I have seen significantly reduced enrolment, this September, in my new classes, and fewer old faces returning after the Summer break, that I would have liked.

I don't know whether it is just the economic situation, or whether we are seeing a falling off of interest in ballroom dancing. It was pretty much in the doldrums not many years ago, and was revived, rather, by the exposure from TV shows like 'Strictly'. Perhaps the long-term decline has just resumed?

"Dancing with the Stars" is still an enormous hit on TV here in the states, so there remains an interest in dancing -- but more people are choosing to watch now instead of getting on their feet and giving it a try themselves.
I liken it to when Tiger Woods burst on the golf scene, about the same time that new technology came out for better golf clubs, etc. designed to make the game easier. Tons of people were playing golf then, and many then realized it wasn't easy. So they eventually quit, once the fad was over. Throw in the expense now, and those people are done forever.
The same could be happening with ballroom dancing right now. The big surge came when the new TV shows first came out, then many discovered it is not an easy thing to learn, and then the recession came and money got tight on top of it. Those people are probably done with it for good.

At first I thought DWTS would be great for ballroom but now I cringe when anyone calls the studio looking for dance lessons and then says, "we watch DWTS'. They do think that it is going to be easy and I hate to see the frustration they experience. Most don't come back after three weeks of group classes. That's a grand total of 3 hours of instruction! Many people call wanting one hour of private instruction. They are convinced that is all they will need to learn how to dance a waltz. Or "just teach us the jive because the slow dances are easy". I feel bad for the instructors, often it is the longest hour of their lives. We offer a five hour package for wedding couples to learn their first dance. Every one starts out by saying, no, they only want an hour. By the end of the hour the package sells itself.

While DWTS has increased interest in dancing (at least in watching dancing), and has brought some people into studios, I think that it isn't what's going to "save" ballroom dancing. Instead of being impressed at how much the (semi-) stars can achieve in a short time, I think the primary reaction from viewers is "I could never do that!" Not many people learning to dance get coached to that level in a few weeks--probably for a good reason (or several).

Just my opinion.