MENIFEE -- It was certainly a "senior" prom Saturday at the Paloma Valley High School. One of the school's auditoriums was revamped for formal dancing and big band music as the school's Associated Student Body presented the seventh annual dance for senior citizens in the community.

Just outside the doors of the dance, Alberto Nacif of Menifee waited for the arrival of his friends. The elderly gentleman was ready to get inside and show off his swing and salsa moves that had previous earned him a the title of prom king the first year the event was held seven years ago.

"Music just brings up your spirit," Nacif said. "I'm ready to get dancing, but I'm worried about where my friends are. I just don't want them to miss this. It's such a wonderful time."

It's not clear how much longer Nacif continued to linger inside, but soon enough he was on the dance floor with one of the 30 Paloma Valley students volunteering for the evening.

Paloma Valley senior Brittney Semon, the chair of the school's community relations committee, headed the three-month planning process to put together the dance dubbed, "An Evening at the Tropicana."

She said the night is more than having a good time, but also as a way for different generations to learn from each other.

"This is one way that we can change people's perspective of high school students while hearing the different stories of their generation," Semon said. "We have such a large senior citizen community here that we need to take the opportunity to do something for them."

Rose and Miles Gale of Sun City certainly appreciated the effort of the students and the opportunity to show off their ballroom dancing skills. The couple, which has been married for 19 years, met during a different senior dance in Santa Ana. Since then, the Gales have practiced their moves and expanded their footwork abilities.

"I would defiantly say I am a better dancer now than when I was in high school," said Rose Gale, 87. "But then again, these kids don't dance the same way we used to."

Even though he is just a few days from his 92nd birthday, Miles Gale had no problems finding a dance partner from the pool of high school girls decked out in dresses. As far as giving the kids who where three-quarters a century younger than him a run for their money, he said, "I'll take a crack at it."

A trio of freshman volunteers manned the coffee table as they worked up enough nerve to dance with the other guests of the night. It seems the closest the girls could come to the dance styles of the baby boomer generation was the electric slide -- but that didn't seem to matter; the typical chatter continued regardless of age.

"Oh, look! He is so cute!" one of the girls said as she looked out to Gale tearing up the dance floor.

"Oh, look at her in her dress," another girl said commenting on Rose Gale's gold sequined dress. "This is a good way to spend a Saturday night."

- Contact staff writer Nicole Sack at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2616, or nsack@californian.com.