Wheaton, Ill. ? Andy Morgan can’t dance, but he figured he was in no danger of embarrassing himself.

After all, he went to a high school that did not permit dancing. And when it came time to pick a college, he settled on a Christian school that had not allowed social dancing since the war. The Civil War.

“I’ve had a great excuse all my life,” Morgan said.

Not anymore.

Tonight, 21-year-old Morgan and as many as 1,200 fellow students at Wheaton College will gather in the gym for the first real dance in the school’s 143-year history.

Which explains why students in recent days have been seeking out classmates who know this stuff and looking for places where they can practice. And it explains why on Monday night and Tuesday night, dozens of students — Morgan included — packed a room on campus for a quick dance lesson.

“It’s crunch time,” said 20-year-old Steve Paulus, sounding more like he was talking about cramming for a final than learning to hold his own when the swing band the Rhythm Rockets take the stage.

“We are kind of trying to downplay it because it really is another event,” said Bethany Jones, a student leader and organizer of the dance. “But on the other hand, we do realize it is historic. It is a big deal.”

Part of the reason is that change, any change, does not come quickly or without great deliberation at this quiet campus 25 miles outside Chicago.

Erin Sheehyin, left, of Ventura, Calif., and Bryan Rudolph, of Muscatine, Iowa, attend a dance class at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill. The students are preparing for the first school-sponsored dance in the conservative Christian school's 143-year history.

It was not until the 1960s that the school lifted the rule prohibiting students from going to movies. For generations, students were barred from dancing — on campus or off — unless it was with members of the same sex or a square dance. It was not until the 1990s that students and faculty were permitted to dance with spouses or relatives at family events such as weddings.

Nine months ago, the school lifted the ban altogether, freeing students to cut the rug on campus or off, at Chicago clubs or other places. (Wheaton also eased its ban on alcohol and smoking for faculty and staff. They can now drink and light up off campus, as long as it is not in front of undergraduates.)

Under the new set of rules, called the Community Covenant, students may dance, but should avoid behavior “which may be immodest, sinfully erotic or harmfully violent.”

Students say they have been amazed by all the attention the dance has generated. News organizations have descended on the campus, and students have been swamped with calls and e-mails from friends and family.

“They want to know if Wheaton is going all liberal, falling apart,” Morgan said.

While some students say all the attention is ridiculous, others, like Jones, said it would ultimately prove positive.

“It will be nice to be able to tell my friends that I go to a college that is fairly normal,” senior Graham Claybrook said.

Administrators say that lifting the dance ban will help get students ready to deal with the real world after they graduate.