Is ballroom dancing for senior citizens?

[pygmalion]

Just curious. I've been thinking about why the ballroom dance forum here has the most topics but falls way behind salsa in the number of active posters. and I came up with ballroom demographics as a possible answer. Ballroom has a lot of older patrons, while salsa has a lot of younger (computer literate) patrons.

We can talk about DF participation another day, if you like. In the meantime, I'm thinking. Why is ballroom populated by so many seniors? Hmmm. Is it that seniors are the only ones who can afford it? Or that social dance, at least, i=s so lacking in physical challenge that they can do it? Or is it that the ballroom industry targets them, because of their relative wealth? And is that just a US phenomenon? Anyone have ideas?

[dancin_feet]

Personally, I think it has more to do with the "stigma" attached to ballroom that it is an older person's activity.

Though, that is changing. There are a lot of younger couples starting at our studio. Whether they will stick with it is another thing. I also think that the younger generation is always after the next "thrill". They may try a lot of things, but most don't stick with anything. I have been guilty of this myself, until dancing came along! :lol:

Just my observations .....

[Hank]

I've had many people tell me that in their town, ballroom dancing is dominated by people over age 65, that women outnumber the men, and that any men in attendance are part of a couple. But, this has not been my experience. At the venues where I dance, people in their 40's and 50's predominate, the gender balance is roughly equal in all age categories except the over 60 crowd (mirroring society in general), and most dancers are unattached. I see a fair number of collegiate dancers, but not many people in their 30's.

Salsa dancers tend to be 20's - 30's, probably because salsa is mainly a bar/nightclub dance, and that is the age of the crowd that frequents those venues.

[etchuck]

If anyone makes a movie that makes ballroom dancing fun for the under-40 crowd in the same vein that nouveau-swing and salsa and hip-hop... perhaps there may be revived interest. Of course, as long as people are getting married, there's always a market.

As it stands, I don't know... I guess in my case because I hang around a lot of college-age kids, I'm a bit more optimistic. Many of our free large-group beginner lessons have around 20 couples attending and most of them are undergraduates.

That's still not to say that we shouldn't completely disregard it. It may be a nice display of community service to have a team go to a nursing home and perform a dance or dance with them. I've thought about it since one of my service clubs in high school would do skits every Christmas at a nursing home.

[HothouseSalsero]

Of course, as long as people are getting married, there's always a market.

Right, there's always the teach-us-how-to-dance-in-four-weeks market. (I'm not an instructor, but I've heard and read stories about wedding couples. Of course, I realize not all of them are that unrealistic.)

[GalacticDancer44M]

Well, I'm a single 43 yr old man who just started taking private Ballroom lessons 1 year ago. I seem to be in the minority as far as a 40 something ballroom dancer. The instructors are in their 20's-30's. Most of the students are in the 50's. I do see alot of seniors at the Showcases. Of course there are the 20 something couples learning a wedding dance. I really enjoy the dances and they do require alot of skill to master. I don't see any younger single women Ballroom dancers unfortunately. I think its still important to know the Ballroom dances, but I'm going to start working on learning more of the Salsa, Mambo, Merengue dances so I can at least find a partner. I do have to say that I really enjoy the interaction with 50+ dancers.

Also, I really like the idea mentioned about performing or dancing with seniors in the nursing homes. I would like to do that someday. I'll mention it to my dance group in the studio.

[samba ajr]

What we (the youngsters) call "ballroom", seniors call "dancing"! When they learned to dance as teenagers, they did foxtrot, lindy, waltz. maybe a little cha cha. For my Mom, who's now 82, and her contemporaries, learning to dance was just part of growing up. Unfortunately it's not something we do today unless a specific effort is made.

Just look at any movie from the 40's-50's--everybody knows how to dance. And American Dreams on TV--wouldn't it have been great to learn all the new dances on Bandstand!

At socials, I'm quick to accept dances from silver haired gentlemen. They may not follow a syllabus (or maybe they learned from Arthur Murray himself :wink: ) but they're almost always good leaders, and have good timing! :)

[danceguy]

Hmm, I noticed a definite age gap when I was doing Ballroom. Some nights I'd show up at our local dances and I'd be the only person there under 40...not a big deal but it made me feel a little weird at times. When I starting doing Salsa I found the age distribution to be much greater, more people my age but many older as well.

I wouldn't say it has to do with the dancing being easier...I remember one couple who must have been in their 50's and they were AMAZING to watch doing Waltz and Foxtrot. Both were in incredible shape and they could dance my socks off any day of the week. I agree as someone said that the Ballroom dances may be more familiar to the older generations, as these styles of dance are what they danced in their youth.

I've seen the opposite as well though. I went to another dance venue for Swing that was mostly Lindy folks...and it was full of teenagers and high school kids! I felt kind of out of place and some of those youngsters could really dance...but I'd say it was partly due to the instructors who teach to a younger crowd.

Another factor...at least in my area, the Ballroom dances are alcohol free. I love this aspect as I'm not a drinker...perhaps this is why most of the younger folks are hanging out at the Salsa spots? I've noticed that just about everyone at the Salsa events drink...and many can't seperate the two.

Thoughts on this anyone? What are the Ballroom dances like in your area in regards to drinking?

Best,

SG

[HothouseSalsero]

I don't see any younger single women Ballroom dancers unfortunately.

I dated a 20-something woman who did ballroom dancing. We got talking with each other at some salsa events, but her first love in dancing was smooth ballroom. (In fact, I was inspired to buy my first Frank Sinatra CD by her, even though I'm ten years older than her.) I kind of regret that I didn't make more of an effort to improve my minimal smooth ballroom skills and find places for us to go ballroom dancing. So anyway, they are out there, although I think she would have agreed that she is somewhat of an exception.

[dancin_feet]

I don't see any younger single women Ballroom dancers unfortunately.

I'm 31 and a single female ballroom dancer doing ballroom, latin and south american or street latin, whatever you want to call it. I'm not unusual at my studio. To try to get the guys in (at any age) is the problem.

[dnquark]

The general stereotype, in a nutshell, is that the ballroom community is too anal. The emphasis is on learning syllabi, the point is to not have fun but to impress the judges, or to one-up other dancers.

Lindy is fun, latin is sexy, tango is seductive, hustle has the disco era panache... What does ballroom have?.. Well, it *can* have all of the above, but it's not immediately obvious. Those positive aspects are masked by the issues of competition, and overly rigid notions of what's correct and what's not.

This is all a shame, because ballroom brings together so many disparate dance forms -- this is great if you enjoy dancing to more than one type of music. The diversity and versatility is very much fun. However, therein also lies the downfall: jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none effect kicks in.

