You're right. It is very hard for men/leads. Most follows/women I know are incredibly judgy and won't dance with new leads. This is a big difference from a deca

You're right. It is very hard for men/leads. Most follows/women I know are incredibly judgy and won't dance with new leads. This is a big difference from a decade ago when saying "yes" was the norm. This is also a reason why I think it's falling off. Social dancing used to have a strong emphasis on the "social" part. It often now is completely organized around the actual dancing - not socializing. Socializing is a nice secondary effect whereas it was the primary effect before. I have a lot of thoughts about dancing overall since I spent so much time doing it from organizing, DJing, teaching, and traveling the world for it. In general, I'd say dancing sucks in the US. It's not a welcoming atmosphere for men/leads anymore. With the rise of dating apps, I don't see a reason to go out dancing for most men. Yeah, apps are terrible but very few women who go out dancing are of typical dating age and, more importantly, single. Most women who go out are in a relationship whereas most men who go out are single. I've done a lot of polling - the ratio is bonkers in the US. Relatively few men who are in relationships continue to dance once partnered. You will have as much competition at a social dance as you will on a dating app. I'd branch out.