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LINES AND BEARS
A HISTORY
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1993
THE CACTUS CLUB, London’s first gay line and partner dance club begins at The Bell in King’s Cross with deejay Jo Purvis and instructor Peter Flockhart.
Nick becomes a regular attendee and starts dee-jaying part-time around mid-1993, becoming full time deejay in the club’s final months. Many of Lines & Bears initial following, some of whom are still with us today, get their start here.
At the same time BEARS CLUB UK, Britain’s first club for bears is gaining momentum on a national basis.
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1994
Peter and Nick begin LINES AND SQUARES, a line and square dancing tuition night on Tuesdays at The Bell.
THE CACTUS CLUB goes twice weekly on Mondays and Fridays.
Other gay line dance clubs begin to appear in London and across the country as the line dance craze takes off nationally.
Nick keeps his hand in teaching and dee-jaying regularly for BRIGHTON RAWHIDE and MIDNIGHT COWBOYS dance weekends, and helps launch PRAIRIE DOGS in Manchester, the only other gay line dance club in the UK still in existence today.
BIG BEAR COUNTRY, an early attempt at a bear’s line dance night, is launched by Nick and Peter at THE FATHER REDCAP in Camberwell, but fails to take off, and only lasts a few weeks.
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Nick, aka DJ Cowbear (and formerly known as Redneck Nick), co-founder, DJ and dance instructor at Lines & Bears since 1995
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1995
Feb/March
The Cactus Club is forced to close when The Bell ceases to operate as a gay venue.
Nick is approached by Duggy, secretary of Bears Club UK, with a view to starting line dance classes for their members.
When we are offered a regular night on Tuesdays at Duke’s we decide that rather than merely holding classes we will launch a new weekly dance night aimed at bears and their buddies
Tuesday 25th April
LINES & BEARS first weekly club night held at Duke’s
May
Lines & Bears are one of the founder member clubs of the COUNTRY & WESTERN CLUB ASSOCIATION (CWCA), a membership club formed by the leading gay C&W dance clubs around the country at the time
June
Lines & Bears co-host a post-Pride dance night held in the church hall opposite Duke’s
August
Nick co-deejays the line dancing for the first time at BRIGHTON PRIDE
31st October
HAIRY HALLOWEEN HOEDOWN
1st November
Nick launches ‘Blazing Saddles’ on Wednesdays at the Royal Oak in Hammersmith which runs for around a year
19th December
LINES & BEARS 1ST CHRISTMAS PARTY including cabaret from Tina C
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1996
13TH Feb
COUNTRY CUDDLE Valentine’s Eve Party
20th April
Lines & Bears launch their monthly Saturday night REDNECK RODEO dance at the Rivoli Ballroom, which runs for the next 5 years
23rd April
LINES & BEARS 1ST BIRTHDAY PARTY
18th June
SUMMER SWEAT PARTY
6th July
PRIDE ’96 on Clapham Common sees all London’s gay C&W deejays appear on stage together for the first time ever
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3rd August
Lines & Bears organise the line dancing at the first SUMMER RITES festival held in Kennington Park
August
Nick is the host deejay at BRIGHTON PRIDE
10th September
TEX MEX TOO PARTY
October
Lines & Bears launch COWBEAR CONNECTION, a monthly Sunday dance afternoon at Duke’s which runs for the next six months
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Continue on to LINES & BEARS - A HISTORY Page 2
October 1996 - December 1997
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Return to LINES & BEARS HOMEPAGE
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