'Those line dancers' spread their joy anywhere, anytime

A group of Island women in cowgirl hats and comfortable shoes are spreading joy this summer with "pop-up" line dancing performances.

You might see them doing the electric slide to Darlin' by Johnny Reid or the tush push to Cadillac Ranch by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

Don't be shy, clap your hands and slap your boots — the more, the merrier, said Margot Postma.

"We dance on streets and bridges and in the dirt," she said. "Anywhere, we have people who pop over and want to join in."

The group are a mix of retired women who get together Mondays for Postma's classes at the Milton Community Hall and others from a group known simply as Those Line Dancers.

"We came up with that name because we'd be around somewhere dancing and people would say, 'Oh did you see those line dancers?' or 'Those line dancers are there again,'" she said.

I always feel better when I'm dancing.— Margot Postma

They are always looking for new places to bust a move. They might get a curious glance now and then, but usually people gather around and hoot and holler.

Recently, 21 of them got together to perform and record some dances on the Robertson Road Trail Bridge in Charlottetown. It was pretty secluded, except for some birds.

"We had one person walking onto the bridge and we thought maybe they were there to tell us that we shouldn't be dancing on the bridge, but they just kind of walked by," Postma said with a laugh.

Line dancing may have had its heyday in the 1980s, but to Postma and her group, the cowgirl twist has never gone out of style.

Postma said it's helped her through good times and bad.

"I love it, I always feel better when I'm dancing," she said.

'From your mind right down to your toes'

"I'm a cancer survivor and dancing and line dancing through all my treatments and everything just kept me totally out of my head," Postma said.

"It makes me feel good because when you're line dancing you have to really, really concentrate. So you're engaging from your mind right down to your toes. If you start to think about, 'What am I going to make for supper?' or 'Did I leave the iron on?' you totally forget your steps."

The group has danced everywhere from nursing homes to the Santa Claus Parade to the recent DiverseCity festival in Charlottetown.

Next weekend some of them will be back at Cavendish Beach Music Festival. 

"We kind of have a little bit of a reputation there because we dance all over the site, in the kitchen tents, in the dirt, in front down by the main stage," she said. 

Cavendish Beach flash mob

"We're looking forward to that this year because we have a number of new dancers that were in my classes that are going to be there and they're going to be looking for us. So we may have quite a crew there for some dancing."

She said she'd be thrilled if she could get on stage and lead 10,000 people in a line dance — like a flash mob.

"That would be pretty cool ... I mean, it is a country music festival after all."

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