On July 18, 2026, Bolo Tie Line led attendees in a dance at Willow River Park. Bolo Tie Line is a queer country line dancing group that hosts masked events in the Waterloo Region.
Saff Aldred, also known as Saff the Sapphic, was booked as a drag performer for Spurs Night Toronto’s one year anniversary celebration. Spur’s Night is considered the flagship of Canadian queer line dancing.
“I did about five dances with no instruction, no lesson, and then the bug bit me, and I got infected with the line dancing virus, and I just got into it,” Aldred said.
During the early stages of their line dancing journey, Aldred met their partner and eventual co-facilitator, Shawna Edmondson. Edmondson shared line dancing with their daughter and friends. As time went on and the line dancing events they hosted grew, Aldred was encouraged to start teaching line dancing to others professionally. On Mar. 2, 2025, Bolo Tie Line hosted its first event at 44 Gaukel.
“I love watching folks feel present in their bodies and in the movements. That’s what I love. I love seeing the ways that people feel safe to express themselves in new ways,” Aldred said.
They started Bolo Tie Line because they did not feel safe dancing in straight spaces. Seeing the number of butch and transmasculine folks at Spurs Night in Toronto made them want to see similar spaces in the Waterloo Region. Aldred and Edmondson wanted to create a safe space for people of all orientations and genders.
“I love when you hit that high of the room all being so connected, and we felt that a lot with doing more dancing with live music this summer, which has been so special,” Edmondson said.
The first event Bolo Tie Line hosted was promoted solely through word of mouth. The co-facilitators invited their friends, and eventually over 20 people showed up to dance at 44 Gaukel.
“To be able to share [dance] with my partner, our child and our own community, and other communities that we reach out to, has been just a beautiful experience and moments of connection,” Edmondson said.
“My whole thing is, ‘commit to the bit’. Commit to the bit. This is a space to be silly, to play. Where do adults get to play?” Saff said.
Bolo Tie Line will be hosting an event in Stratford on Aug. 8 at the third space. On Aug. 29, they will be hosting an event at Hepcat Swing. They are also a part of Supercrawl this September in Hamilton. For any questions or booking inquiries, contact bolotieline@gmail.com.
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