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Does anyone dance anymore?

Recently, I was at a gathering with some friends.  As the evening was ending one of them said “hey, let’s all get together this weekend and go dancing.”  We all nodded in agreement and said that sounded like a great plan.  Then came the follow up question; “Where should we go?” At that point we all kind of stood there in silence and thought about our options.  Eventually someone said, “I’ll check out what’s going on around town and then start a group text to message everyone with a place.” Relieved, we all went our separate ways; looking forward to the weekend to come.

This got me to thinking though; about all of the places that have come and gone over the years.

Back in 1998 the combined population of Bryan / College Station was around 118,734 and the student population at Texas A&M was 43,389 yet the area seemed to be teaming with places to dance.   If you felt like putting your boots on you could choose from a variety of dance halls and saloons such as the Texas Hall of Fame, Denim & Diamonds, Hurricane Harry’s, Shadow Canyon, and even the Cowboy.  If Country music wasn’t your style there was Club Xtreme at Westgate (the name always changed, but there seemed to always be a club there), JD Wells and The Tap on Harvey Road, 3rd Floor Cantina in Downtown Bryan, and of course the magnificent Epicenter Club in the Chimney Hill shopping center.

In fact, the demand for dancing locales was so big that even the hotels got in on the action; the Sundance Club located in the Hilton College Station was one of the best venues in town for your fix of 80’s and 90’s techno.

Fast forward a little over twenty years and a lot has changed.  In 2018 the combined population of Bryan / College Station had grown to 197,588 (an increase of 66%) and the student population at Texas A&M had jumped to 69,228 (an increase of 59.6%.)  But how many of the places listed above still exist?  How many have been replaced by something new?  Very few. 

So, with all of this in mind, the question is; “Does anyone dance anymore?”

Tell us what you think?  Where do you go when you want to dance?  What kind of music do you prefer?

Day at a glance