HALIFAX (CP) - Fourteen-year-old Courtney Lively steps around the wooden floor of a Halifax dance studio with her partner, practising a mix of ballroom, Latin and hip hop dancing with about 20 other young students.
Lively has been dancing for seven years - a hobby that began, she says, when she saw a dancing competition on TV.
"I saw a show and I was like, 'Oh my God, I want to wear those dresses.' So my mom put me in it," says Lively. "My actual goal is to become a professional dancer."
Whether it's the flash and glamour of dancing-themed movies such as "Take the Lead" or the dreams of stardom that drive reality TV shows like "Dancing With the Stars," dancing seems to be gaining a new popularity among young people like Lively.
The dancers in this studio are rehearsing for a performance in December. But they hope that will be the first of many performances as they improve their skills - and some even hope to turn their dancing into a professional career.
"I think more people have seen it and think it looks interesting - dance never used to be a big thing," says Lively, who recently won first place in a provincial dancing competition. She's currently preparing for a competition in Montreal in February.
Jane Edgett, who runs the dance studio and also teaches at classes across the country, says there's been a recent surge in teens wanting to bounce across the dance floor.
Last year, there were 15 children and teenagers enrolled in her school's youth classes.
Now, there are 60.
Edgett says TV shows and movies have made dancing more popular - and a more acceptable extra-curricular activity.
"The television thing has done a lot," says Edgett. "They like the look of it, the excitement of it, the colour, the drama."
And she says young, would-be dancers are rarely disappointed when they walk into class for the first time.
"It's totally what they expect," she says.
That's how 16-year-old Elliot Mussett remembers her first class last year.
"It was fun - I didn't think it would be as much fun," says Mussett.
"When I first came, it was more laid-back than I thought it would be. It's serious, but we have a really good time."
Mussett is now hooked - and she wants to keep dancing until she's ready to compete.
She thinks even if the TV shows and movies fade away, people that have already started to dance will keep at it.
"I think it will stay for a while," says Mussett. "It's definitely a phase, but the people that start will enjoy it and keep going with it."
Her teacher also hopes it's more than just a fad.
"It's not going to stop right now, because people are into it and when they're here, they like it," says Edgett.
"If the television programs stop, I think it would take a year before it would go away, if it did even then."
Samantha April, 14, who has been dancing for a few years, welcomes the growing popularity, which she hopes will make dancing more respected.
"I think it's good, because it's going to get recognized as a sport, because it's getting so popular," she says. "Whenever we're at school, there's always, 'What's your favourite sport?' And when we say dance, people say that's not a sport."
