At any given time in Memphis — on a gym floor, library meeting room or riverfront green space — you’ll find lines of people stepping, spinning and sliding in sync to the groove of Southern soul music.

For some it’s fitness. For others it’s a creative outlet. But for many line dancing has become something deeper: community, culture and a way to move through life with rhythm.

“Line dancing, one of my favorite things to say, is ancestral dance,” said Memphis-based songwriter and performer Ashley Ave. “It controls the energy, and it’s such a beautiful thing.”

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