Each week the Phoenix Line Dance Club gathers at the Korineum golf club to rehearse their steps.
From the golf club’s restaurant which for the moment is turned into a dance hall, with the sound of laughter and dance steps. When we arrived through the authentic doors we were given are warm welcome by the club’s two founders, couple Steve and Denise Bisson.
– Good to have you here, Steve, before he joins the group of excited dancers.
The moment Steve started the music, the group and the cheerful host transform with dedication and full concentration on the dance steps.
Line dance may look easy to learn, but it takes concentration to memorize all the steps. Steve goes slowly through the choreography a few times so everyone is comfortable. Then you dance along to the sound of the beautiful country-tones.
Phoenix Line Dance Club started in September 2009. Now, approx. there are hundred members which are scattered in different classes each week.
Kate Bell from Scotland trains line dancing twice a week.
– I like line dancing because it is a dance you can do on your own, without a partner, while having many wonderful friends around you too, says Kate who loves to dance in her red cowboy boots.
It costs five Turkish lira to participate in a class, the money is used to pay the hire of the training room and any excess is donated to local charities, says Denise Bisson.
Everyone is welcome to attend the classes, and the benefits of line dancing are numerous. It’s good exercise for fitness and memory, while it is an easy way to socialize and meet new friends. When you get into the rhythm and the glorious music plays, you forget about the daily grind and get lost in the rhythm and steps.
Steve and Denise, originally from England, have lived in Northern Cyprus since 2003.
Some of the members of the Phoenix Line Dance Club belong to a display group that along with the Bisson couple go out and perform at festivals around Northern Cyprus. They have performed at the olive festival in Zeytinlik and Güzelyurt International Dance Festival.
A few times a year, club members go on a trip together outside Cyprus. One usually including a visit to the international line dance event in Turkey, something they will do again this year.
For those interested in learning more about Phoenix Line Dance Club you can visit their website or email Steve and Denise: steveandenise@gmail.com
Kate Bell och Denise Bisson visar upp sina stövlar.
Steve och Denise Bisson