Ballroom swing doesn't have the fun, the raw energy, the smoothness of Lindy. Ballroom latin or tango (so I'm told :) ) doesn't compare to what would go on in a salsa club, or at a milonga. Ballroom waltzes are fine and well, but folk/vintage dancers would soar through your fastest Viennese waltz, and then go on to polkas, leaping redowas, schottisches -- something that you wouldn't ever see at a ballroom dance.

There are my two cents... I'd still try to join the ballroom team here, but practices this semester overlap with lindy dances :)

[cupojoe2]

dancin_feet said I'm 31 and a single female ballroom dancer doing ballroom, latin and south american or street latin, whatever you want to call it. I'm not unusual at my studio. To try to get the guys in (at any age) is the problem.


I wish we had your problem... the only women at my studio are the instructors or part of a couple... and they only dance with their husbands/BF's... so I normally get to dance 1/2 or 1/3 of the time… :(

[cupojoe2]

The instructors are in their 20's-30's.
Most of the students are in the 50's. I do see alot of seniors at the
Showcases. Of course there are the 20 something couples learning
a wedding dance.

I see the same thing except, I'd say the average age of the
instructors is 25 and the average age of the male students
is 60+. I haven’t seen any female students, but I’ve only been
there 6 weeks. :wink:

There seems to be much more variation in the age of the
couples (20’s-60’s).

[BayAreaBallroomLady]

From my perspective, it's ALL ballroom, Latin, Lindy.. whatever toots your horn. I mean, when the music starts, you should be able to dance whatever the heck you FEEL like dancing without worrying that you aren't conforming to some arbitrary standard that says.." This is a _______ song. I must dance _____ to this song or people will judge me" (unless you ARE being judged)

Being on the verge of 43 and female I have noticed that it depends on the studio you go to as well. Here in the SF Bay Area we have a very large assortment of studios and ballrooms out there.
My (now) hubby and I took lessons at a studio in the "south bay" that seemed to cater to the older crowd. The younger folk that did show up were either getting married or were singles just starting out. We liked it well enough and our instructor was a "man's man" whom hubby felt comfortable learning from, so we contracted with them for 2x a week during the 8 months before our wedding. I couldn't help but be reminded of the studio and people in "Shall We Dance?" which is one of my favorite films.

The furniture in the waiting area had been there for the last 30 years...but was still plush and clean. Tiny round table lined the dance floor which had been worn down clear to wood. It hadn't seen a polishing in decades. They kept goldfish crackers on the tables and the walls were lined with photos of the owners and assorted famous people (like Sandy Duncan) from the 70's. . Every holiday they hauled out the same decorations that they must have had for years... and the ladies bathroom held giant shoe racks for the "regulars" to store their practice shoes and extra Aquanet hairpray and RightGuard deordant in case one needed to freshen up. The mens room stored all the janitorial supplies. The place smelled of old etobacco smoke (prohibited since the 80's) and air freshener.. I thought it had character and fell in love with all the different "personalities" that came and went. The owner whom we'll call "Vinny" had moved to the area with his wife from somewhere on the east coast 30 years ago... but he still has his east coast style about him. "... :ladiesma: and is always ready to sign you up for his next big shindig. At one time he must have been a REAL ladies man, now his pompdorish hairstyle and polyester pants trip him up a bit... :wink: Yep, someday I'll right a book about that place.....
Anyway, I always thought it was a shame that there weren't more people "my age" 8) .. as in under 60.

After doing a little bit more research, I found the reason why we were missing the "cool crowd" at the studio. There is a HUGE ballroom located nearby that catered specifically to the younger, hipper crowd (Starlight Ballroom). http://www.starlitedanceclub.com/

Now we have moved 30 miles north and I'm discovering even more places like the Metronome, and The Allegro which offers students 50% discounts. I suspect that the folks in those venues are a bit younger although we have yet to make the trip to check them out.

The interesting thing is... the reason we found that first studio was because I had searched high and low on the web, and it was the ONLY place that showed up when I did a search for ballroom dance for my town. Now, of course the others are finally catching up with that "old fogey" place, who brilliantly built their simple but effective webpage that popped up on Google everytime.

Mark one for the "technically challenged" crowd.
:lol

[pygmalion]

Two things. One, when I started this thread, I should have added a disclaimer. There are a lot of computer literate seniors out there, including my parents, who are 73 and 80. They email, check the web, and do almost everything I do on the computer.

And two, the best social dance I've ever had was with a gentleman in his mid-eighties. Old enough to be my grandfather, and the smoothest lead I've ever experienced.

[MacMoto]

If anyone makes a movie that makes ballroom dancing fun for the under-40 crowd in the same vein that nouveau-swing and salsa and hip-hop... perhaps there may be revived interest.
I hear that ballroom dancing in Japan enjoyed a huge boom a few years back, following the success of the movie "Shall We Dance? (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ShallWeDance-1078942/about.php)". It's American remake, to be released this year and starring Richard Gere and J-Lo, may do the same for the US... or may not.

Where I am, ballroom dancing to non-ballroom dancers (like me) conjures up images of Blackpool and Come Dancing on BBC on one hand and afternoon tea dances full of pensioners on the other. :? Certainly not cool or hip.

[pygmalion]

True. I do get visions of mostly old folks when thinking of ballroom (dancesport is not as well publicized in the US). But when I talk to friends about the fact that I dance, they all think I'm way cool. They don't do it themselves, yet. But I think some of them will.

[ShyDancer]

I find that the ballroom crowd IS older where I go.

I get really dissapointed at the socials because there is never enough partners to dance the latin styles with, and the floor clears substansially when they play latin music, but put on the ballroom music and the floor is so full of older people that its near impossible to move in the small spaces (very hard for a beginner!)

My teacher actually said to me yesterday that the wednesday night social (which is only standard ballroom) is like an excersise class for oldies :roll: :roll: He said the majority are over 55s.

[Spitfire]

It is only at the ballroom dances that I see senior citizens; I never see them at a Swing or Salsa dance. I would guess one reason is that dances such as Foxtrot, Standard Waltz, and Rumba have a low enough energy output that they can handle these physically.

[tangotime]

Tis interesting to note that this inquiry is from the states -- as stated before-- taught and coached there for many yrs -- if you were to make that statement in europe -- it would be completely wrong-- the opposite is true-- however-- the ballroom world has seen a marked drop in the demographics of age related students -- it is true back in the late fifties -- sixties and seventies -- majority ( 90% ) were in the 50 and up bracket -- cost was certainly a factor-- and still is to some degree -- but -- with the advent of t.v. exposure -- it seems to be drawing a younger element-- not as low as we have always had in the u.k.-- different reasons why-- also-- many independants now offer very affordable lessons in group and private-- that is not the main problem in running a school-- same old same old-- MEN -- for some reason -- unbeknown to all in my profession-- salsa crosses all borders -- it could be a bridge to other dances if exposure is available --have seen this happen with some regularity in on one of the last studios i worked out of in the states-- one young lady actually went on to compete in pro/ am latin and is doing very well ( she did not give up her salsa !! ) maybe this post should be on the salsa side-- might raise some interest

[Al Gisnered]

I think it's the music. Most younger people wouldn't be caught dead listening to the music generally played for ballroom dancing - it's way old fashioned. If the music is old fashioned, so is dancing to it. How many at 15 or 22 want to be seen by thier peers as old fashioned? It would be second only to, or part of, being geeky.

