In the Pearl Harbour movie, Rafe (Ben Affleck) falls in love with Evelyn (Kate Beckinsale) at the club where they would go out dancing every night, while Gatsby, the main character of ”The Great Gatsby” by John F. Fitzgerald was famous for the dancing parties he threw, where the main conflicts of the novel were in fact set off. In almost every book or movie set in the interwar period or during the First World War, dance parties occupy a central position. A century later, the whole society, menaced by the spectre of the crisis, appears to have once again discovered the pleasure of dancing.

TV shows centred around dancing, such as Strictly Come Dancing (UK) or Dancing with the Stars (US) have boosted turnovers of dance-oriented businesses, from Australia to the UK, Germany and Austria. And Romania is no exception. The opening night of the ”Femei” ballet (March 1st) at the National Opera House was sold out, the ”Un tango mas” (One more tango) show with Razvan Mazilu and Monica Petrica always draws a full house, and the ”Dansez pentru tine” show (the Romanian version of Dancing with the Stars) is watched by almost two million viewers every Friday.

Lately, dancing has managed to grab the viewers’ attention, which created a market niche for the businesses that sell this kind of entertainment.

From dance schools and private lessons for weddings, to travel agencies and hotels, each business has found their own rhythm in the world of dancing. ”The number of those who dream of dancing like Razvan Mazilu or like one of the competitors of ”Dansez pentru tine” is on the rise. The appetite for dancing has gone up, boosted by TV shows and dance shows promoted through billboards and posters,” says Sorin Radan, owner of the Let’s Dance school. According to Radan, a professional dancer, dance teachers at Let’s Dance are working ”at full capacity” all the time.

”Our dance groups are always complete. Around 300 people are currently taking dance lessons at Let’s Dance. Usually, in order to sign up with us, one needs to first be included on a waiting list.” Wilmark, owner of Academia de Baile Latino, and a member of the ”Dansez pentru tine” jury, has noticed the same upward trend. Over 10 years, the number of students has been rising from one month to another, and continues to do so. ”We started 2009 with over 350 students and requests are still coming in.”