St Joseph, Mo. ? As the sounds of Sheryl Crow’s “Soak Up the Sun” floated whimsically through the air, dancers young and old waltzed and fox-trotted – with the sounds of laughter almost drowning out the swishing of shoes against the tile floor.

This is definitely not your grandparents’ idea of ballroom dancing.

“You can adapt these dances to any kind of music,” said Derek Ueligger, 19, as he prepared to practice on a recent night at the Ashland United Methodist Church in St. Joseph with his group of advanced ballroom dancers. “You can even cha-cha to hip-hop music.”

The popularity of ballroom dancing has skyrocketed with young people across the nation. As shows like “Dancing with the Stars” and “So You Think You Can Dance?” continue to draw in viewers, people of all ages are discovering the fun that ballroom dancing can spawn.

“I think most of the popularity is fueled by the culture of movies and television,” said Jason Baker, 33, who has been ballroom dancing since 2001. “And that’s not a bad thing. It helps bring back traditions from years ago – things we shouldn’t lose in our society.”

For Sammy Halter, 18, ballroom dancing provided a great way to show off her moves to her classmates during this year’s prom at Benton High School.

“We were out there waltzing and swing dancing, instead of just standing there wiggling our hips,” she said. “People see that and they say, ‘Wow, that looks like fun,’ and don’t know how to do it until they find someone like Paul.”

Paul Chambers has been teaching ballroom dancing for decades. Recently, Chambers has noticed an influx of younger people interested in learning the craft.

“I get an awful lot of younger people now,” he said as he kept a watchful eye on his twirling pupils. “It’s really an amazing phenomenon.”

When Philip Hawkins, 18, wanted to get his girlfriend Elizabeth Mowry, 16, a Christmas gift, he took a shot and gave her dancing lessons from Chambers. The two haven’t stopped spinning since.

“My girlfriends see us dancing together and wish their boyfriends could do the same thing,” Mowry said.

And playful ribbing from Hawkins’ high school buddies won’t stop him from waltzing to Snoop Dogg.

“The girls are really into it, but the guys make fun of me,” Hawkins said. “But I just think they’re jealous, really.”

Whatever the reason, the increasing popularity of ballroom dancing for young people is something Chambers thinks can only be positive.

“It’s just a lot of fun and it’s catching on for people of all ages,” he said. “It’s something people can do for the rest of their lives and improve on. Do you see the enjoyment in those faces?”

And sure enough, every dancer had a smile.