Every Monday and Wednesday evening, the Dunedin Senior Activity Center ballroom becomes a gathering spot for men and women from as far away as New Port Richey and Lutz who are looking to dance the night away and meet a few new people while they're at it.

"Since we opened the new senior center in late May, we've had as many as 100 or more people here dancing at a time," said Pam Crawford, senior center attendant. "They come here to exercise and socialize. Many of them have been dancing for years and years."

Clearwater's Parks and Recreation Department has hosted the weekly dances for more than 20 years in different locations, most recently the Clearwater Beach Recreation Center. But construction of the new Memorial Causeway bridge this year forced them to find a different location for seniors who prefer not to cross the bridge at night.

When the Dunedin Senior Activity Center opened on Douglas Avenue in May, the two city recreation departments formed a partnership.

Monday night features ballroom dancing to the sounds of the Paul Spagnuolo trio, which has entertained the dancers for about 20 years. In addition to dances including the tango, cha-cha, polka and the mamba, the band plays special dance sets like "ladies' choice," where each woman chooses her own partner, and "mixers," which are similar to musical chairs with dancers getting new partners each round.

"We just hope we end up with an equal number of men and women," Crawford said.

Wednesday night features a disc jockey but uses a similar format. At the end of each evening, a drawing is held for free dance coupons.

No alcohol is served, and smoking is not allowed.

"These people aren't looking for a bar scene," said Jan Harrison, recreation supervisor with the city of Clearwater. "They just love to dance. It's what they do."

Frank Benns, 93, is one of the oldest participants, but you wouldn't know it from his vigor. The Palm Harbor resident enjoys the foxtrot and the rhumba, or "the fast dances," as he calls them.

Benns says his secret to longevity is keeping active. In addition to dancing, he also works out most mornings at a gym and plays golf twice a week.

Frank Hibbard, 86, of Palm Harbor and Tina Dececco, who is in her 70s and lives in Dunedin, met at the senior activity center and have been dancing together for about four weeks.

They enjoy meeting new people, but also like watching the other dancers. "You've got your slow dancers, your fancy dancers and your romantic types," Dececco said. "There's one man we call the "dipper,' because he likes to dip all the ladies."

While most of the participants go to the dances just for exercise and socialization, some seniors have found much more.

"We've had some people who started dating and have ended up getting married to someone they met here," said Betty Khan, a recreation leader with Clearwater Parks and Recreation who has been working at the dances for 20 years.

"We even had one lady who married a millionaire."

If you go

Dances are held from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Mondays and from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays at the Dunedin Senior Activity Center, 300 Douglas Ave. Clearwater Parks and Recreation also holds dances from 8 to 10 p.m. Thursdays at the Countryside Recreation Center, 2640 Sabal Springs Drive. Costs range from $3 to $5, depending on the night and location. Call 298-3299.

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