'Cowboy Boogie' offers variety of fun, dances
Campus Times
October 23, 1998
Two stepping and line dancing are all the rage with many La Verne
students, reflected by the attendance on Thursday, College Nights, at the
Cowboy Boogie in Anaheim. Seniors Trinh Ta and Ordell Williams pair off
for a slow dance to the country and top 40 songs played throughout the night
by DJ "Crazy" Paul Pappas.
For most people, the idea of country line dancing is simply for cowboys
and cowgirls; but at Anaheim's Cowboy Boogie dance club, line dancing also
involves hip-hop and alternative music. It is a dance club which unites
all music lovers for the enjoyment of socializing and dancing.
Many University of La Verne students have found Cowboy Boogie to be
a place to spend Thursday nights. It is obvious that some of these students
have put in a lot of work and practice to get the line dancing steps precise
enough to look like professionals. On the other hand, one can also see the
inexperience of others who are desperately trying to get the moves step
by step. Regardless of experience, however, it is obvious to see that everyone
having a plain old good time.
"The people were really nice and they help teach you the dances,"
said sophomore Melissa Mijares, about her first time at Cowboy Boogie.
Some of the dance routines, like the Electric Slide, are familiar to
most people. However, the variety of music played-which includes Digital
Underground, The Beastie Boys and Shania Twain-makes the routines seem completely
different. Other dances included the Black Velvet, the Two Step, 10 Step,
the Cowboy Cha Cha, the Power Jam and several swing dances. These seemed
to be a little more difficult to figure out for beginners, but the more
they practiced, the closer they were to perfecting the steps.
"I went because my friends were going and that is how I heard about
it," said junior Quinton Stele.
"It's all in the attitude," Stele said. "If you loosen
up then it's cool. You can look dumb doing certain steps, but as long as
you have a carefree attitude then you will have fun."
Junior Jaime Ortega joined together with other ULV students who are
regulars of Cowboy Boogie and taught them some of the dance routines they
had learned at the club.
"We decided to teach some of the students who didn't know the dance
routines at all," Ortega said. "We cleared furniture off A-bottom
[Oaks Residence Hall] and taught them the steps."
Ortega said that there was a crowd of approximately 40 people were at
the event, most of which consisted of international students.
If counting steps to line dancing did not interest people, then they
were dancing however they pleased, on top of rails and tables, to a variety
of music played by the disc jockey. There was never a continuous period
of line dancing or repetitive slow songs. Requests for songs were taken,
and recognition for birthdays and other events were made, adding to the
social aspect of the evening.
"I love the socializing," said junior Mike Miller. "You
get to meet some of your friends all over again. It's another way to have
a lot of fun."
"Crazy" Paul Pappas has been the head disc jockey and promotional
manager for Cowboy Boogie for 20 years.
When asked to describe the atmosphere of the club, Pappas said, "There
are very well dressed people who are friendly, diverse, wild and crazy."
Events are scheduled every day of the week at Cowboy Boogie. There is
an all ages swing dancing workshop on Mondays from 7-10 p.m. with a $10
cover charge. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays are for the 18 and over
age group with dance lessons starting at 8:15 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays
and 7:15 p.m. on Saturdays. The cover charge is $6 on Tuesdays and $4 for
anyone over 21. Thursdays and Saturdays have a $7 cover charge for 18-20
year olds, and $5 for 21 and over. Wednesday and Friday are for the 21 and
over age group with dance lessons starting at 7:15 p.m. There is a $5 cover
charge on Wednesday and a $10 cover charge on Fridays. Sundays are for all
ages and provide a beginners dance workshop from 4-7 p.m. There is $10 entry
fee per person and a dance partner is not required for lessons. The times
and cover charges may vary due to special events that may come up during
the week.
A dress code is enforced that does not allow baseball caps, visors,
T-shirts, tank tops or shorts.
Cowboy Boogie is located at 1721 Manchester Ave., in Anaheim. For additional
information, call (714) 956-1410.
