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Boston Globe

In Boston, soul line dancing goes beyond ‘boots on the ground'

The scene was from one of three free weekly classes that Boston Rhythm Riders offers for community members to learn line dances. Popular choices include Cupid's 'Flex,' Frankie Beverly and Maze's 'Before I Let Go,' and the recent viral hit, 803Fresh's 'Boots on the Ground' — all songs that have helped line dancing garner its recent social media visibility. Advertisement However, the organization wasn't chasing a viral moment when it started. In 2007, Angie Dickerson, Boston Rhythm Riders's creative director and operations manager, launched the group as a way to uplift herself after a major life change. At the time, Dickerson had moved from Houston back to Boston to take care of her mother, who'd been diagnosed with stage four breast cancer. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up As a UMass Boston theater arts alum and Roxbury native, Dickerson said her involvement in the arts saved her life growing up. Jamal Fortest dances with his mom, Tina, who hosted a line dance class at Refectory Hill in Franklin Park. Heather Diehl/For The Boston Globe 'I needed and was missing singing, dancing, [and] theater,' she said. 'So, line dancing actually saved me. While I was saving other people at the same time, I didn't realize the impact.' With the help of her friends, Dickerson began teaching line dancing classes wherever she could, from after-school programs to community centers and nightclubs. Advertisement Although she credits the South for her passion for the dance form, Dickerson noted that there has always been a history of line dancing in Boston. Yet, when she first returned to Massachusetts — and sometimes even now — she said people associate line dancing strictly with country line dancing. It's such a common occurrence that she often has to emphasize the distinction between country and soul/urban line dancing, which primarily incorporates R&B, soul, Afro-fusion, and hip-hop music. While primarily reserved for family gatherings, such as weddings, reunions, or cookouts, soul line dancing has been a part of Black culture for decades. Before finding the Boston Rhythm Riders, numerous students in the Tuesday class recalled participating in more famous soul line dances with their families, like the 'Wobble,' 'Cupid Shuffle,' and 'The Electric Slide.' Cousins DeLisa Burns Boyd and Kim Burns hug during a break at the line dance class at Refectory Hill in Franklin Park on July 16. Heather Diehl/For The Boston Globe But without more visibility, Dickerson initially had issues booking spaces in gyms for line dancing classes. 'They basically were like, 'Well, Zumba is popular right now. We don't know anything about line dancing. Why don't you go get your Zumba certification and come back?'' Dickerson said. 'And I was like, 'No, I want to do line dancing. This thing is going to be big, I'm telling you.'' Now, as mainstream media takes notice of soul line dancing, it seems that Dickerson was right. On TikTok, the hashtag #linedance has amassed over 400,000 posts, and the line dance song 'Boots on the Ground' hit No. 1 on the Adult R&B Airplay chart in June. Locally, interest in Boston Rhythm Riders's classes has grown — attendance at their Wednesday class in particular has increased threefold, Dickerson said. Advertisement Despite previous practice space struggles, the dance group found a rhythm that worked for them. Along with their Tuesday class at Bowdoin Street Health Center's community room, the Rhythm Riders offer a Wednesday class in Franklin Park (as part of the Boston Park Commission's fitness series) and a Thursday class in the Hyde Park Community Center. Boston Rhythm Riders have also been bringing soul line dancing to the festival and summer event circuit, performing at events like the annual Two months ago, Lori Brown, 69, had been looking for a fitness class to join when she took her first class at Bowdoin Street Health Center. She said she's been back every week since, even going as far as looking up other line dances on YouTube to practice. DebRa Horne-Bramble participates in a line dance class held at Refectory Hill in Franklin Park on July 16. Heather Diehl/For The Boston Globe 'She got me hooked,' Brown said, referencing Dickerson's impact. With each event, their community of line dance enthusiasts grows stronger, but not just for the love of the music. As Dickerson developed Boston Rhythm Riders and shared her story about her mother's cancer diagnosis, other women began to share their own experiences with cancer with her. Floyd, who joined the organization two years ago, said she especially liked the way Boston Rhythm Riders turned line dancing into community work. When Floyd needed to take a hiatus from her job and dancing while undergoing breast cancer treatment, Dickerson was there waiting when she was ready to come back, offering her support and a more active role in the group. Advertisement For Dickerson, Boston Rhythm Riders wasn't just a place to learn a line dance, but a community space for those with shared experiences to participate in an accessible, nontraditional way to stay social and active. Dickerson said Boston Rhythm Riders tries to tie wellness into everything they do — such as their upcoming 18th annual line dance wellness anniversary in September 18-21 and flash mob fundraiser at the American Cancer Society in October— because it allows people to have resources brought to them, rather than having to search for them. Some of the Rhythm Riders' past partnerships include ZaZ Restaurant, a Caribbean fusion business in Hyde Park, and Body by Brandy, a fitness and wellness organization in Roxbury. 'We're always looking for ways to enhance the resources and take it to the next level,' Dickerson said. 'We are here for the community, and it's more than just line dancing — it's bigger.'