Of course there are some younger people dancing ballroom - just not the same numbers as those who Salsa or Hip Hop or free style or whatever. The Salsa/hip-hop/free styler/whatever-er is just doing what the music they listen to tells them to do.

Why is ballroom populated by so many seniors? Hmmm. Is it that seniors are the only ones who can afford it? Or that social dance, at least, i=s so lacking in physical challenge that they can do it? Or is it that the ballroom industry targets them, because of their relative wealth? And is that just a US phenomenon? Anyone have ideas?

[tanya_the_dancer]

Just curious. I've been thinking about why the ballroom dance forum here has the most topics but falls way behind salsa in the number of active posters. and I came up with ballroom demographics as a possible answer. Ballroom has a lot of older patrons, while salsa has a lot of younger (computer literate) patrons.

We can talk about DF participation another day, if you like. In the meantime, I'm thinking. Why is ballroom populated by so many seniors? Hmmm. Is it that seniors are the only ones who can afford it? Or that social dance, at least, i=s so lacking in physical challenge that they can do it? Or is it that the ballroom industry targets them, because of their relative wealth? And is that just a US phenomenon? Anyone have ideas?
In our studio, I would guess that most of the clients who take private lessons are at least in their 40s. However, ours is a university town, so there is a college team and university ballroom club and those guys come to studio parties too. But they don't take private lessons. My guess here is that "over 40" crowd is more likely to be able to afford private lessons and also, they're more likely not to have young children at home and enrolled in a bunch of activities, which is more likely to be a problem for the 30-40 crowd.

[tangotime]

Al-- Al, you have apparently not been to any american rythm comps. You will be moderately surprised to hear more up todate music than you realise . That may not be as apparent in the " Smooth " genre , but still , newer arrangements . Base your comments after attending same .

[Al Gisnered]

Al-- Al, you have apparently not been to any american rythm comps. You will be moderately surprised to hear more up todate music than you realise . That may not be as apparent in the " Smooth " genre , but still , newer arrangements . Base your comments after attending same .


Thanks for the advice, but I do attend as often as I can.

Since I am a senior dancer myself, I had to responded to the question of why ballroom was populated by so many seniors from the perspective of conversations with folk two generations younger than I. I looked to my nieces and nephew, (in their late teens thru twenties). We've talked from time to time about my avocation and, while they think it's "nice" for me, they think that the music is so "dorky" that they're not interested in dancing to it. It's that simple.

We may think that the music has appeal and interest, but they don't. So why would they invest any time, much less money in learning to dance to it?

As far as I can tell, TV shows like DWTS or SYTYCD, where some "updated" music is used, hasn't changed their minds. It's still "dorky".

Just my experience. YMMV

Al

[GeorgiaDancer06]

I'm 17 and am at least 8 years younger than 99% of the people at my studio (there's a 16 year old guy who drops in from time to time). And I have found that most of the people in their 20s prefer latin over smooth or standard. I have convinced one of my friends (a modern dancer) to come with me a couple of times but all of my other friends laugh at the idea. I think there is a certain awkwardness about ballroom and latin... dancing so close to another person can be a little weird for many people, especially teenagers. I know I struggled with latin for a while because you have to be able to at least fake confidence (which is hard for many teens) and be comfortable dancing in a provocative way. As far as ballroom goes, I agree with those who pointed out that some may think of it as old fashioned. It takes a certain appreciation of dancing to a) understand ballroom and b) have the desire to learn it.
I think you'll find a lot of younger women (and men I'm sure) who would love to take lessons but don't have somebody to go with and are afraid to go alone. Ballroom is intimidating even at the friendliest studios!
I think the recent media coverage of ballroom has definitely increased the number of young people interested, but many times its actually factors other than the dancing itself (confidence, having an open mind, $$) that have the greatest influence on the involvement of young people in ballroom and latin.

[tangotime]

how astute of you , and perceptive ,hang in there, time will come when they may look at you with envy .

[jschaab]

I'm 28 and definetly younger than most other attendees at ballroom dances around dallas. How much younger depends on the location. Everyplace has an established crowd and and people new to dancing tend to try different places until they find someplace where they fit in, or give up. I think part of the issue is circular in nature, the younger demographic lacks critical mass to maintain there own ballroom events, and they feel out of place at dances dominated by older folks.

[Nik]

I guess time would matter a lot here. Most older peope that dance, have been dancing for a while too.

[ballroomdancertoo]

After watching videos of competitions kindly supplied by some forum members, I believe that the venue of the ballroom dancing makes all the difference. My dance clulb has 95% older than 40, but these competitions show lots of young people even young girls dancing with each other! I was surprised that so many young people especially college people are into dance sport.

[apostle]

I think it's the music. Most younger people wouldn't be caught dead listening to the music generally played for ballroom dancing - it's way old fashioned. If the music is old fashioned, so is dancing to it. How many at 15 or 22 want to be seen by thier peers as old fashioned? It would be second only to, or part of, being geeky.

Of course there are some younger people dancing ballroom - just not the same numbers as those who Salsa or Hip Hop or free style or whatever. The Salsa/hip-hop/free styler/whatever-er is just doing what the music they listen to tells them to do.

I disagree. In swing dancing, particularly Lindy, it attracts more of a young crowd at classes and dances within the regional swing dance societies, despite playing "old fashioned" music.

By the way I am 23 years old, and I dance many partner dance styles.

[apostle]

I'm 28 and definetly younger than most other attendees at ballroom dances around dallas. How much younger depends on the location. Everyplace has an established crowd and and people new to dancing tend to try different places until they find someplace where they fit in, or give up. I think part of the issue is circular in nature, the younger demographic lacks critical mass to maintain there own ballroom events, and they feel out of place at dances dominated by older folks.
Here in Houston, I attended the local USA Dance chapter's dances at a dance studio and I do not feel out of place. There are more college students attend the dances, many are which are members of the local college ballroom dance clubs at Rice and U of H, along with the stereotypical crowd of older folks.

Since you are from the DFW area, I know SMU has a ballroom dance club that is open to non-SMU students as well.

