Move over Dirty Dancing -- the Penn State Ballroom Dance Club is tearing up the floor. Although members don't bust a move with their hips intertwined and pelvises pressed together, their graceful steps to the tango still turn heads.

But there's more to the club than just jitterbugs. It's also a place to make friends and meet others who share a common interest -- the joy of dancing.

Club President Dave Machuga (graduate-electrical engineering) has instructed for about a year and a half and has been a member for nearly three years.

"Everybody is fun to teach, but the ones who stick with it are the ones who just show up and say 'I want to learn how to dance,' " Machuga said.

Machuga described some participants as "fanatical." Brides, grooms and even best men come in searching for a crash course in dancing, he said.

The club is open to everyone, not just students, and there are no special dance requirements to become a member, Machuga said.

During the first hour of class, Machuga and Sumati Rajan (graduate-electrical engineering) teach the class a new move or dance. They devote the second two hours to practicing previous dances and adding advanced steps to them.

The cost is $3 a semester or $5 for an entire year. The money is used for semi-formals -- held twice a year -- and for the purchase of new music, Machuga said.

But the modern music attracts many of the members. Bill Koehler (senior-civil engineering) said he likes how the club mixes recent hits into its program, instead of just playing classical and oldies.

He and his partner, Jasmine Soo Hoo (senior-biology) were friends before they joined the club and had taken a University ballroom dance class. When they discovered they both had the same skill, they joined the club together.

This past summer, Soo Hoo said she and Koehler went to a ballroom dancing event at the Elks Club in Boalsburg. Most of the people there were in their 40s and 50s, Soo Hoo said.

"I liked getting dressed up and going out," she said, adding that having more places for young people would be nice. A dinner and dancing event is something Soo Hoo said she would really enjoy.

The Ballroom Dance Club isn't only for the young, but for the young at heart as well. Fernando J. Gutierrez and his wife Agnes of Lemont have danced together since 1967. They have attended the Sunday evening club meetings for the past year or so.

The couple, who take smaller steps and don't move quite as far or fast across the dance floor as the younger members, can still turn and twist. However, they didn't practice flips on the thin blue mats in the corner where many others were learning a new jitterbug step.

"We like to dance and we enjoy coming here," Fernando Gutierrez said. He finds the people friendly and patient, he said.

"They like us, and we like them," he added.

Nick Giacobe (senior-general science) agreed that the club is a comfortable place where dancers help one another improve techniques.

"It's a nice open forum," Giacobe said.

With Giacobe's hand clasped over the hand of his partner, Stacy Steigerwald (junior-elementary education), the couple elegantly danced the tango across the gym floor. With their one arm outstretched and their cheeks side by side, their dress of blue jeans and sweaters didn't quite fit the proper attire one thinks of when ballroom dancing comes to mind. No gowns or tuxedos could be found.

Giacobe said he has danced a few different places around town. He said he and his friends get on the dance floor and let loose before any large crowd comes.

"We've been known to put on some shows and get some people's attention," he said.