Today we’d like to introduce you to Nico Osier
Hi Nico, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
It all started as a joke in the summer of 2023. I was out with friends at Neon Rainbows, a country night hosted by DJ Boi Orbison, dancing like no one was watching. Well…it turned out people were watching, which I found out when they started to ask where I learned to dance. Later, a friend and I were talking about how Austin’s line dancing venues were long gone, but the community clearly still wanted to line dance. That’s when she suggested that I teach a class. Next thing I knew, I had bought a wireless microphone and rented a dance studio for a donation-based line dance lesson that I figured would be a one-off. Hoping to recoup the rental fees, I all but begged my friends to come. Since most of my friends were non-dancers, I also made a simple graphic to post on social media, created an event on Lex, and asked people to spread the word about “Country Fried Dance Lessons” on July 2, 2023. I was relieved when 30 people came and the class was a blast. Before it was over, people were already asking when the next one would be, so I booked another dance studio for “Return of Country Fried Dance Lessons” a few weeks later. Many people who had come to the first class also came to the second one, and there were a lot of newcomers as well. Several “Country Fried Dancers” decided to attend the next Neon Rainbows, and we danced on stage as a larger group and with even more gusto. This time, when people asked the dancers, “where did you learn to dance like that?”…They all said the same thing: “Nico!” (That’s me!)
At some point, the same DJ began hosting “Bronco,” where he brought in different instructors to teach linedance and country partner dancing. When he posted an Instagram story telling his followers to save the date for the next Bronco event, I asked who the instructor would be. When he told me that he didn’t have one lined up yet, my gay audacity kicked in – I immediately suggested that I do it. So on October 4, 2023, I co-hosted Bronco, and taught a larger group thanks to the DJ’s social media following; the night was a hoot and a half! Things settled down as the end-of-year holidays rolled around, but we kept dancing at Neon Rainbows every month. It seemed my dance instructor days were over, when one of the regulars asked if I would be willing to teach line dancing at their birthday party on February 3rd, 2024. Since my birthday is the day before, we decided on a joint hootenanny, where I taught new and more exciting dances I had been learning online. Later that spring, DJ Boi Orbison (whose real name is Ezra) reached back out and asked if I’d be willing to teach when he brought Bronco to a larger bar that coming April. I was thrilled, and when he asked what he should put as the name of my business on the flier, I realized I had never thought of it that way. Rather than wracking my brain for the perfect name, I reminisced about the early home-grown events and told him “Country Fried Dance”. Suddenly, there was no turning back. Together, we have co-hosted line dancing nights at Sagebrush every month since, and are currently booked through February 2025. One day, Sagebrush offered up a couple of hours on a Saturday and we started expanding Bronco to include occasional partner dancing workshops. I have also joined Ezra at a couple of his gigs at other venues, we are piloting a new brunch event soon, and I have been pursuing my own leads too, including workshops and private parties.
Fast-forward to today (November 23, 2024): when it’s not uncommon for someone to approach me in public to ask, “hey, aren’t you Country Fried Dance?” It feels surreal how far this joke went. I am genuinely gobsmacked that, according to my notes, the 17 events I’ve taught dance at so far (as of late November 2024) have brought in a total of 1,335 attendees! I’m also immensely proud and thankful to have a growing group of regulars who keep coming back for more “Country Fried” goodness.
So what’s the secret sauce that helped Country Fried Dance get where it is today? My hunch is that it’s because, just like a home-cooked meal, Country Fried Dance is made with love. I truly love to dance and it shows. Someone once said that when I dance I “look happier than a golden retriever with his head out a car window” and honestly when I look at the pictures I see it too. When I dance, everything melts away and I enter a blissful state where I am entirely present-minded, without a thought in my head about my past or future. I refer to it as being in a “dance trance”. People often report that my love of dance is contagious, and I’m fortunate to have witnessed other people’s love of dance clearly grow with time. Beyond dance, I also love people and have a natural tendency to be caring and community-minded. Knowing the wealth of evidence that dance is a stress-relieving and community-building activity, and experiencing those benefits firsthand, motivates me to care for my community by sharing my wholehearted love of dance.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It is said that if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life. There can be no doubt that I love dancing and being the founder and leader of Country Fried Dance. In fact, I love it so much that not a day goes by that I don’t work on it! It takes a lot of time to prepare for each lesson, including learning new dances, practicing them until I have them memorized, selecting multiple songs that work with the dance, making notes for myself with the steps, devising cues to call out during the dances, and beyond. The fact that I’m a dance lover-turned-accidental instructor means that I came into this venture with gaps in knowledge which I’ve been working hard to fill. I have been learning through trial and error how to create effective social media posts, set up a website, use Yelp Biz, and otherwise promote Country Fried Dance. I’ve also been reading up on how to make my lessons more inclusive and accessible to everyone in my community, whether they get dizzy when they turn, are hard of hearing, have mobility limitations, or what have you.
