Where Have All the Ballroom Couples Gone?

Part One: Is American Smooth Stealing Ballroom's Thunder?

From the rise of American Smooth to the changing landscape of professional competition, we examine what's happening to International Ballroom in the United States—and what its future might look like.

Dan's Blog | World DanceSport Network

Other than following my favorite sports teams, I've never been much of a statistics guy. Numbers, percentages, averages... not exactly my idea of exciting reading.

That being said, I do recognize their importance. Especially when it comes to measuring what's happening in our DanceSport world. Whether we're talking about Ballroom, Latin, Smooth or Rhythm, statistics can tell us what's growing, what's holding steady, and perhaps most importantly, what's disappearing.

And lately, one division has really caught my attention.

Where have all the Ballroom couples gone?

I've participated in over 30 competitions this year, primarily as an emcee and occasionally as an adjudicator. When I'm emceeing an event, I always ask the scrutineer to print out the schedules and entries for the main evening sessions ahead of time. I like to study the names, familiarize myself with the competitors, and get a feel for how the evening will unfold.

It helps me mentally prepare for those two big nights.

Generally speaking, Friday evenings feature the Rising Star events, while Saturday evenings showcase the Open Professional Championships. There are exceptions, of course, but that's the typical format.

And lately, as I look over those sheets, I keep asking myself the same question.

Where did everybody go?

It has become increasingly common for me to see only one, two or three couples entered in Professional International Ballroom. On several occasions this year, I've seen absolutely ZERO entries, particularly in Rising Star Ballroom.

ZERO!

This past week, I was judging at the Elite competition in California.

Not one Professional Ballroom couple.

THIS IS CALIFORNIA, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!

Why the dramatic capital letters and exclamation points, you ask?

Because historically, California and New York have been two of the major centers of International Ballroom dancing in the United States. The West Coast and East Coast have produced and attracted generations of outstanding Ballroom competitors.

So when an event in California doesn't have a single Professional Ballroom entry, I think it's worth asking a few questions.

Actually, I have quite a few!

Why aren't these couples entering competitions, especially when an event is practically in their own backyard? Are dancers losing interest in International Ballroom? Is it the expense of competing? Travel costs? Prize money? Are couples retiring earlier? Are they simply choosing not to compete as often?

Or—and here's something I've been wondering—are some of our Ballroom competitors moving into American Smooth?

American Smooth has evolved tremendously over the years. Its freedom of movement, expressive choreography, and increasingly athletic presentation have made it an exciting division for both competitors and audiences.

Could its popularity be contributing to the smaller International Ballroom fields we're seeing here in the United States?

Or is American Smooth simply giving dancers another opportunity to express themselves and remain competitive?

That's a question worth investigating, and I certainly don't want to suggest that the success of one division should come at the expense of another.

But I do wonder whether there's a connection.

The Numbers Don't Lie... But What Are They Telling Us?

Well, I promised you some statistics, so here we go!

Rather than rely entirely on my observations, I decided to look at six major DanceSport championships held in the United States in 2026: Millennium, Manhattan, Virginia State, Embassy, USDC and Emerald Ball.

For each competition, I compared the number of couples competing in the four major Professional divisions: International Ballroom, International Latin, American Smooth and American Rhythm.

Why all four? Because if Ballroom is experiencing a decline while the other divisions continue to attract healthy fields, that tells us something different from an overall decline in professional competition.

And I have to tell you, the results are pretty interesting!

Professional Open Championships — 2026

The numbers below represent the total number of couples competing in each division, not simply the finalists.

Competition	Ballroom	Latin	Smooth	Rhythm
Millennium	7	8 +S	26 +S +Q	20 +S +Q
Manhattan	18 +S +Q	25 +S +Q	29 +S +Q	18 +S +Q
Virginia State	4	8 +S	10 +S	11 +S
Embassy	18 +S +Q	20 +S +Q	18 +S +Q	15 +S +Q
USDC	22 +S +Q	35 +S +Q	33 +S +Q	38 +S +Q
Emerald Ball	9 +S	27 +S +Q	27 +S +Q	23 +S +Q
TOTAL	78	123	143	125

+S = Semifinal danced +Q = Quarterfinal danced

Source: Official 2026 NDCA Premier competition results and programs. All 24 Professional Open division counts were checked against the official records. The figures represent combined couple entries across six championships, not unique couples throughout the year. At Embassy, Smooth and Rhythm were contested as World Professional Championships; USDC figures refer to the U.S. National Professional Championships.

Now, Let's Talk About Those Numbers!

Across these six major championships, there were a combined 469 couple entries in the four Professional divisions.

Here's how they break down:

• International Ballroom: 78

• International Latin: 123

• American Smooth: 143

• American Rhythm: 125

Ballroom had approximately 37% fewer entries than Latin, 45% fewer than Smooth, and 38% fewer than Rhythm.