[DennisBeach]

We live in southeast Wisconsin and ballroom dancing here covers all ages. One of the nicest ballrooms has a Friday dance were most people are under 25. We go to places to ballroom dance and nobody in this area plays old fashioned music. Other than sing sing sing and in the mood, we rarely hear uny music recorded in the 30/40's. We do hear a lot of new versions of old songs, like fever by Madona and the Rod Stewarts excellent versions of a lot of the old songs. Voodoo Daddy, Ricky Martin, Chayanne, Enrique Iglesias and other current artists, along with excellent music from Europe and Latin America is played at all the places we go. 50's is the biggest age group at most dances, but other ages are represented, eveon some seniors who aren't ready for schuffling and old fashioned music.

I think 50s dominate because the children are gone and they are looking for something to do. They also have the time and money. When the kids are still home, both of those seem to be in short supply <g>.

We do have big band dancing, which is people well over 60 schuffling to old music.

[Medira]

Ballroom dancing is for whomever wants to give it a try. I think though, that the senior-heavy groups are around because their generation was in their teens and twenties when partner dancing was still popular. I grew up listening to my grandparents tell stories of the old dance halls they used to go to when they were teenagers and I listened to the dreamy, reminiscent quality that their voice took on when they told me stories of The Wondergrove or The Palais. By the time my parents were that age, there really wasn't anything like that for them and my grandparents had given up their dancing days for family days. Now, with my generation, it's probably those same stories, combined with Lawrence Welk reruns that turns those of us in our teens and twenties to the thought that ballroom is an activity for seniors.

[saludas]

Ballroom dancing is for whomever wants to give it a try. I think though, that the senior-heavy groups are around because their generation was in their teens and twenties when partner dancing was still popular. I grew up listening to my grandparents tell stories of the old dance halls they used to go to when they were teenagers and I listened to the dreamy, reminiscent quality that their voice took on when they told me stories of The Wondergrove or The Palais. By the time my parents were that age, there really wasn't anything like that for them and my grandparents had given up their dancing days for family days. Now, with my generation, it's probably those same stories, combined with Lawrence Welk reruns that turns those of us in our teens and twenties to the thought that ballroom is an activity for seniors.


great-grandparents, true, but folks in their sixties were teenagers in the 1960s - there was no partner dancing then. Sixty years old means born in 1946 - he was 16 in 1962 - the year of the twist....

[skwiggy]

great-grandparents, true, but folks in their sixties were teenagers in the 1960s - there was no partner dancing then. Sixty years old means born in 1946 - he was 16 in 1962 - the year of the twist....

My father was born in 1946, my mother in 1947, and they grew up doing the jitterbug. They are GREAT jitterbug dancers, and have been dancing together since the 1960s when all of their friends went to weekly dances to dance together, with partners. They think it's a shame that most young people don't do partner dancing like they did when they were growing up.

[Medira]

great-grandparents, true, but folks in their sixties were teenagers in the 1960s - there was no partner dancing then. Sixty years old means born in 1946 - he was 16 in 1962 - the year of the twist....
Ah, but my grandparents are in their eighties. One born in 1919, two in 1924 and one 1925. I tend to think of them as seniors as opposed to my parents' generation, who are in their mid-50's and early 60's. Very good point though. I was just coming from a different perspective.

[saludas]

Ah, but my grandparents are in their eighties. One born in 1919, two in 1924 and one 1925. I tend to think of them as seniors as opposed to my parents' generation, who are in their mid-50's and early 60's. Very good point though. I was just coming from a different perspective.

LOL no pro. After all, people in their 40s become grandparents - and that's who I was referring to....

[Al Gisnered]

great-grandparents, true, but folks in their sixties were teenagers in the 1960s - there was no partner dancing then. Sixty years old means born in 1946 - he was 16 in 1962 - the year of the twist....

Ah yes, but the twist was a novelty dance and you had to thave the right music - a twist of course. While there was a twist craze, the main dance was, as has been pointed out, the jitterbug. At least on the East Coast.

But eventually the band leader or DJ would "slow it down" with a "Ballad" and we would then "Slow Dance". I seem to recall a series of walks with brushes in time to the music - two beats per step. Very fancy and accomplished dancers used two slow walks followed by two quick walks. Sound familiar? Similar but not the same. The steps were fairly small, all the same size, no lowering, and an abrupt rise was used at the end of the first quick, lower end of second quick. We used to call it the "Bump". Only the very fanciest dancers used to turn or "dip".

Also, proper dance hold, we were told, meant that the chaperones could throw a cat between you and your partner. What fun!

[apostle]

Here in Seguin, Texas, with a population of about 22,000, it is about 17% 65 years or older, I have started a new college club, the TLU Ballroom Dance Society at Texas Lutheran University. It is open to non-TLU students as well. But ballroom dancing has a huge cult following in the area, so as I advertise in the local papers, would the club's name will only draw attention from all the 60+ year olds, who would crowd the TLU aerobics room floor for classes? I am targeting primarily young adults in the Austin/San Antonio corridor region of Texas, especially those who attend UT-San Antonio, which does not have a ballroom dance program.

[Anna]

I've never tried advertising through a newspaper, but I'd guess that would attract an older crowd. If you can get to the UT-San Antonio campus, maybe putting up fliers there would work well for advertising to those students?

[apostle]

I've never tried advertising through a newspaper, but I'd guess that would attract an older crowd. If you can get to the UT-San Antonio campus, maybe putting up fliers there would work well for advertising to those students?
Don't forget about Texas State as well - for advertising, as well submitting to the editors of local college newspapers, so they can post the story about the new club to generate student interest.

[tanya_the_dancer]

I just wanted to add something to this. I had a conversation with one of my dancing acquaintances, and she was talking about the dance camp they went to and was encouraging me to go. I said I look forward to doing such camp when my son is old enough to responsibly stay home by himself for a few days or when he moves out. She said that she never realized that this could be an issue because she and her husband started dancing when their youngest went to college (they're both past 55 I think). So I guess this is one answer - people aged 25-45 are often too busy with their kids to make time to dance. I am 33 and I often feel like I am one of the youngest older-than-college-students in our dancing circle.

[kayak]

Apostle, I would advertise or get an editorial in each of the school newspapers before going to the city wide newspaper. As a college student, I was never interested in pouring over advertising in the newspaper. First, I had no money to spend and second I lived in a dorm or apartment and didn't need to buy much for it. The older crowd on the other hand are great at reading over the local papers and finding all the fun ad.

I would also get on the local campus radio station and website. Even out of college, I tend to get a lot more of my news from non-newspaper sources.

[Anna]

That's a really good point, our club actively gets campus publications to write articles about us, and a lot of people find out about the club (and how much fun it is!) from those. It gives more information that a simple ad, plus it's free.

