When did formal social dance fall out of favor in the US?

Question

Up until about the 1950s, one can see instances of social dance (especially ballroom) dominating the social scene. Formal social dancing dates back to the Medieval and Renaissance periods, and have included everything from country reels to formal line dancing (as seen in film adaptations of Regency-era novels, such as those of Jane Austen) and ballroom dances such as the waltz or the more modern Charleston and Latin American pair dances. These dances remain popular to this day in Central and South America, where parties and large social gatherings will include everyone dancing salsa, merengue, and (more recently) bachata. Yet in the United States, this style of dancing (read: "ballroom," which encompasses what were then casual or country dances) has largely fallen out of favor. My question is this: **When did such activities fall out of mode in the United States?** And, furthermore, **why did they largely disappear from the mainstream?**

Answer 1

I think that an ebb and flow of popularity is a better descriptor than falling out of favor. One major factor has to do with the destruction of patriarchal norms revolving around courtship, arranged marriages, and the lack of personal input or power for women to choose how and when to meet a man and start a relationship. Social dancing at one time stood out as one of the few opportunities for women to be out in public within reach of a relationship with a potential romantic partner. As women began to assume control over courtship rituals and as family control and power began to change after 1950, the necessity for social dancing began to decline. It was not needed as a universal courtship device.