It doesn't really matter for the first month or two, but beyond that it's a tough question. To be pessemistic:

Social dancers will learn bad habbits that are extremely hard to unlearn

Competition dancers will come to demand precision that can make it hard to enjoy imperfect social dancing

In the end we each have to make our own choice. I choose competition dancing, but my real love is social dancing - however only with other competitors or people with competition oriented training.

Kevin,

I have talked to so many people that would really like to start dancing but feel like they have 2 left feet or are scared of just showing up at a dance studio (which is what i did). They even know the dances they would like to learn, having seen it in a movie, tv ad or a performance of some sort. The general public will most probably be more interested in the social style..... it is just getting them to the studio's that is a problem. (Hopefully not the studios where they charge a fortune but doesn't deliver instruction to warrant the fortune and also not the "learn the first dance for the wedding type and please don't come back after that" chain studios or the ones where you have to compete or they will find a way of getting rid of you ).

For this to work you will need people that teach dance because it is their passion in life, not just a way to earn a living (yes, they will be extremely hard to find). For someone that is willing to do this, there is a big group of people in the general public that would support you wholeheartedly, me included. And you would not need to spend a fortune on marketing either, word of mouth will do it. Where you take the studio or students from there is up to you - or the students.....if they wish to learn international style then offer it, else stick to american/social style. To keep the students you need to teach them what they want to learn, not force them into something they don't want to do.

Private or group classes. With group classes you get the opportunity to dance with a variety of leaders and followers in a relaxed situation since you are all most probably at the same dance level. You also get to know people from the studio and can share a thought or two even if it is just a comment on a dance pattern. How to get the guys to try the dance pattern during the weekly party is still a mistery to me ... you need this in order to take your students to the next level of dancing. Something i would throw in as well is a student friendly jack and jill event every now and then.....

Anyone care to comment on this ? Or wish to explore this business plan with me ....

And thusly, the silence ends . Before I make my comments, I have to mention that I have only been dancing for a year, and have not competed as of yet (although I do plan to ).

The way that I started, and what I am currently doing, is a combination of both private and group lessons. This has worked out very well for me, because I got to meet different people who had a common interest. I also go social dancing outside of group classes with some of those same people.

That being said, I think instilling the 'fun' aspects of ballroom dancing is the most important thing, and that people have different tatses and therefore may be more receptive to different approaches. I, for instance, used to be relatively uncomfortable with being in the spotlight, so social dancing was definitely a great place for me to start.