Two-hundred ninety daddies and daughters danced on the blond wooden floor Friday night at the Gainesville Civic Center Friday night for the 14th annual Daddy Daughter Dance.

It was Blake Anderson’s fourth year. The Gainesville dad brought daughters Emma Brooke, 6, and Anna Grace, 4.

“The best thing is the focused time with just daddies and daughters,” Anderson said. “While they’re young and still want to do this.”

The annual dances are sponsored by the Gainesville Parks and Recreation Agency, with three separate dances this week for different aged daughters. Tuesday night, 195 sixth-grade and older daughters danced with their dads, said Parks and Rec program coordinator Laura Demby. Another 250 third- to fifth-graders and fathers danced Thursday.

“It is emotional,” said Anderson, who keeps each year’s dance photo on his desk at work. “Today I was looking at last year’s photo and got a little emotional.”