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Heartland Squares: From 58 to 97 Dancers

We were in trouble—and we decided to do something about it...

For more than 50 years, Kansas City’s Swingin’ Singles had been a thriving square dance club. But the name no longer fit the people we wanted to welcome. Then COVID hit. By 2023, membership had fallen to just 58 dancers.

We changed everything we could. We became Heartland Squares. We opened leadership to married couples. We modernized the club and began marketing square dancing to people who had never dreamed of trying it.

And we stopped selling “square dancing.” We started selling FUN.

Our biggest breakthrough was a Modern Square Dance Party—no experience, no partner, no pressure. We used real photos, simple language, Facebook, Google, community calendars, flyers and QR codes.

The result?  143 people came.  77 had never square danced before.

Two weeks before lessons began, 27 people had already signed up—and 21 of them had come to the party.

And the club grew from 58 members to 97.

The lesson was powerful: people aren't necessarily searching for square dancing. They're searching for something fun to do, people to meet, a reason to get out of the house, and an experience they can share.

So that's what we invited them to.  It worked.

Heartland Squares is once again vibrant, welcoming and growing—and in 2026, we were named Best Dance Studio by Kansas City Favorites Magazine.

If we can rebuild, so can you.

Read more about how we did it; click on these buttons:

SQUARE DANCERS TALK ABOUT HOW THEY FOUND SQUARE DANCING!

click on a video to hear their story