BREWER – Dancing burns more than 250 calories an hour. So does packing up boxes and moving, even if it is just up the street.

The people at Well Forms wellness center are doing exactly that this week, leaving the location they’ve occupied on Wilson Street since 2003 for roomier digs up the hill at the former Murphy’s Steak House building.

The move will be celebrated with a grand opening Valentine Dance on Saturday, Feb. 12, a semiformal event featuring ballroom dancing, food and music by a 14-piece big band.

“We figured we’d jump right in,” said Debbie McCue, Well Forms manager. “We thought, ‘Why not, let’s do it.'”

The play list for the evening includes swing, American and Latin music from the 1940s through ’80s, provided by the Alumni Big Band, many of whose 14 members are alumni of Foxcroft Academy.

Preconceived notions about ballroom dancing – the corseted ball gowns and lithe athletes who compete on television – shouldn’t scare any would-be dancers, according to dance instructor Karen McCall. Beginners are welcome and you don’t have to bring a partner, she said.

“It’s a nice time,” McCall said. “They’re just having fun.”

If you have a man, go ahead and drag him along. The fellas do come around after a few trips across the dance floor, McCall said.

“Or you can come and just listen to the music,” she said.

Along with more space for seating and socializing, the building’s new 40-foot-by-50-foot dance floor can accommodate twice as many fox trotters and swing dancers as the current location.

“We have a nice floor, but not what would be conducive to semiformal ballroom dancing,” McCue said.

The pastime has become more popular in recent years, even among twentysomethings looking for a healthful and fun alternative to the bar scene, said McCall, who got hooked on ballroom dancing in junior high and hasn’t stopped since.

“I’ve been to countries where I don’t speak the language but I can find a place to dance,” she said.

Teenagers are attracted to the high-energy swing and salsa classes, and older generations come to reprise a social activity that’s as much about etiquette as it is exercise, McCall said.

“My hope is that ballroom dancing in this area doesn’t die off with the World War II generation,” she said. “It’s big everywhere else.”

Plus, you only need to learn about four steps to get through a song, McCall said. That’s enough to burn at least a few calories.

The Well Forms Valentine Dance will be held 8-11 p.m. at the new location on 797 Wilson St. Dancers are asked to bring a change of shoes to protect the new floor.

The event is chemical-free and hors d’oeuvres and dessert will be served. Admission is $12 at the door or $10 pre-purchased.

Tickets are available at Well Forms’ current location at 611 Wilson St., the Grasshopper Shops in Bangor, Ellsworth and Searsport, and the Patrick’s Hallmark store in the Broadway Shopping Center in Bangor. Proceeds will benefit educational scholarships.

For information, call Well Forms at 989-9730.