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‘‘Now it’s OK to go out and dance with your girlfriends who have always wanted to,” he said.

Watson and his wife, Melissa, expanded classes from Frederick and Hagerstown to New Market after town officials passed an ordinance last year allowing for such art uses.

Previously, New Market’s Main Street district was limited to antiques dealers.

The first New Market session, a salsa class held in January and February, drew eight attendees. Watson said the second session, a swing class that began April 4, has attracted so many new dancers, he divided the class into two 14-member groups.

The New Market classes are held each Wednesday night at 5 W. Main St., behind Spoil Me Rotten boutique.

‘‘In the last two years, the [dancing trend] has really exploded,” Watson said. ‘‘A lot of people who don’t want to go to the gym, but still want the exercise [like our classes]. ... Our motto is, it’s not how much you know, but how much fun you have with what you know.”

Jason Diggs, a Hagerstown resident who has been attending classes in Frederick County for two months, said he was unsure what to expect from classes as he had little experience.

‘‘The term ‘ballroom’ never crossed my mind,” Diggs said of his transition from breakdancing to salsa, tango and ballroom dance. ‘‘It’s been great fun. I’ve started learning more and feeling more confidant.”

Diggs, 36, said other men of all ages and dance levels have joined the ballroom dance classes in recent months, many inspired by the television reality show ‘‘Dancing with the Stars.”

‘‘Women still outnumber men, but men are open to [dancing] now,” Diggs said. ‘‘I see guys of all types. It seems to be catching on.”

The first Dancing with Magick session was held in 2001 at the Fraternal Order of Police building on Seventh Street in Frederick. When the building was sold in 2005, Watson moved to 244 Jefferson St., where he is still holding Tuesday classes. He holds Friday and Sunday classes in Hagerstown at South Pointe Fitness center. Instruction in dances such as Foxtrot and Rumba are popular.

Classes at all three locations are $60 per individual or $110 per couple. Light snacks are provided at each class.

Watson, a former Myersville area resident who now lives in Hagerstown, began dancing in 1989 after taking a class with a friend. Since then, he and his wife have continued training, and have traveled throughout the U.S. for competitions. In 2004, they placed 16th out of 52 couples at the Ohio Star Ball.

This week, Watson is searching for his own studio location in Frederick and planning the next New Market courses.

‘‘We make it fun,” he said. ‘‘We tell people, ‘Don’t dream of dancing like the stars. Dance, and be a star.’”