SPANISH FORT, Ala. — Satin dresses spinned, curls flew and ribbons sailed during a father-daughter dance at Spanish Fort Middle School on Friday.

The dance — held for girls in kindergarten through eighth grade and which sold out of nearly 500 tickets, organizers said — served as elementary students’ introduction to middle school.

“We wanted to invite Spanish Fort Elementary because this is their middle school,” LaDonna Strought, SFMS PTA social-events chairperson, said. “It makes the girls feel comfortable and the parents feel comfortable — they could come to the dance six times before they start (their education) here.”

“It’s a great way to connect the middle school to the elementary school — it’s a way to build some bridges,” SFMS Principal Craig Ross said. “Middle school is a scary time for children and parents.”

Those in attendance enjoyed refreshments, professional portraits and waltz lessons by a dance instructor.

Strought said it is important for fathers to spend quality time with their daughters because “there’s only a short amount of time that (kids) want to do things with parents.”

Ross agreed.

He said the reason for holding this first dance, as he motioned to his side, is his own daughter, Lily, 13. He said they went to father-daughter dances when they lived in Auburn and he wanted to continue the tradition.

“We’ve been going since she was 5 and when we moved here to the Eastern Shore, we realized there wasn’t one here,” he said.

But Ross said the event teaches children important life lessons.

“It’s a time to show daughters they’re special and it’s a great opportunity for dads to show daughters how a man should treat her,” he said. “He should act like a gentleman, open doors, pull out chairs …”

Lily said she appreciates the time with her dad.

“A lot of girls don’t get to spend much time with their fathers, and this gives them a chance,” she said. “I really want a man like my father — he’s shown me how to be treated and really makes me feel special.”

SFMS PTA President Teri Fisher said about 480 tickets were sold with “just under 500” people attending.

“We had some people come to the door without tickets, and we did not turn them away,” Fisher said.

Because the event was not a scheduled fundraiser for the support organization, Fisher said organizers have not determined if a profit was turned.

“We didn’t even have anything budgeted for this. We were just hoping to cover costs, and it became a lot bigger than we expected,” she said. “It wasn’t really intended to be a money maker. It was basically to get the community together and have an event for fathers and daughters.”

Ross, who pitched the idea to the PTA based on past events he attended with his own daughters while working in Auburn, said he could not have been more pleased with the event’s success, and plans are already being discussed for 2012.

“We spent a lot of the week (before the dance) telling people who called there weren’t any tickets left, and that was really hard to do. We had no idea response would be so strong, and I can’t imagine what would’ve happened if we’d opened it up to students outside of Spanish Fort,” Ross said.

Ross said several suggestions have already been made to expand the dance’s capacity for 2012, including possibly hosting it over the course of two nights and considering a larger venue such as the Daphne Civic Center.

Fisher said a second photographer will almost certainly be considered for future dances because demand was so strong.

“I’m just so happy the community responded the way it did. Everybody had a great time, and it’s the sort of experience you want to be part of because it shows how much the schools mean to the people who live here,” Ross said.