BRUNSWICK — Nearly 30 teenagers stood in a circle in the Brunswick High School media center, joined hands and bunched together.

“Ole!” they yelled in unison.

The media center, normally a haven for sedentary studying, came alive Monday afternoon as nearly 30 Spanish students led by dance instructor Connie King glided across the blue carpet as Latin music blared from a radio.

The “ole” enthusiasm lasted through the entire hour-long class.

Spanish teachers Lindsay Kaya and Tammy Martz organized the “Dancing with the Students” program to help students appreciate Spanish and Latin culture using a $500 grant from the Brunswick Education Foundation.

“We love our textbooks, but the culture — it’s one thing to read about it, but it’s another thing for the kids to be a part of it,” Martz said. “And this way, it sticks with them for such a long time that it’s something they can take with them.”

The program is open to all Spanish students and taught by King, of Hinckley Township, who has taught ballroom dance for more than 20 years.

The students, dancing in socks or bare feet, stood in lines and practiced basic steps at the beginning of class. Some students confidently moved through the steps while others looked at their feet to make sure they were moving in the right direction.

Soon, it was time to partner up. The girls slightly outnumbered the boys, leaving several without partners.

“Looks like I’m dancing with the ghost,” one girl shrugged, folding her arm around an invisible partner.

Every few minutes, students rotated partners so nobody would have to “dance with Casper,” as the girls called it, the whole time.

“Girls, if you’re on your own now, practice your steps so when you do get to a guy, you’re wonderful,” King shouted over the music.

Matt Cintron, 14, said the rhythmic dance steps were difficult to grasp at first, but practice paid off.

“My nationality is Puerto Rican, and technically, I should know how to do this already,” he said with a laugh. “I just wanted to try to learn.”

King said she’s taught dance classes at several area schools, including Medina High, but rarely gets to teach more than one session.

“I’ve taught a lot of different schools, but I have to say this has been the most fun,” she said. “We actually did four weeks, eight lessons, and I usually only get to do one day … when you get to follow up, you get a lot more accomplished.”

Sierahya Krall, 14, who has previous dance experience, said the class was an enjoyable “refresher course” for her.

“I really liked the teacher,” Krall said. “She explains things really well.”

Before each dance, King called up a pair of students to help demonstrate. When the music started, she marked each step.

She shouted “one, two, cha cha cha,” as boys led girls through swiveling cha-cha steps.

During the tango, King clapped her hands and spelled “T-A-N-G-O” as couples took long steps across the library.

At another point, the students partnered up and crammed into a corner of the room, boxed in by a wall of windows and a row of bookshelves, to simulate a crowded party.

“It’s the salsa mosh pit,” King said, laughing.

The students giggled as they tried to execute dance moves without stepping on other students’ feet.

Martz and Kaya were in the midst of the crowd, laughing and dancing.

“We want to learn it all, too,” Mertz said, adding they’ve learned salsa, cha-cha, meringue and tango steps.

The most rewarding part of the class, though, was seeing students come together, Mertz said.

“Some of them were so shy when this started, they wouldn’t even talk to other students,” she said. “It’s been a real confidence booster for everyone.”

To cap off Dancing with the Students, King, Kaya and Martz hope to select several students to show off their new moves at a special performance on Nov. 27 when Argentinean singer Justo Lamas performs for Spanish students at the high school, Kaya said.

The twice-weekly program’s eighth and final class is Wednesday from 3 to 4 p.m. Any Brunswick High School Spanish student may attend.

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