Bringing rural communities together through love of line dancing

Over the past 10 months, Claire Harris and Kate Strong have line danced with an estimated 2200 people in rural towns across seven states.

Shine Youth Award winners Kate Strong and Claire Harris at Cruden Farm, Langwarrin, Victoria, where the awards were presented. Picture: Yuri Kouzmin

Over the past 10 months, Claire Harris and Kate Strong have line danced with an estimated 2200 people in rural towns across seven states.

Their dancing partners at the 74 events throughout the country ranged from six weeks old to 94 years, and in doing so they raised $38,250 for seven rural charities.

The numbers alone are inspiring, but only reveal part of the achievements of the two young Queenslanders.

“Our three main objectives with the trip were to bring rural people and communities back together after a tough couple of years, to share the love of line dancing and to add a bit of a feel-good element of making it all for charity,” Ms Strong, 24, said.

“So we supported a different charity in each state that we travelled through.”

The inspiration for “Hoedowns for Country Towns” was sparked during the pair’s first meeting at a line dancing class in Toowoomba in 2018.

Line dancers during the Hoedown for Country Towns tour. Picture: Ellen Arney

“It was on that first day that we just got chatting and said within the first 10 minutes or so, ‘wouldn't it be fun to go line dance around Australia together one year?’,” Ms Harris said.

“Back then it was just a pipe dream.

“Then in the middle of last year, after everyone's had a tough couple of years with Covid and natural disasters, we just thought people needed a reason to smile now more than ever.”

The pair left their jobs – Ms Strong was an agricultural consultant and Ms Harris an agricultural journalist – and set out from Toowoomba in March.

Some events attracted only one dancer, while others drew crowds of 104 people. They danced regardless of the crowd size, always beginning with The Nutbush.

It wasn’t all about the dancing. Some attendees turned up just for the social occasion.

“We had people who would turn up saying ‘I‘m here but I’m not going to dance’, and then they were somehow on the dance floor within five minutes,” Ms Harris, 25, said.

“At the same time, we had a few who just came along and said ‘I don't want to dance, it’s just nice to come to a community event’.

“Line dancing is the vessel for bringing people together but if they‘re there and chatting, then that’s really good as well.”

The pair’s fundraising and goodwill-generating efforts were recognised this month when they won the Youth Award at the 2022 Shine Awards.

Now in their sixth year, the Shine Awards – a collaboration with Harvey Norman and rural newspaper The Weekly Times – seek to recognise the achievements and contributions of women across rural and regional Australia.

The 44,000km journey will come to an end in Brisbane on Saturday where the duo hope to get up on stage and line dance to a song or two at Keith Urban’s concert.

While nothing official is planned, they’ve shared their desire along the bush grapevine and hope word will get to Urban’s team in time for the concert.

“We’ve danced to Keith’s music all over Australia and we would love to get up on stage for just one song,” Ms Harris said.

“While it will be a fantastic night no matter what, it would be the icing on the cake.”