officially line dancing on Dec. 1, 2025, as a stress relief practice and a workout.
Despite her more recent joining, the community has been her reason for continuing to come to line dancing events, not just at Shepherd but at other areas near Shepherdstown.
“Don’t be afraid to do it,” Shaffer said. “If you’re a beginner, if you don’t know any of the dances, come on out and try it. The people there will help you if you need it.”
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