[apostle]

Apostle, I would advertise or get an editorial in each of the school newspapers before going to the city wide newspaper. As a college student, I was never interested in pouring over advertising in the newspaper. First, I had no money to spend and second I lived in a dorm or apartment and didn't need to buy much for it. The older crowd on the other hand are great at reading over the local papers and finding all the fun ad.

I would also get on the local campus radio station and website. Even out of college, I tend to get a lot more of my news from non-newspaper sources.

We will post all events on the community calendars in the local newspapers, and we submit the club's information to the editor of the school newspapers, so it can post community events like our club's classes to the campus communities. Several dance websites are adding our club to links. There is a ballet-tap-tazz-hip hop-modern dance studio that now offers "adult ballroom" on one night, and our classes would not conflict, since that studio would likely attract locals unaffilated with our school, and most of the older dancers in this town would look at the club as a young adult club, as it would be mentioned in the local newspapers that it would attract the college crowd in a potential article. So our club's classes may not be dominated by the elderly after all.

[tangotime]

Hey, saludas, no partner dancing in 1960 ?-- how could you possibly know ?- you were not around ! that was all I taught in the sixties ( and fifties ) it has always been here, you are or were just not aware of it . I,m pretty sure i am the oldest person on the site and can assure you it may have been more prominent in the fifties due to the a / m dance program on t.v. not to mention, the north always had some of the best public ballrooms dating back to the 30,s . I was raised in the u.k. and all dance schools would only accept couples ( still mainly the same ) The main reason it attracted older people in the states, was cost. plus they accepted singles , usually older , which became the bulk of their student body ( still is ) Many could not afford the chain school prices and there were far fewer independants. The adverse was true in the u.k. by and large ( no chains to speak of ) The major difference between the countries ? the amer. scene was primarily social and the u.k. scene was aimed at same but pushed for medal test and comp. work , which incidentally has ruined many schools .Without the " senior " dancer in the states, there would be virtually no comps, or at least far fewer.As you may remember, they were the one that made the u.s.b.c. feasible, attending en mass ( again due to a/m pushing it )----An adendum-- to the person who said they do not see older people ( I mean really older people) in salsa clubs , if you ever visit tampa, there are certain clubs where it is commonplace to see many in their sixties, seventies and eighties !!, all latinos, who never have stopped enjoying "their" music, and make a regular showing on fri and sat nites .

[kayak]

There are certainly tons or ballroom/latin senior dances and it is great that everyone is still dancing. My question is how do you blend the 20-30 yr olds, the boomers in their in their mid-40s and 50s and the seniors? The sexual play of a salsa club vs a senior dance is quite dramatic.

[new-ish]

I hope it's okay for seniors or I'll have to find a new hobby real soon.

[tangotime]

From your remarks, it seems you are going to clubs for different reasons than many .Do you have to act on your every impulse ?-- or can you just enjoy " the moment " ?-- the majority of true salseros/as from my multi yrs exp. are there primarily for the experience-- that is not to say that some may have other motives .If you ever get to go to Miami. you will see a preponderance of " older " latinos and when they play Guajidas, the younger women make a bee line for the older guys-- why ?-- because they know how to dance .

[apostle]

So our club's classes may not be dominated by the elderly after all.

That was true. All of the members of the TLU club are under 50, despite the surrounding town has a high elderly population.

[DeniseG]

Yes I guess its to do with the time factor. PArtner dancing was popular in the forties, hence the era for the big band names and this has stuck with that generation. More comps need to be on tv to promote to people in 20s/30s/40s. But no tv stations seem to want to take that challenge. DWTS and SCD are great but are just tv entertainment at the end of the day. So my question is is there a tv station brave enough to turn the tables around and start showing Ballroom and Latin comps with real live perforamnces by up and coming talent?

[misteria]

I think that the age of ballroom dancers depends on a lot of factors, not just the fact that it was common back in the 40s. When I was in Poland I noticed also a different trend - that ballroom was popular among young, but wealthy people. It is becoming as elite as golf.
Also, a lot of college kids take ballroom dancing as their PE (everyone in college in Poland has to take at least 3 hours a week of Physical Eduction and a lot of studios have agreements with universities, where ballroom substitudes other forms of physical activities, such as swimming or team sports)

[Mysticle31]

I've been dancing as a leader for about 1.5 years now. I LOVE it, something I intend to do until I can do it no longer. I've even started dabbling in Jazz/Ballet so I can learn how to use my body better, become more flexible, and improve my coordination, and learn new exercises to do.

I've been trying to look for new places to dance in order to learn the community outside of my regular studio (which is also far away from me). My studio has a nice mix age range. I've noticed most every other place I visit has a 50+ crowd. The youngest person there may be 45. I am 23. I've been to places with an older crowd and I'm fine dancing there occasionally; however, I am concerned that I am learning a dying skill. Is my regular studio "special" in that it has younger dancers? Do most cities have a group of younger dancers, one just has to find them?

I've seemed to notice that anyplace where "XXXX ballroom" is the name attracts more seniors. Maybe "XXXX DanceSport", or "XXXX Dance", or "XXXX Dance and Fitness", or AM/FA is where the younger or more diverse crowds go. I have no idea. What is your city like?

While now I am fine with dancing with an older crowd (sometimes an older person who has been dancing for decades is very good) I would not enjoy going there every day, week in, week out. And I certainly am glad I did not choose a studio where the youngest person was in their late 40s when I started, because I would not have lasted a single day and would not have embraced dance as a part of my life.

On a side note, I've also danced Salsa, and it's OK but I actually like Smooth/Standard dances MORE. I'll probably always be able to dance Salsa, WCS, Swing, Lindy and find a diverse crowd.

[debmc]

I think ballroom socials do attract more of the "over forty" crowd... of which I am a member! Usually when people who are in their twenties want to dance on a Saturday night, they go to a regular nightclub, not a ballroom studio. But there are certainly alot of young people dancing ballroom competitively so you would find alot of your peers on the competition circuit.

[Daphna]

Hi, where do you live? If close to a university/college you may want to check out if they have a Ballroom Dance team or club. Many of the schools do. If you let us know, I'm sure that people will jump in to let you know which of your local schools have team.

[toothlesstiger]

For social dancing, ballroom does tend to be an older crowd. Partly because older people can actually do it. ;-) Salsa in particular, and probably swing as well, will attract more young people. Most of the young people I know that dance ballroom are competitors more than social dancers.

[Paul.Long]

I totally know what you mean, Mysticle31. I dance in the Northwest Ohio area but I frequently have to go to the University of Michigan's social dance scene to see a lot of high level dancers my age (early 20's). I don't think ballrooming is a dying art it's just that it goes in cycles. As my instructor has noticed every 10 years or so it jumps back up in popularity. I believe Dancing With the Stars USA was the latest jump.

