'Just show up and give it a try': Queer country line dancing lesson aims to reduce barriers

A gay Calgary man wondered if he was alone in his love of country line dancing and thought Calgary Pride might be a good way to figure it out.

While Sean Buckley has been line dancing for 25 years, last year he got the idea to pair lessons with Calgary Pride.

"We were line dancing regularly and I thought it would be really nice to have a place where I didn't feel so vulnerable and just be able to be line dancing," Buckley told The Homestretch on Wednesday.

"Some bars are a little bit less vulnerable, I don't want to say safe, because that implies being in danger, but I guess there is a sense of having to be careful of who I am dancing with, so I am really looking forward to being able to put on an event that breaks down those barriers where people don't have to feel so vulnerable."

Buckley did just that with lessons at Dickens pub Wednesday night.

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"The key, I think, is to show up," Buckley said with a laugh.

"Just show up and give it a try. There are a lot of ways to break down the dance, there are a lot of variations, so if I see people having a hard time, there is usually a variation to make the dance step a little bit easy but as long as you are there, you can figure it out. Even if you have two left feet, you are going to fit in."

Buckley says, as a shy person, line dancing can be a great way to connect with others.

"It's meeting new people. The line dance floor really breaks down the social barriers so it's really easy to meet people and make friends."

And Buckley's not done yet. He willshow off his skills to a larger audience as a competitor in the Country Dance World Championships in San Francisco in January.

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With files from CBC's Mike Symington and The Homestretch