The Death of Dance
The language of love beats antidepressants, but it's declined 92%
When was the last time you danced?
I don’t want to go all Leann Womack on you, but the data suggests we’re in an elective Footloose.
My family often has a dance party after dinner.
You know that scene when John Travolta and Uma Thurman are doing a ‘The Stroll’-esque dance in Pulp Fiction in the sock hop bar? Imagine being the size of their shins, watching them up close in pink striped pajamas. My kid had that experience the other night after tea while we all danced to “Only You,” by Steve Monite.
When I was a kid, I danced with my dad. Mostly our stage was the front seats of his Nissan. The Strokes or Funkadelic. We’d bop our heads in unison. Sometimes his finger danced in point on his steering wheel. And I remember country two-stepping with my grandpa to the tex mex of bands - Texas Tornados - on cassette. I didn’t know the choreography so he had me stand on his feet. He held his chin high. A smirk.
Dance is Healing
So I wasn’t surprised to learn that dancing may be as effective as antidepressants for treating depression - and in some studies, even more so. A major 2024 analysis of over 14,000 participants found that dancing led to the largest reductions in depression among all treatments studied, outperforming not just antidepressants but even cognitive behavioral therapy.
There’s this feeling when you’ve let go of your mind enough to let your body breathe. And then you start breathing. Really, actually breathing, not that surface level shit we do to get by while we’re living in our mind.
When is the last time you were in your body?
Love can certainly happen in our minds, but last I checked the heart's not up there. Dancing with Joe always cracks me out of my mental bullshit and brings butterflies back to my body.
It’s no wonder dance has been called the language of love long before we discussed five “love languages.”
Dance is Endangered
Given the lack of love that I witness in our world, I wondered if we’re dancing less. That’s exactly what the numbers are showing.
7.8% of adults in England danced recently. 7.97% of Americans participated in dance as a sport activity in 2024. A comprehensive longitudinal health study in England shows adult dance participation has dropped nearly 50% since 1997. Don’t even ask how far since the sock hop days because there isn’t even the longitudinal data.
In the US, we don’t have data on dance participation in the mid last century. It was so woven into American social life it wasn’t a question. What we do have are the business records. For example, at its 1960s peak, there were over 3,500 Arthur Murray dance studios for adults across America. Today, 275 remain. That’s a 92% decline, even as our population doubled.
Children’s participation tells the same story. In the UK, dance participation among 11-15-year-olds dropped from 53% in 2009 to just 29% in 2019. The younger age group appears to be dancing even less (24.6%).
Styles shift. They shifted in dance, too; Partner dancing (the waltz, foxtrot, swing) gave way to individual expression (the Twist). It’s great we no longer depend on dance halls as a means to connect with others. But we still danced. Disco reigned – solo dancers moving to collective rhythms – by choice. But now, we watch others dance on TikTok.
Practice a Dying Language of Love
I’d never nostalgia-core and suggest we’d be better off at the sock hop, but while we’re in this separated, hyper-connected state, I wonder how to move forward, in greater sync with each other. And I think The Stroll might be the move.
We can have our cherished independent freedom to freestyle, while sharing space with a neighbor, moving ahead, being seen as yourself, and feeling that connection to ourselves that the movement and the breathing brings. No choreography needed.
I want a world with more love. Lately, even our ideological movements are stuffy. I think we need to loosen up a little - literally and figuratively. Emma Goldman was bang on: a revolution without dancing is a revolution not worth having.
So today, maybe after dinner, put on a song that makes your heart move. If you have kids, let them see you be ridiculously yourself. If you have a partner, offer your hand. If you're alone, dance with the windows open, and the curtains drawn. We could use more exhibitions of love.
Soundtrack:
Tell me:
What does dancing feel like to you?
What’s the best dance movie scene in your opinion?
What’s the track you can’t not dance to?
“Yes Sir, I Can Boogie” and “Baby One More Time” are on my list.
Dancing is the best way to get out of your head. I feel when I'm alone with just my thoughts I'm in a bad neighborhood. Dancing is freedom.
OMG, I LOVE TO DANCE! My husband and I have been really seeking out dance opportunities on date nights lately, and I have to say, it is real good for our marriage. We used to dance all the time before kids at honky tonks in Austin, Texas, and swing or funk bars in NYC, so reconnecting with the "old" us has been therapeutic. We usually play music at dinner, and then, if our children are feeling up to it, we crank up the tunes before bedtime and have a good ol' booty shakin'. I wish there were more dance halls or local opportunities to dance communally, but, as you noted here, most of those events/places/classes have died. Fingers crossed for a resurgence!