That's quite a difference!

And here's something else that caught my attention.

At five of the six championships, International Ballroom had the smallest field, either outright or tied with another division.

At Virginia State, only four couples competed in Professional Ballroom. That meant an automatic final, with no semifinal required.

At Millennium, there were seven Ballroom couples compared with 26 in Smooth and 20 in Rhythm.

And at Emerald Ball, Ballroom attracted nine couples, while Latin and Smooth each had 27.

Now, before anyone gets too excited, I want to point something out.

These numbers don't mean Ballroom is disappearing. In fact, at USDC, 22 couples competed in the National Professional Ballroom Championship, and at both Manhattan and Embassy, there were 18.

Those are encouraging numbers!

But when we compare Ballroom with the other three divisions across these six championships, the participation gap is difficult to ignore.

And remember, these are some of our major championships. What about all those smaller competitions taking place across the country throughout the year?

Based on what I've personally witnessed, that's where the situation becomes even more noticeable.

Is American Smooth Stealing Ballroom's Thunder?

Now we come to a question I've been asking myself.

American Smooth recorded 143 entries across these six championships, compared with just 78 in International Ballroom.

That's 65 more entries for Smooth.

Could the increasing popularity of American Smooth be contributing to the smaller International Ballroom fields?

Are dancers who once competed in Ballroom making the transition to Smooth?

Or are we simply seeing the evolution of DanceSport, with competitors attracted to different styles and opportunities?

We've watched American Smooth develop into a remarkably expressive and athletic division. The choreography, musical interpretation, open positions and freedom of movement offer competitors opportunities that are quite different from the traditional demands of International Ballroom.

And let's face it, American Smooth can be spectacular to watch!

But does that mean it's becoming the preferred choice for some of our competitors?

Perhaps.

However, I don't want to blame American Smooth for anything. Its development and popularity are wonderful for our industry.

And a larger Smooth field doesn't automatically mean those dancers came from Ballroom.

To establish that connection, we would need to follow individual competitors and partnerships over several years.

Still, when one division attracts nearly twice as many entries as another across these championships, I think it's fair to ask why.

What About the Rest of the World?

Of course, the United States is only part of the picture.

International Ballroom has a long and celebrated history around the world, particularly at championships such as Blackpool, the UK Open and the International Championships in England.

But how do those numbers compare with ours?

And perhaps more importantly, are their Ballroom fields also getting smaller, or is this primarily an American phenomenon?

If the decline is more pronounced in the United States, then we need to ask what makes our competitive environment different.

Could American Smooth be one of those differences?

Or are there other factors at play, including the cost of training, travel, coaching, partnership opportunities and the transition from Amateur to Professional?

These are questions worth exploring before drawing conclusions.

The Numbers Are Only the Beginning

I want to emphasize something important.

This isn't a criticism of our competitors, organizers or teachers.

Quite the opposite.

The couples who continue to compete deserve our support and recognition. And the organizers who continue offering these championships are providing important opportunities for our professional dancers.

What these statistics tell us is that International Ballroom attracted significantly fewer entries than the other three Professional divisions at these six major championships in 2026.

What they don't yet tell us is how much participation has changed over the past five or ten years.

To answer that question, we need to look backward.

And to understand what might happen next, we need to look at our younger competitors.

Which brings me to perhaps the most important question of all.

Where are tomorrow's Ballroom champions?

At many competitions, I've noticed that our Juvenile, Junior and Youth Latin divisions appear to attract considerably more competitors than their Ballroom counterparts.

Are young dancers naturally gravitating toward Latin? Are studios, teachers and parents encouraging them in that direction? Or are there simply more opportunities for young Latin dancers to train, find partners and compete?

And what happens to our Adult Amateur Ballroom couples when they reach the point of deciding whether to turn professional?

Do they continue competing in International Ballroom? Move into American Smooth? Concentrate on teaching and Pro/Am? Or leave competitive dancing altogether?

These are questions that deserve a closer look.

Let me know what you think! ..... thedansir23@gmail.com

Coming Next: Part Two — Where Are Tomorrow's Ballroom Champions?

In Part Two, we'll examine the Juvenile, Junior, Youth and Adult Amateur divisions, compare Ballroom and Latin participation, and explore what happens as competitors move through the ranks.

We'll also look at the major international championships to see whether the patterns we're witnessing in America are happening elsewhere.

Because the future of Professional Ballroom doesn't begin on the professional competition floor.

It begins with the dancers who hope to get there.

And the question isn't simply how many Ballroom couples we have competing today.

It's how many we'll have competing tomorrow.

To be continued...

Research source: NDCA Premier — 2026 official competition programs and results for Millennium, Manhattan, Virginia State, Embassy, USDC and Emerald Ball.