[Legacy]

First of all, I think ballroom dancing is an expensive sport. For younger crowd, if not supported by parents, and not taking classes in university/college, it is not something you can easily afford. As you know, each dance class, esp private, can cost over 100usd per session. Also, as some said earlier, older people can do ballroom, and many of them, after having been working in the outside world, may turn to dancing for relaxation or social after they're retired. This is their pastime. It's not a generalisation but may explain the situation.

I'm glad you are into ballroom (and other dances) at young age, otherwise, you may discover your passion later in life when your body isn't as accommodating as when you're younger. And good news to the dance world that you are a leader since I'm sure there are many more followers than leaders. I hope you'll find a place that suits you and where you can develop your talent to the utmost extent. Good luck!!

[danceronice]

I see the younger people in ballroom/dancesport doing the competitive end more than just social dancing. Social ends up being secondary to lessons/competing.

[mindputtee]

I'm only 19 years old (I was 17 when I started) so I'm on the younger side of the crowd. I'm much more partial to standard/smooth (though I don't know much smooth, I really want to learn!) rather than latin/salsa/swing, though I do love some wcs once in a while. I social dance at a place with ballroom in the name, but they have a "college night" with a lower cost for students. Most if not almost all of the people there are under 40 with the majority being mid 20s I would guess. Perhaps look for studios that have a college night social, those attract a younger crowd I think. Also, linking up with university teams is a great idea.

[Terpsichorean Clod]

In my area, there's a collegiate team that holds a somewhat regular, semifrequent social that's open to the public.

There's also a studio that has a quarterly social (public) that two of the collegiate teams usually attend. On a good night, there might be close to 100 attendees in the 18-35 range.

[Mysticle31]

Cool! It's good to hear there are a least pockets of younger dancers. I was really getting confused and depressed that if I ever left my more diverse studio for somewhere else, I would then only be able to go dance with the seniors.

Salsa in particular, and probably swing as well, will attract more young people. Most of the young people I know that dance ballroom are competitors more than social dancers.I see the younger people in ballroom/dancesport doing the competitive end more than just social dancing. Social ends up being secondary to lessons/competing.

I wonder how the younger folks get good to compete or join teams if I never see them at social dances? Where do they come from? Parents have them learn as kids? It takes years to get "good" at this. Even though 4 years of college how do they do it? My life has gotten to be Work, School, Dance, 5-6 days a week. It's actually made it easier for me to give up alcohol. (yes, I was that guy in HS and my first few years of college.. I can only imagine what the guys on the wrestling team would say to me now..) And where do they go after university? I think I found a new topic for a new thread..

I do love ECS/Lindy and WCS. Salsa, not so much. Salsa is a good dance, I just cant stand more than one or two salsa songs in a row. I'm DYING to try AT when I get more comfortable with the other dances. It's like I cant absorb the world fast enough, do you know what I mean :)

[mjnemeth]

First a good point made by Legacy isits a "expensive sport". Im over 60 so don't
what taught in school now but I learn basic ballroom in 5-6 grade. Now if you want learn
most you do have to do to a studio, and that is going to cost. Yes colleges and college towns do often have clubs open to the public. I live part of the year near princeton, new jersey and I know the university does have clubs open to public . But there is a totally public non-profit dance society that has 5 dance a month. Do a search on cjds if you want to see. And because its in a college town we do get a lot
of student in the ballroom dance . Beside the hour class before each $12 dance they sponsor 4-5 sessions 3 hour dance class for about $60.
Ok Im lucky! But maybe you want to think of organizing a club! BTW the area dance instuctor love CJDS since the end up get students after they give a class there.
Is there a usa dance chapter near you? Kind of thinking that since they too give inexpensive lesson it may attract younger people. Also they will help you set up a chater.
Social ballroom dancing? Hmm I think that unless you go to a studio or club social it really does not exist . I go to about 6 benefit dinners with dancing. Almost no does nor can do ballroom when played ; a band leader thanked us once for doing a foxtrot , called us Fred and Ginger! LOL

[Bailamosdance]

a few things (FYI I am an older dancer)

Older folks at socials mostly have 'picked up' dance in the last few years of their lives - they certainly have not been taking lessons for decades, hence the predominance of the square rhumba, arms-length foxtrot, and such. Usually they might say they've been 'dancing since they were teenagers' but that simply means that they have been doing freestyle since then - and mostly not at all during the 'raising the kids' phase of their life. And with the rigidity of muscle memory from a decade of poor frame etc comes that look of stooped over guys and women who bounce along in foxtrot. And lessons - usually the lessons were a few beginner group classes years ago, and when the muscle memory for those steps kicked in, they figured they 'had it' and stopped. A good question to ask might be 'are you still taking private lessons'? and when they either laugh, tell you they 'learn on the floor', or such, you can take their comments about YOUR dancing and such with a grain of salt.

Younger folks are taught differently - at a young age, they are led through drills and are not allowed to gab and fool around in their group classes. This is another class, like math and science. Older folks, usually, are there for different reasons, like the social atmosphere, and the 'keeping my brain busy' reasoning, so they are not always into learning dance, just steps. Older students in group classes tend to like classes where they are forgiven for technique and movement; many times you will hear then tell you they like teacher X more than teacher Y because teacher X gives them more steps, rather than teacher Y who asks the students to confront technique - which to older dancers tends to be categorized as the boring part.

Socials are sometimes the worst places to practice because, since there are no role models to emulate, or even other dancers who are moving like you, you tend to start dancing like the others at the social, rather than striving for a better dance. Not saying that social dancing is not good or is not enjoyable, but honestly most social-only dancers tend to be older and more than a little stubborn about their wants and needs socially - you'll hear folks judge a social by the quantity of people there (it was a good social, there were lots of people) or by the attractiveness of the attendees, with the dance quality secondary.

[3wishes]

Yes, I know what you "mean" by trying Lindy, Swing, etc and you want to absorb it.
Also, check out the "dance camps" where you can get super-saturated with dances you want to learn and meet a wonderful mix of age groups.
It's too bad you didn't come to the Palm Springs WCS dance camp this past August.
Tons of people in your age group arrive from all over the U.S.A. and outside countries as well. Check out www dot peoplewhodance dot net you can e-mail Jay (head of organization) and he will give you plenty of leads as to what is available in your area of the U.S. And also check out the World Swing Dance Council...they list lots of information that may help you figure out where you would like to dance and when.

[Daphna]

We would hate to lose a leader, so please tell us where you live and we may be able to help you find that younger crowd :bouncy:

[mjnemeth]

Baby booms probably did learn ballroom as young child, either via family or in public school. Unfortunately the 60s into the 70 came with un partnered dances (ok you danced
in front of someone). So they were forced to forget. The hustle was great but lasted very short time pushed out by unpartnered disco moves. Then it seems popular music
moved a way from dance oriented music. Well that My version of dance "history" of boomers!

