Our organisation offers group ballroom classes at at very reduced price as part of keeping the employees fit. My husband and have been taken these classes for several winters, having a very patient instructor with a good sense of humour.
We are taught international standard and latin on but when winter and the course ends, it's difficult to keep up practice. The international standard take up so much room that we have to break it up into bits in order to dance in our living room, latin is ok though. At social functions, venues the dance floor is tiny and packed, all we can do is to waltz box steps and turns. The quickstep, which we really enjoy is impossible, the fun part of the latin has to be dropped.

All the other couples at our dance class have the same problem and we wonder why there isn't such at thing as "social ballroom" with exciting variations which can be danced on a smaller area.

The result is that we have taken up stuff like modern jive, salsa and so on, because it makes us happy to dance socially with other happy people but it would be lovely to be able to dance the elegant stylish ballroom dances too.

Weird.

Here, everyone teaches American, whose open work takes up WAY more space than Standard. Standard is danced closed-position, while American can string way the hell out on the floor.

I like both, I know both, and that's extra fun when you go to a social and can *do* both.

At most social functions, weddings etc., the floor is too small to do much but basic latin steps. Why don't you try to find a ballroom setting for some social dancing? We dance at our studio party every week, where every dance is possible. There are a few places in town that are open to anyone but are 'strictly ballroom'. We always have room for the quickstep, waltz etc. Only international foxtrot can be a problem so we switch to American if the floor is crowded. Not everybody knows the international style here. Of course, there are always compromises in a social setting. Smaller steps and no arms. We keep them close to our bodies so not to smack anyone!