T.J. Everett 11, left, works on his ballroom skills with dance instructor Shirley Barrand. Fifth- and sixth-graders at Quail Run School are dancing for 10 physical educations classes.

There is a certain age for boys and girls that could be called the “yuck” stage.

That’s the years before middle school, when neither gender wants to have anything to do with the other.

So when the Lawrence Schools Foundation received money from donors who wanted to see ballroom dancing brought to the city’s elementary schools to put a twist on physical education, teachers were faced with a challenge.

“At fifth and sixth grade, to get them into dance position would almost be impossible. They don’t even want to touch hands,” said Shirley Barrand, who along with her husband, Warren “Blue” Barrand, former national champions, teach ballroom dancing to children.

The students had mixed feelings when they learned they’d be dancing in 10 PE classes.

“I wasn’t too excited about it,” said Bailey Watson, a Quail Run sixth-grader.

But her classmate, Evan Barnes, was ready to step it up.

“I thought it was going to probably be pretty fun, and I was looking forward to it,” he said.

The donation provides ballroom dancing classes to four elementary schools: Quail Run, Broken Arrow, Hillcrest and Deerfield. And the dancing Barrands enjoy teaching the youngsters.

“I love the students. They’re so funny,” Shirley Barrand said. “It’s a lot of fun, and everybody ought to come out and enjoy it.”

And the students appear to be enjoying the results.

“I like how it rolls and feels,” Bailey said. “It’s just a lot of fun. I’m glad we started learning it.”

Evan agrees: “It just brings out a different side of people, and I like to see that side.”

The lessons started at Quail Run and will continue on in the other schools.

“It’s a whole other world,” Shirley Barrand said of dancing. “I’m never in any pain when I’m dancing, no matter what’s going wrong.”