Usually a at dance there are at lease one or two good examples.
But yes sometimes the socail dance is more social than dance
with people come for the social part and less for the dance part.
I know when I go to a dance, I get asked to dance by women who
are regulars and need to be rescued some male that there to find
a women and not to dance

Great to have a regular partner, you develop at least informal routines.

[JustAnotherDancer]

When we were in our 20s, not so very long ago, we used to go to a ballroom in Boston, not far from the airport... where everyone but us must have been in their 70s or 80s. I think it was called the Wonderland Ballroom. Live big band, crowded huge floor. No jeans allowed. It was great fun. The regulars would always tell us that it was great to see "young people" dancing.

Also not so very long ago, WCS seemed like it had an older crowd, too. We used to feel young, but somewhere along the way that switched ;) We got older, and in some but not all venues, the dancers got younger. Where were all the 20something WCS dancers when we were 20something?

You want young? Try the blues dancing crowd, holy moly!

There are great things about mixing with folks of different ages. One of my best friends is 80 yrs old, a full lifetime ahead of me. Age can be meaningless.

[mjnemeth]

Ive only taken Argintine tango this year and not gone to any dances. Wondering what the age group there/

[freeageless]

When we were in our 20s, not so very long ago, we used to go to a ballroom in Boston, not far from the airport... where everyone but us must have been in their 70s or 80s. I think it was called the Wonderland Ballroom. Live big band, crowded huge floor. No jeans allowed. It was great fun. The regulars would always tell us that it was great to see "young people" dancing.

Also not so very long ago, WCS seemed like it had an older crowd, too. We used to feel young, but somewhere along the way that switched ;) We got older, and in some but not all venues, the dancers got younger. Where were all the 20something WCS dancers when we were 20something?

You want young? Try the blues dancing crowd, holy moly!

There are great things about mixing with folks of different ages. One of my best friends is 80 yrs old, a full lifetime ahead of me. Age can be meaningless.

JustAnotherDancer, You have written a very insightful, very mature and very well thought out post. I completely agree. I would also like to address another issue which has been raised by several other posters on this site. They state or imply that learning ballroom dance is very expensive. I agree it can be very expensive, but it does NOT have to be. You can do like I do: take group classes and supplement those classes by purchasing instructional DVD's from DanceVision or USISTD. That is a lot less expensive than paying for private lessons. You get to see great style and technique from outstanding dancers and teachers. In addition, they are great if you have trouble retaining the material you learn in the group classes. Don't let those posters who post in this forum, and tell you that it has to cost you a whole lot of money-stop you from learning how to dance-and dance well! :D

[anametuer]

Any one dance form like Salsa or Tango make sense for many instead of multiple ballroom dance forms as same amount of time spend gives them very good results in terms of skill as well as same social benefits.

A person who gets into ballroom with no dance background faces many hurdles. A man perhaps for the first time in life realises that it is infinitely difficult to lead a lady graciously than to pass comments. Horrible feeling :) Well, hobby for the general public should not be of such a Himalayan task, enticing them with long term benefits, study plans, farfetched that comes with a price tag attached, all in the eyes of many impractical and perhaps 'elitistic' .

Agree with freeageles, the method of using group classes and DVDs to get the act right ( can compare this as a life jacket for a ship wreck passenger) and economical for beginners. Freeageless, I wanted to study the effect, so I distributed some authentic syllabus DVDs to a few of my close dance colleagues but very few bothered to look at the content of videos. But they were not beginners and must have found the silver lining through hard work or talent.

[toothlesstiger]

I wonder how the younger folks get good to compete or join teams if I never see them at social dances? Where do they come from? Parents have them learn as kids? It takes years to get "good" at this. Even though 4 years of college how do they do it? My life has gotten to be Work, School, Dance, 5-6 days a week. It's actually made it easier for me to give up alcohol. (yes, I was that guy in HS and my first few years of college.. I can only imagine what the guys on the wrestling team would say to me now..) And where do they go after university? I think I found a new topic for a new thread..

Competitive dancers, particularly young ones, are not so likely to dance socially. Some competitive dancers worry that social dancing will negatively impact their competitive dancing.

And it is not a matter of years to get good, but hours. In the sense of how many hours do they put in per week of deliberate practice. Time is something that young single people have a lot more of than us "established" folks with families and other responsibilities. For me, lesson time is pretty much practice time <sigh>. A college student that can put in five hours a week of practice, and maybe one or two lessons per month, can easily be better than me in a year, where I've been dancing and taking lessons for over a decade.

When I said before that older folks do it because they can, I did not mean to imply that it took years to get good enough to dance. I meant that ballroom is gentle enough that older people can do it. It's certainly easier to learn ballroom if you have money to throw around, but someone with time and energy can certainly find ways to learn that emphasize time over money. ;-)

[freeageless]

a few things (FYI I am an older dancer)

Socials are sometimes the worst places to practice because, since there are no role models to emulate, or even other dancers who are moving like you, you tend to start dancing like the others at the social, rather than striving for a better dance.

The above is one of the rare statements that Bailamosdance has ever made that I agree with. Bailamosdance has given a perfect example of where good instructional DVD's can be helpful. You can emulate or try to emulate the expert dancer's who are teaching on the DVD's. :)

[freeageless]

Competitive dancers, particularly young ones, are not so likely to dance socially. Some competitive dancers worry that social dancing will negatively impact their competitive dancing.

And it is not a matter of years to get good, but hours. In the sense of how many hours do they put in per week of deliberate practice. Time is something that young single people have a lot more of than us "established" folks with families and other responsibilities. For me, lesson time is pretty much practice time <sigh>. A college student that can put in five hours a week of practice, and maybe one or two lessons per month, can easily be better than me in a year, where I've been dancing and taking lessons for over a decade.

When I said before that older folks do it because they can, I did not mean to imply that it took years to get good enough to dance. I meant that ballroom is gentle enough that older people can do it. It's certainly easier to learn ballroom if you have money to throw around, but someone with time and energy can certainly find ways to learn that emphasize time over money. ;-)

TT, I agree with you. It is easier to learn if you have plenty of money, but "time" and "energy" will in my opinion equal that and may even exceed what the money will bring.

[ViviDancer]

Where I'm from, we use the terms dancesport and ballroom dancing interchangably, although most refer to latin dances as dancesport and standard dances as ballroom for simplicity's sake.

And I do more standard, I love standard and I'm 19 this year. There aren't many young standard dancers here, apart from the one or two 20+ and a group from a University.

As for latin, there is a sizable number of dancers here, even 4 years!

