Liberty Barn Dance has been fostering community since the mid ’70s and is now continuing the tradition of hosting line dancing and Texas Two Step every Saturday night.
The building that houses the barn dance—located in the Tennessee community of Liberty, about 30 miles northeast of Murfreesboro—was built during the great depression by the Works Progress Administration and was known as Liberty Grade School from the 1930s until the ’70s, when the space was converted to create a hall sufficiently large for a crowd that loves to dance. The large space works well for allowing both line dancers and couples to participate at the same time.
Line dancing is a country and Western-style dance in which the dancers line up in rows to repeat choreographed sequences. Texas Two Step has some similarities to line dancing, but is done with a partner. Some separation between the two is required when performing both on the dance floor, as the dances are done differently. Dancers ordinarily will stay on the side of the room with the group they are participating in.
One of the first things many do when walking into Liberty Barn Dance on a Saturday is greet others attending the dance. It seems almost everyone knows everyone and wants to chat before they start, when they leave, and in between songs. Guests are also welcome to grab something from the small snack bar equipped with candy, chips and beverages.
Husband and wife Kenny Clark and Peggy Speck Clark took over the dance venue around seven years ago and they have been working hard to build the business back up.
While Speck Clark works heavily on the business and promotion side of things, Clark is part of the house band, Kenny and the Roosters, which plays the live music that gets everyone two-stepping every week. Kenny, who has been playing music since he was 13, leads the band while singing and playing the guitar. Kenny and the Roosters are typically a four-piece band, but sometimes more when bringing in special guests.
“No matter what kind of shoes you wear, they can be your dancing shoes at The Liberty Barn Dance!” Peggy says.
At the Liberty Barn Dance you’ll find dancers from age 9 all of the way up to 90, with families, local retirees, college students and young adults among the mix on the floor.
“The kids will usually go over in a corner,” Clark says, referring to younger children who could potentially be run over by the older dancers, but “they dance, the kids dance just like the adults do.”
Liberty Barn Dance patron Duane Richardson first became interested in line dancing after his wife died from cancer in 1991. He was able to find the friendship and support he needed by putting on his boots and going dancing. After being invited to Liberty Barn Dance, Richardson enjoyed himself and began regularly attending.
“Liberty has one of the best dance floors,” Richardson says. “Liberty has a wooden floor and I’ve never been on Liberty’s floor and it not be smooth and slick—nice to dance on.”
Many dance hall floors are made from concrete with tile placed over it. If the floor is not continuously being cleaned properly, it can become sticky and hard to dance and turn on. The old wooden floor at Liberty Barn Dance helps prevent that from happening.
On the edges of the large open floor are chairs where dancers take a break between songs or spectate. Some non-dancing patrons come simply to watch the community dance together.
The hall welcomes anyone who wants to join in on all of the Western fun, and guests have traveled to the small-town Tennessee barn dance from locales as far away as England, China, Scotland, Australia, Canada and Mexico.
A fun facet of line dancing is choosing which dance will go along with the music. Many of the popular dances will fit with songs other than the one it was choreographed to. Many of the songs played in the dance hall do not have a predetermined dance to go along with them, so the guests have to decide. Some of the more popular line dances include the Cowboy Cha Cha, Rebel Strut and the Watermelon Crawl.
Dancers usually pick up on routines either by observing others, searching for the steps on the internet beforehand or, in Liberty Barn Dance’s case, learning steps at the venue. Many of the regular dancers are eager to arrive to the venue a few minutes early to teach any newcomers the popular routines so that they can join in.
Participants do not need to know how to line dance to enjoy a night at the Liberty Barn Dance, and the community continues to come back because of the bonds they form with each other and their love for line dancing.
___
IF YOU GO:
Liberty Barn Dance
163 Eckles Heights, Liberty, Tennessee.
7–10 p.m. every Saturday.
Admission is $7 for adults and free for kids under 12.
The venue is no-smoking and no-alcohol.
For videos and more information, find a Liberty Barn Dance group on Facebook.
