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Where them fans at? Line dancing steps into the spotlight

By , Special to The Daily Memphian Published: June 15, 2025 4:00 AM CT

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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Laquentus Jones Dru's Place 901 Fit Life Kathalene Taylor-White Ashley Ave Subscriber Only

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Christin Yates

Christin Yates

Christin Yates is a native Memphian who has worked in PR and copywriting since 2007. She earned her B.S. in public relations and M.S. in mass communications from Murray State University.


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