So, I'm not too sure as to whether the term Dancesport or Ballroom would make a different in attracting people here, but IMHO, they are the same to me and I'd honestly be more attracted to "Ballroom" than "Dancesport"

PS. I do enjoy dancing with an older crowd, even though I've been dancing almost everyday, week in, week out for a year (:

[TallTenDancer]

I agree that most younger (under-30) dancers are typically collegiate or recent alumni who tend to stay associated with collegiate teams, and that many younger competitive dancers tend to avoid socials somewhat in favor of competitive training. It was something I noticed after graduating college myself, since I moved away from school for work, I didn't have much choice but to start exploring the local studio scene (the local college didn't teach International style at the level I was looking for, and didn't seem especially open to non-students at the time). And honestly, when you're looking at the studios, even the "competitive" ones, it's an older crowd. I think this might be a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy, with younger dancers gravitating toward college-run groups and older dancers toward commercial studios, because these groups already have people of a similar age group.

As far as competitive dancers and socials go, I agree that some will avoid social dances (or will go and dance almost exclusively with their competition partner) to "keep in practice." Personally, I find that social dancing with people other than my DP is a better way to practice, since we don't have all the corrections and non-verbal communications that develop in a partnership and can mask things that are being done wrong.

It's also worth noting, as a younger dancer who is now at a studio with a generally older clientele, that it's somewhat invigorating to see the reactions of older dancers when they learn that a young person is interested in learning :)

[toothlesstiger]

It is also worth noting that social dancers and competitive dancers will gravitate toward different teachers, and often as a result, different studios. If you are a competitor, you are going to look for a teacher that has placed well in competitions, and/or is currently judging competitions. The best current or former competitor they can afford.
A social dancer doesn't need that to dance socially. Often, they can get by with nothing but group classes, or teachers that have never competed (or even been to a competition). I've seen armies of social dancers for whom "good enough" is good enough.

[rbazsz]

You should check out events where there are more young people. Smooth dance isn't one of them. WCS, Salsa, and Lindy are your best bets.

[JudeMorrigan]

It can vary pretty dramatically studio to studio. I know of multiple older individuals who stopped going to one of my local, social-ballroom orientated studio's Friday night socials because it's come to be somewhat somewhat dominated by a teenage crowd.

[Bailamosdance]

The above is one of the rare statements that Bailamosdance has ever made that I agree with. Bailamosdance has given a perfect example of where good instructional DVD's can be helpful. You can emulate or try to emulate the expert dancer's who are teaching on the DVD's. :)

Thank you for the backhanded compliment lol. However, the second worst thing you can do is to look at dance videos without the input of a coach - sociala are full of people who think that looking at a video gives them the information needed to dance a figure. What was meant by my comment was more along the lines of 'socials foster a "good enough" attitude, exacerbated by the compliments of other social dancers who have no or little training.

[freeageless]

Thank you for the backhanded compliment lol. However, the second worst thing you can do is to look at dance videos without the input of a coach - sociala are full of people who think that looking at a video gives them the information needed to dance a figure. What was meant by my comment was more along the lines of 'socials foster a "good enough" attitude, exacerbated by the compliments of other social dancers who have no or little training.

If you are taking group classes you have the imput of a coach to go along with looking at the dance videos. I thought I made it clear that the instructional dance videos should be used by the dance students in conjunction with the group classes. A coach or teacher is teaching the group classes. In my humble opinion, common sense dictates that the instructional video's should not be used in isolation, and should be used in conjunction with group classes or private lessons.

[toothlesstiger]

So, @Bailamosdance, tell us what you really think of social dancers. ;-)

If everybody who danced at a dance club had to be a Soul-Train quality dancer, there would be a lot fewer dance clubs in business. If you make the bar too high, people just won't do it. You don't have to be Tiger Woods to enjoy a round of golf. Opinions may differ on it, but I would rather that ballroom not be an elitist activity. Social dancing is just that--social dancing, not competition-lite.

[GGinrhinestones]

There are great things about mixing with folks of different ages. One of my best friends is 80 yrs old, a full lifetime ahead of me. Age can be meaningless.

Absolutely agree. My best friends both in and out of the dance world (yes, they started in the former) are 18 and 23 years older than me. My best guy pals are that same age or older. They treat me like an equal, not a young kid, and I return the favor. Age really can be meaningless.

And FWIW, we are all competitors AND social dancers.

[Bailamosdance]

So, @Bailamosdance, tell us what you really think of social dancers. ;-)

If everybody who danced at a dance club had to be a Soul-Train quality dancer, there would be a lot fewer dance clubs in business. If you make the bar too high, people just won't do it. You don't have to be Tiger Woods to enjoy a round of golf. Opinions may differ on it, but I would rather that ballroom not be an elitist activity. Social dancing is just that--social dancing, not competition-lite.


Ouch! Yea you're right. Must have been the caffeine ...

[chachachacat]

"Dancesport" applies only to competions.

Social ballroom dancing is DANCING, not a %&^*(@# sport.

[Steve Pastor]

Saw this yesterday and wanted to write about a missing chapter.

Baby booms probably did learn ballroom as young child, either via family or in public school. Unfortunately the 60s into the 70 came with un partnered dances (ok you danced
in front of someone). So they were forced to forget. The hustle was great but lasted very short time pushed out by unpartnered disco moves. Then it seems popular music
moved a way from dance oriented music.

This leaves out one of the biggest dance booms ever seen in this country.
Remember "Urban Cowboy"?
In and around 1980 Discos turned into country western dance halls all over the country.

There was another country resurgence in the 90s, so much so that in 1994 Skippy Blair wrote that noted in 1994 that, "At this writing, Country has become the dance of the decade." Blair listed Two Step, Waltz, East Coast Swing and West Coast Swing as the most popular couple country dances."

And, oh, yeah, country music was "popular".

[toothlesstiger]

Speaking as someone on that border between baby boom and gen-x, no, they didn't generally learn ballroom as kids, not commonly.
My kids are growing up exposed to ballroom, and will have learned enough to enjoy it as young adults. I was not so exposed, and didn't find it until relatively late in life.

[mjnemeth]

Yes you're correct . But it was always there much more so than ballroom.
I remember learning square and conta in grade school(?). And I seam to remember country western being out too. This was in the middle of NJ! I never did any country dancing, some lesson on two step and rotary watz. Still it was a BIG hit.
Saw this yesterday and wanted to write about a missing chapter.



This leaves out one of the biggest dance booms ever seen in this country.
Remember "Urban Cowboy"?
In and around 1980 Discos turned into country western dance halls all over the country.

There was another country resurgence in the 90s, so much so that in 1994 Skippy Blair wrote that noted in 1994 that, "At this writing, Country has become the dance of the decade." Blair listed Two Step, Waltz, East Coast Swing and West Coast Swing as the most popular couple country dances."

And, oh, yeah, country music was "popular".