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On Jan. 16, The Barn in Tres Pinos began hosting line dancing every Thursday from 7-9 p.m. The bar and grill is located at 6971 Airline Hwy. Free to the public and open to all ages, the line dancing event has been growing since 2023—the most recent crowd exceeded 60 people.
Owners Megan Cirelli and Eric Martinez opened The Barn in 2023. Early on, the Borland family reached out, asking if they could teach dances every other Thursday. Instructors Michelle and Tim Borland started line dancing about 25 years ago when they met at a popular bar, The Graduate, in San Luis Obispo. Now, the couple and their kids take turns teaching.
“It’s really rewarding and fulfilling to establish and build a community around dancing together,” Tim Borland said.
As the vice president of Visit San Benito, an organization that promotes tourism in the county, Tim felt like this was something he could personally do to bring people together. The couple sees dancing as a great way to foster social interaction and build community.
Michelle said that she loves to see people getting excited about new songs, and that recently, some folks came up and requested dances that the Borlands then learned and brought back to share with everyone. Now that lessons will be consistent every week, the Borlands said they are excited to see how it will grow. They hope to regularly draw people from nearby towns.
Stephanie Skow and her daughter, Katie, started dancing at The Barn last summer, and said she enjoys it even after long and busy days, “We literally looked forward to it every time they had it.”
Skow and her daughter teach friends some of the dances they’ve learned and try to bring new people with them every time they head out to The Barn.
“It is the best time that you could ever have,” Skow said, “and it does not matter if you know how to line dance.”
The Borlands create a beginner-friendly environment by teaching songs piece by piece first.
“We try to read the crowd,” Tim said. When everyone is feeling ready, they’ll add music.
For new dancers, Michelle suggests starting in the middle of the dance floor so as you turn to face each wall, you can watch those around you if you forget the steps.
The BenitoLink Internship Program is a paid, skill-building program that prepares local youth for a professional career. This program is supported by Monterey Peninsula Foundation AT&T Golf Tour, United Way, Taylor Farms and the Emma Bowen Foundation.
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