Clubs are, first and foremost, for dancing. One could theoretically do other things there — drink, meet strangers, conduct important and possibly illicit business deals, anything really — but likely everything but dancing could probably be done more efficiently somewhere else. At the same time, while no one’s stopping anyone from dancing in other places that are more accessible and less expensive to shake and shimmy, from the gym to the bar to your own home, there isn’t a better place to dance to loud music than a club.

But what happens if the dancing stops?

According to DJs, nightclub owners, frequent club-goers, and a number of front–facing camera complaints over social media, a growing frustration at the dancery is a growing number of people not dancing. These nondancers are threatening to turn the club — a place where jumpin’ jumpin’, dancin’ dancin’, and maybe even love have all been promised — into one of those other places where no one dances.

On the surface, the divide seems split between movers and non-shakers (with a little sprinkle of generational warfare), but it speaks to the very tenets of nightlife. The puzzling act of not dancing at a place designated for dancing is one of those mysteries that raises questions, if not calls for a full-blown investigation. Why did people stop dancing? What are they doing at the club if they’re not dancing? Who’s sitting out and who can we blame? Who’s complaining?

And perhaps most importantly: Is this really happening?

Where did the dancing go?

The complaint, found at nightclubs all over, is simple: Instead of dancing on dance floors at nightclubs, people are doing everything but. They’re standing around. They’re trying to talk to everyone else. Worst of all, they’re on their phones, scrolling or taking selfies.

“The killer is when I see someone scrolling through Facebook or Instagram,” says Ru Bhatt, who has been a professional club DJ for over a decade. “Really? This is the time that you want to engage with the most vapid version of social media?”

Bhatt understands when someone is quickly texting their friends, possibly to tell them that they’ve arrived or where they are on the dance floor. He acknowledges that people get nervous — understandable if you’re at a function by yourself — and that a phone can feel like a bit of a security blanket. But when someone’s actively disengaging........

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