One significant practical challenge I have encountered is finding venues to host my events at. I’m already at the largest dance venue in town (Sagebrush) and the smaller honky tonks are already packed with two steppers and some even have explicit policies against line dancing. As a result, I’m searching for breweries, bars, pizza places, outdoor spaces, community centers, and other spaces that would welcome a group of eager boot scooters, even if they aren’t places where dancing normally happens! I’ve cold-called a couple of places without any luck…yet! If you happen to have ideas please don’t be a stranger; feel free to send me an email (CountryFriedDance@gmail.com) and/or send your contacts my way.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I’m best known for Bronco, a monthly queer-focused, ally-friendly country dancing event I co-host with DJ Boi Orbison. We draw a large crowd of both regulars and newcomers with fun, beginner-friendly lessons, including line dances, partner dance, and mixer dances, which are choreographed partner dances where you swap partners and repeat the same steps down the line. On my own, I have hosted private parties where I pair the guest of honor’s favorite songs to popular dances or even choreograph a dance that captures their essence. I’m immensely proud that one of my creations (The Molly) has been danced all over town, in several states, and even internationally!
My specialty is line dancing, but I also teach partner dancing, especially honky tonk-style two step (AKA Western swing), contra dances, and other mixers (e.g. the barn dance). My style has a country flair, but I love to dance to multiple musical genres and I have a knack for pairing dances to the music that’s getting played, whether it’s off the Billboard Hot 100 list, or the setlist for a particular DJ or band. The biggest thing that sets me apart from other dance instructors is my wholehearted love for dance, which I’m told is so evident that other people can’t help but love it too.
The main thing that I want readers to know is that Country Fried Dance is for everyone. More accurately, it’s for everyone except bigots; because I’m queer and so are a lot of my attendees, it’s immensely important to me that my lessons are safe spaces for my community. If you want to check it out, it’s never too late to attend your first Bronco or other Country Fried Dance event. If you follow Country Fried Dance on social media, you can find details about my upcoming events including the day, time, location, any costs (e.g. tickets, cover charges), and more. Or, if you are a Google Calendar (GCal) user, you can view my calendar (https://tinyurl.com/countryfrieddancecalendar) to get the same information and even copy it to your own GCal, so you don’t need to type everything in that I already have.
It is also worth noting that I’m also looking to expand my offerings. For starters, I want to do more parties, weddings, and private lessons for both individuals and groups. I also want to partner with new venues, with additional DJs/live bands/your sound guy/a good old-fashioned aux cable to get more people dancing. And not just by teaching lessons, either – I’m open to assisting with any dance-related need you may have. Want some custom choreography for a commercial, social media post, movie, your wedding, or just for fun? I got you! Need some dancers to come get the party started and inspire guests at your event to start dancing? Want someone to dance on stage at your event? Happily! Call me up!
The other thing I want readers to know is that as the smallest possible small business, every single verbal mention, social media share, or email to your HR department suggesting a fun option for this year’s team-building exercise makes a difference. Not only does it support a member of your community, it also brings joy to me and the new dancers who attend my lessons!
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
Community is the most important thing to me and it has always added tremendous value to my life. I remember inviting my entire elementary school class to my birthday party because I couldn’t stand the thought of excluding anyone. Since then, there have been countless moments in my life when having a place where I felt that I belonged and could be myself was desperately needed and deeply meaningful. I now want to create spaces where people can experience that for themselves. I believe that getting people on the dance floor is a great way to achieve that goal as dancing is an inherently social and community-oriented activity that’s been bringing people together for ages….Literally. Archeologists have discovered cave paintings depicting dance that date back to the paleolithic period! Today, dance remains a wildly popular hobby, and Austin is fortunate to have a thriving two-step scene and some of the best honky tonks in the world. However, before I moved here the local bars that once welcomed large crowds of line dancers had closed, pushing line dancing outside of the city to Buda and Pflugerville. This is unfortunate, because my experience is that people in Austin still love to line dance and want to do it more. For some it feels more accessible than the widely available partner dancing options. I suspect this is because line dancing has a lower barrier to entry since you can do it alone, anywhere, at any time, and you are in full control over how easy (or difficult) to make each dance. Line dancing is also a great opportunity to learn steps, build confidence, and develop musicality which directly translates to partner dancing for those who want to learn that too. Having venues in town where large groups of line dancers can boot scoot together is important, because there is something inherently community-building and downright magical about moving and clapping in unison with a room full of people. If you’ve never marched or stomped in lockstep with a large group of people, you really ought to try it!
Pricing:
- Monthly Bronco events at Sagebrush: $10 cash cover at the door
- Other Country Fried Dance events vary in location and price from free outdoor events to ticketed events
- Private lessons, group classes, or parties in your home, my home, or a rented venue: variable, based on your group size and needs
- Corporate team-building events: variable, based on your group size and needs
- Other services (e.g. choreography; party starting): variable, based on your needs
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sites.google.com/view/country-fried-dance/home
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/countryfrieddance/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61562467013183
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@CountryFriedDance
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/country-fried-dance-line-dance-instruction-austin
- Other: https://linktr.ee/CountryFriedDance
Image Credits
Erika Rich
