Ask ballroom dancer Josh Manzano who his favorite partner is and he points across the floor to his grandmother, sitting with a cane in a folding chair at the side of the Ala Wai Golf Course clubhouse, tapping her foot to the music.

Aw.

The Waipahu High sophomore's grandmother, Rose Manzano, had a stroke last month, so she's forced to sit this one out. If he wants to twirl the floor, he must request the honor of a foxtrot, swing or rumba from other women — mostly dance instructors the generation of his favorite partner.

"This is how I get him to stay out of trouble," Rose Manzano, who helped raise Josh, confides with an indulgent smile.

The nights Rose taught ballroom dancing at Leeward Community College and couldn't find a baby sitter were spun into a lifelong love of ballroom on Josh's part. He learned to dance at age 8, and took over her classes less than a decade later. Now 15, he teaches, and even started a club at his high school.

Sweet stories like these aren't out of place in the gallantry of ballroom dance, where men offer extended arms to escort their ladies on and off the floor and women tilt their heads gracefully away during the waltz. Though the age range of participants is great, the genteel range is not.

Hawaii Ballroom Dance Association holds regular 'Ohana socials at the golf course's clubhouse, which sports an 11,000-foot dance floor.

Benny Agbayani Sr. gives credit where it's due.

"It's all about the eucalyptus floor," explains the father of Hawai'i's famous baseball player. "It brings people from all around."

His wife, Faith, agreed that the clubhouse floor beats dances at schools: "Once you teach on a eucalyptus floor, you get spoiled."

She extended her leg.

"And you can wear your pretty shoes!" she adds. "Cafeteria (floors) can ruin your expensive shoes."

Agbayani took up ballroom decades ago at the urging of Faith, after many years of golfing, boating, playing volleyball on his own.

"She said, 'Why don't we do things together?' " recalled Agbayani. So he signed up for Arthur Murray dance lessons.

Faith Agbayani smiles at her husband, a retired federal worker, explaining that they gave up bowling together, trading it in for ballroom dancing.

"Lots of senior citizens will tell you that you drift apart when you have your own interests, " she said. "It's such a beautiful way of doing something together, instead of being couch potatoes."

The couple, who taught all three of their athlete sons the ballroom dance moves, now heads up the Hawaii Ballroom Dance Association umbrella group, made up of neighborhood chapters, which come together for socials. About 300 were here one recent August night; exhibitions bring in even more. The annual Star Ball, a competition, draws thousands.

They're not the only group, either. Dance Hawaii, a local Web site, lists nine ballroom dancing organizations across the Islands, many of whom are seeing a bump in interest since the debut of "Dancing With the Stars" hit the dance floor with B-list celebrities that drew A-list Nielsen ratings.

Faith Agbayani is a big fan of the show, and a devotee of pro dancer and two-time winner Cheryl Burke — "she's a Filipina, you know" — who partnered with Season 3 winner Emmitt Smith and 2 winner Drew Lachey.

Part of the reason ballroom is going strong is its greater visibility, thanks also to recent films "Shall We Dance," among others.

"We get many of the younger people, because of the movies," she said.

Perhaps this greater visibility is why Josh Manzano's Waipahu Ballroom Dancing Club has about 70 students high-stepping during twice-a-week practices, which he estimates are evenly balanced between girls and guys, including, yes, Waipahu football players.

"Everyone thinks it's cool, kinda new," said Josh, who also plays in a rock band and aspires to a career in civil engineering someday. "I guess the girls check the guys."

However, the night of the last social, dancers seem to have eyes only for their partners. Demographics weight heavily toward couples, the Agbayanis explain.

Spinning around the floor are pairs who obviously have made it a practice to rehearse. Sure, there are singles, but you wouldn't want to make this your first stop on your journey to Apolo Ohno country. Instead, neophytes might prefer to take a spin around the neighborhood chapter classes: That qualifies you for a student pass, which means free admittance to the twice-monthly Ala Wai socials.

However, some take to the sidelines, especially near the stage, to try new moves or practice with a new partner.

Batched around the floor are the different chapters. Josh usually chooses to dance with people from his own chapter, though he prefers fellow dance instructors.

"You stop less — fewer mistakes — and I can learn from them," the teen said.

Chapters have their own flavor, too. Faith Agbayani calls Manoa's the "marrying chapter" — they've had at least four weddings in the past six years, possibly because it draws from the nearby campus community, which skews younger.

While ballroom dancing was a way to strengthen her marriage, Faith Agbayani also has seen marriages break up on the dance floor. She nods toward a competitive dancer circling with a woman not his wife.

"It is a close-contact sport," she said with a shake of her head.

Reach Mary Kaye Ritz at mritz@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8035.