Will ballroom studios close after the baby boomer gen pass on?

[Franz Jostopovich]

I noticed the majority of clientele at most studios are around age 50+. The young competitors don't seem to go to group classes or ballroom social dances, presumably to avoid bad habits. Touch dancing for youth/young adults in clubs seems to have ended when disco faded around 1980. Before that there was swing & such that the kids liked. Now those generations make up the major student body in ballroom dance studios, because they grew up with it. Older generations also seem to be the main audience for dancing with the stars, it's often referred to as grandma's show, unlike so you think you can dance.

Sure there's the lindy hop & west coast subcultures, but that's about it for many under 50 crowds. But that's a small niche compared to salsa, hip hop & general freestyle that most clubs are comprised of.

I'm not trying to put anyone down & admittedly, some of this may be generalizing. Do you think there's a correlation between the current older generations interest? Or that lack of enthusiasm from the generations of the past 30 years & forward will lead to a repercussive & bleak future for ballroom studios. Looking at the big picture from a general outside perspective, not as enthusiasts ourselves within the "ballroom community".

 

[Groovology]

I can't speak for other regions, but there is a pretty thriving collegiate scene in the DMV at least. I don't really see why that trend shouldn't continue into the future for at least a little bit. That said, it is very true that a lot of us college students aren't big partakers of studio group classes. We seem to either learn through coaches who come visit our schools specifically or via private lessons on our own time.

Maybe the studios will see a slight dip in clientele, but I doubt they'll close down for good as long as people keep up dancing after they graduate from college. I know I at least plan to.

 

[cornutt]

At least half of the current clientele at the studio I frequent is under 30.

 

[dbk]

There's a ton of collegiate am/am and college/post-college aged pro/am dancers in the NE, specifically centered around NY and Boston. I think the "sport" aspect is pushing popularity.

 

[bia]

Now those generations make up the major student body in ballroom dance studios, because they grew up with it.

I'd contest this part of your reasoning. It seems to me that a lot of the 50+ dancers I know had never done much in the way of partner dancing before taking it up relatively recently. Disco notwithstanding, I'd think that the generation that grew up in the '50s/very early '60s was the last in which partner dancing was the normal way to dance for the majority of young people. (I'm open to correction on this point from people who were there.) It's true that most ballroom studios don't have lots of people in their 30s and 40s -- those are prime career-building and young-child-raising times. And if you want to dance as a couple, you can't trade off evening childcare with your spouse like you can for activities you do separately. But the studios should be fine as long as some of the collegiate dancers keep it up, other collegiate dancers come back to it later, and still more people discover it for the first time when their life schedules allow it. I think that's what's happening now; if so, I don't see why it wouldn't be sustainable.

 

[snapdancer]

I think that there's a significant influx of people who've turned into empty nesters, or gotten divorced, and want to get out and do some playing while they still can.

 

[Dancing Irishman]

I think the age for socials you're seeing has more to do with who has the disposable income and time to pick up dance as just a hobby (as opposed to the catharsis/obsession/creative outlet/learning challenge that it is for me and I'm assuming many other younger ex collegiate dancers), the assumption being that social dancing appeals more to hobby dancers than it does to competitively focused dancers. It also could be a function of what at one point became the dominant age of the group continuing to be so as people self identify with the group or not (if only one or two twenty or thirty something's try out a particular social at a time, they might stop going before more younger dancers try it out because it doesn't feel like it's their "scene").


P.s. I don't mean to diminish in any way the worthiness of dance as a hobby...I think it's awesome! But, hobby dancers are a lot less likely to make sacrifices monetarily/socially to keep dance in their life compared to the dance obsessed.

 

[mjnemeth]

I'd contest this part of your reasoning. It seems to me that a lot of the 50+ dancers I know had never done much in the way of partner dancing before taking it up relatively recently. Disco notwithstanding, I'd think that the generation that grew up in the '50s/very early '60s was the last in which partner dancing was the normal way to dance for the majority of young people. (I'm open to correction on this point from people who were there.) It's true that most ballroom studios don't have lots of people in their 30s and 40s -- those are prime career-building and young-child-raising times. And if you want to dance as a couple, you can't trade off evening childcare with your spouse like you can for activities you do separately. But the studios should be fine as long as some of the collegiate dancers keep it up, other collegiate dancers come back to it later, and still more people discover it for the first time when their life schedules allow it. I think that's what's happening now; if so, I don't see why it wouldn't be sustainable.

>'50s/very early '60s was the last in which partner dancing was the normal way to dance

Since Im of that generation , I have to agree . We grew up seeing partner dance at family event and party. Also I remember learning
box step, Waltz and swing in the CLASSROOM; gym was for square dancing.

 

[DerekWeb]

Children will continue to leave the home for university and jobs. Empty nesters will continue to find newly freed time for new activities. Ballroom dancing will continue.

 

[Dancer4Life2]

I agree with DerekWeb. I have a ballroom Dance Studio and the most of my clientele is 30yrs old, even younger! Great atmosphere!
Everyone loves dance!

 

[snapdancer]

What you say about your studio doesn't agree with DerekWeb's point. Empty nesters are about 40 years old on the young end. And in the future will be older with more people delaying having children.

 

[FancyFeet]

We have a small 50+ crowd at the studio I frequent, though they are the group that is most often out en masse for socials.

Group classes are dominated by either youth (huge kids and teen programs) or working folks in their 30s and 40s.

Private lessons are taken equally by all three groups.

All in all, we seem to have a wide range and healthy mix of ages.

 

[Partner Dancer]

I noticed the majority of clientele at most studios are around age 50+. The young competitors don't seem to go to group classes or ballroom social dances, presumably to avoid bad habits. Touch dancing for youth/young adults in clubs seems to have ended when disco faded around 1980. Before that there was swing & such that the kids liked. Now those generations make up the major student body in ballroom dance studios, because they grew up with it. Older generations also seem to be the main audience for dancing with the stars, it's often referred to as grandma's show, unlike so you think you can dance.

Sure there's the lindy hop & west coast subcultures, but that's about it for many under 50 crowds. But that's a small niche compared to salsa, hip hop & general freestyle that most clubs are comprised of.

I'm not trying to put anyone down & admittedly, some of this may be generalizing. Do you think there's a correlation between the current older generations interest? Or that lack of enthusiasm from the generations of the past 30 years & forward will lead to a repercussive & bleak future for ballroom studios. Looking at the big picture from a general outside perspective, not as enthusiasts ourselves within the "ballroom community".

The ballroom industry will have to downsize, either as a natural course of business/fad cycles or more permanently. The economic climate contributes to the cyclic or permanent downturn, as ballroom is probably the most expensive of the partner dance options people have. The un-cooperative way many independent ballroom studios run will also contribute to their longer-term viability, as opposed to the chain studios that have centralized cohesive agenda, which reinforces participation.

 

[Partner Dancer]

The ballroom industry will have to downsize, either as a natural course of business/fad cycles or more permanently. The economic climate contributes to the cyclic or permanent downturn, as ballroom is probably the most expensive of the partner dance options people have. The un-cooperative way many independent ballroom studios run will also contribute to their longer-term viability, as opposed to the chain studios that have centralized cohesive agenda, which reinforces participation.

Note how Harley Davidson and Mercedes are all introducing "low end" models for business survivability, reflecting the new purchasing power of the general populous. Ballroom dancing is the Harley and Mercedes of partner dancing.

 

[Warren J. Dew]

The title of this thread seems to me ironic, since in many ways partner dancing reached its nadir with the baby boom generation - most grew up after swing had given way to the twist, but before partner dancing came back with disco.