Lopers put on their dancing shoes Friday for the LPAC Swing Dance event. Entertainment was provided by the Mckenzie JaLynn Band, and the event was held in the Ponderosa Room.

This was the first event headed by Leroy Garcia and Jill Smith, co-chairs of LPAC’s entertainment committee.

“That’s kind of the point – getting people together,” Smith said. “That’s what a lot of LPAC aims to do is just getting us into a big group.”

Swing dancing began at 7 p.m. for a 30-minute teaching session for those new to dancing. The full swing dance started after that and continued for two hours. 

“It definitely brings back memories from high school dances,” Garcia said. “I came from a small town, so country was really big in our part. Being able to bring that to UNK is really meaningful.”

Having a live country artist made the event even more special and upbeat. Laura Konz, a formerly active member of LPAC, had the idea last semester as the organization began planning the event. 

“Mckenzie JaLynn is one of my favorite bands, so I knew it would be a good pick,” Konz said. “They always put on a great show, they’re really relevant to our age and they sound fantastic.”

The Mckenzie JaLynn Band put on a show incorporating line dancing and swing dancing favorites as well as a bit of Dolly Parton and even threw in some Fleetwood Mac. Mckenzie JaLynn even took to the dance floor herself for a tune and kept the crowd animated the whole evening.

Participants filled the room and the dance floor.

“I thought it was great,” said Megan Beck, a sophomore majoring in business administration. “I thought it was a ton of fun coming out and dancing with everybody.”