Couple brings line dancing across Bay Area: Weekly event at Coyote Point Yacht Club in San Mateo Wednesday nights

As people trickle in, Lisa Brown and Steven Kirkish know nearly everyone by name, even those who just started showing up within the last few weeks. Newcomers are welcomed with big open arms, and the veterans do everything they can to share any tips. 

The front desk on Wednesday nights is often manned by Brie Jones, her mother Becky Jones and Brie’s 9-month-old son Blake Jones, who was donning a “future line dancer” onesie. It was a gift from the baby shower the usual Wednesday night crew threw Brie. 

On Wednesday, there’s a lot more than line dancing that goes on in that Coyote Point Yacht Club. 

There’s a community built on vulnerability, stepping on one another’s feet, failing and getting back up. The only thing expected of guests is to try, and the goal is to get everyone to come again. 

“It’s so weird, it’s something about that country-something,” Brown said. “Even when people don’t like the country music, they like the people, they like the dancing, they like the hospitality.” 

The environment curated by Brown and Kirkish allows attendees who many come on their own quickly feel included and encouraged to make friends, Kirkish said. 

“They started coming by themselves just wanting to get out of the house, and Gene and Sue are best friends now,” Kirkish said. 

Mark, a Burlingame resident who didn’t share his last name, started joining the festivities a few weeks ago with a buddy of his. Their only goal is to make sure they show up each week. He said as he ages, he’s happy to find something that keeps him moving and feels challenging. 

“We’re going to encourage each other to go and he flaked this week — well he has an excuse — but we’re doing it because we need to do it as a healthy lifestyle,” Mark said. “It’s cardio, balance, memory and socializing.” 

Even just after three weeks, Mark said he felt just fine coming on his own because he knew he would see familiar friendly faces.

On of those familiar faces is Gina, who makes it a point to say “hi” to every new person she sees. Gina, who didn’t want to share her last name, said she remembers how nervous she was when she started just over a year ago. 

“I know what it’s like so I want to make sure everyone feels welcome,” Gina said. 

She’s not an official organizer of the event, but her consistency and friendliness make her just as known as Brown and Kirkish. Gina will pull any new person aside, ask if they want to learn a  few basics before they head out, and signals cues on the dance floor to guide everyone along. 

Gina herself recruited Erika Chang to join line dancing after meeting her in Half Moon Bay. On Wednesday, Gina, Mark and Chang all caught up with one another before leaving midconversation as they heard the music start for a song they’re learning. 

Line dancing events by Brown and Kirkish, who are much more well known as Line Dancing Lisa and DJ Shivers, began years ago at small dive bars with only a few participants. 

In the last three years, the demand has grown so much that nearly every day the duo is booked at regular venues or they’re hired for private events. 

Kirkish said after the pandemic the desire to get out of the house, socialize and do something with no attachment to devices was a major factor in line dancing’s growth. 

There’s a group of regulars who go specifically to Wednesday’s event in San Mateo, but many individuals following Line Dancing Lisa and DJ Shivers around the Bay Area, looking for any opportunity to dance. 

On Tuesday, the duo recently got booked to teach at Marsh Manor in Menlo Park during the summer; Wednesdays are in San Mateo on the marina; they’re in San Jose at the Old Wagon Saloon on Thursday nights. Some Friday nights are at Pinstripes in San Mateo and one Saturday they gather at Highlands Sports Bar in San Carlos. 

Brown began teaching line dancing over a decade ago and while she always loved dancing, she wasn’t a regular listener of country music growing up. 

When she was living in San Francisco, she heard about a country line dancing event in the city and it took nearly a month to build up the courage to attend, she said. 

“The first night I went, I met him, he asked me to dance, and that’s how it all started,” Brown said.

Brown said she loves teaching and seeing people grow, but she’s happy when everyone at least tries.

“Everyone learns so differently. Some people are out there dancing the same way they did when they first started dancing, and that’s OK, and there’s people that have come so far,” Brown said. 

Knowing that many who come out for line dancing nights are newcomers, Brown and Kirkish  said she’s focused on making sure everyone’s comfortable. 

“They start to get better when they build their confidence, they feel more forward, they feel like they can express themselves a little more,” Brown said. 

“They feel confident enough to try something harder because of the community here,” Kirkish said.

Visit www.linedancinglisa.com to stay up to date  on where Line Dancing Lisa and DJ Shivers are each week.