THE KC COUNTRY DANCERS

The KC Country dancers come from many different backgrounds, but they all have one thing in common: their love for line dancing.​​​

Kathy Nichols, JoAnn Roth, Patsy Riuteel and Beverly Talley make up the group known as the KC Country dancers. For the last 17 years, these women have accumulated more than 15 matching outfits, learned countless line dances and have built a friendship that will last a lifetime.​​​

With more than 60 years of combined line dancing experience, these women are experts in this field of dance. Historically, the KC Country dancers  have been known to never repeat the same line dance in a single night. When KC Country’s dance hall opened in 2003, they started dancing as an official group and have been coming every Saturday night since.​​​

“There have been some nights that they have not had a crowd and it’s just the four of us dancing,” Roth said.  “It never stopped us from coming. It’s like we’ve had our own private party here.”​​​

All four women have hit the “over the hill” marker. Aging between 55 and 70, Talley explained that learning line dances have kept them all younger.​​​

“It keeps our minds fresh,” Talley said. “All of the dances we have learned over the years have helped our memories stay intact. Dancing is a workout, but it’s also fun.”​​​

Even though these women are eligible for senior discounts, their age does not keep them from learning new tricks.  Traditionally, the KC Country dancers stick to line dancing. However, they do break out of their customary style on occasion. The Wobble is the newest line dance to hit the dance floor. Unconventional to the typical country tunes that play at KC Country, the Wobble is in the hip-hop genre.​​​

“I definitely do the Wobble,” Riuteel said.  “My daughter has me doing it on video, but I refuse to look at it. I’m sure it’s embarrassing.”​​​

The women share more than just their knowledge of line dance styles. They have closets filled with matching skirts, pants, shirts and boots, making up 18 total different outfits.  Each Saturday, these women plan which ensemble is best for the night and then match accordingly. With identical attire, it’s easy to spot these ladies on the dance floor.​​​

“Whenever I find something that catches my eye, I just have to buy it for everyone,” Riuteel said. “Whether it’s earrings, boots or whatever, if I see something that I think my friends would like, I buy it. We have to match. It’s our thing.”​​​

Despite the fun frills of being a KC Country dancer, the women are bonded through more than just dance steps. ​​​

“I have been line dancing since 1993,” Nichols said. “I was going through a divorce and I just wanted something to take my mind off of everything. I wanted to meet people and it has been wonderful so far.”​​​

Nichols is not alone. Roth, Riuteel and Talley all started line dancing for similar reasons. All three are widows. While suffering the loss of a loved one, line dancing became a source of comfort and distraction.​​​

“When my husband passed away, these ladies kept me from doing something stupid, like getting married again,” Riuteel joked.​​​

Having a tragedy in common has brought these women together in a way that most people would not understand. To them, line dancing is more than just a fun activity on Saturday nights; it is a friendship and a support system. And having KC Country as a dancing outlet has strengthened their bond.​​​

“KC Country played a role in allowing us to become really good friends,” Roth said. “It’s brought me closer to some amazing women and we are all so thankful. It’s become a part of our lives.”​​​

The KC Country dancers model festive Halloween attire. ​​​​