Cindy French is stumped when asked to name her favorite dance style. “I love hustle,country two-step, and the waltz, but it’s hard to pick a favorite,” she says. “I’m a total dance addict. I’d be dancing every night if I could.” 
French owes her love for dance—as do many others—to a place she calls the “best dance floor around,” the Rockin’ Horse Dance Barn.
Located on the border of Renton and Issaquah, “the barn” is home to a 4,000-square-foot hardwood dance floor—one of the largest in Western Washington.
Dances every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday night attract upwards of 100 people from all over the greater Puget Sound. Owner Dave Serfling, along with several instructors, teaches a range of dance styles.
Serfling bought the building in 1998 from previous owners, Arnie and Doris Hagen. The Hagens built the barn in 1958 as a community center for square dancing. Up to 1998, it was known as Hagen’s Barn or just “the barn.”
With square dancing no longer in fashion, Serfling introduced popular styles like ballroom, swing, salsa, country two-step, cha-cha, hustle and line dance. “Our main thing is adult social dancing, but we do offer classes to teens,” he says.
Many couples have met at the barn and some have even married there, including Serfling and his wife, Jimmi. 
Jimmi first came to the barn five years ago and attended the pre-dance lessons before the Friday night dances. Serfling was her instructor. 
“Dave is such a good instructor and great with students,” she says. Now Jimmi says she enjoys watching other beginners. 
“We get to watch them blossom,” she says. “All of a sudden a light comes on.” 
For French, learning to dance was the beginning of a new chapter. She came to the barn to rebuild her life after the conclusion of a 25-year marriage.
“I had zero confidence when I started and didn’t know a single dance step or a single soul,” she says. “Coming here has made such a drastic change in my life. It’s given me more confidence.” 
Cindy met her boyfriend, Bert, at the barn. Dancing brought them together, and every Friday and Saturday night, Cindy and Bert call the barn their home base. 
Serfling says there’s nothing wrong with coming to the dances alone. He encourages people to rotate partners during classes and the evening dances.
“ ‘No partner required for dancing’ has made a lot of difference for a lot of people,” says Serfling. 
Learning to dance can be transformative, he adds. “It’s like the Wizard of Oz,” says Sefling. “Their world is black and white before they come here, and then when they come here, everything is in color.” 
French says she enjoys the atmosphere and the fact that it’s alcohol and smoke-free. “No matter the day, it’s magic,” she says. “Everything goes away at the dance floor.”