Utah Pioneer Heritage Arts

In a modern barn in Mapleton, Utah my wife Bonnie and I and three of our granddaughters dance pioneer along with parents with babes in arms, college student couples and toddlers and children dancing between adults.

All evening, amidst smiles and laughter, I witness the hearts of children being turned to their fathers and vice versa. This feels pretty close to heaven…

I ask myself, “Did Elijah dance? Surely this is what he had in mind—that parents love their children and vice-versa. Could Elijah turn my heart to my fathers through dancing?”

Brigham Young sent a fiddler with each wagon train for that very purpose—so the travelers could dance, turn their hearts toward each other, and strengthen the social fabric of which they were part. 

And the dancing didn’t stop when they got to Zion. Journals report instances of pioneers dancing as often as five times a week! And in pioneer communities where language barriers existed, dancing was the best method of building a sense of community, because language barriers didn’t matter. You could watch for a few minutes until you understood the dance figures, and then join in, eventually taking the hand of each person on the dance floor.

Sanpete County in Utah was the quintessential mixed-culture community, where the Danes joined in with British Isles immigrants on the “Sir Roger de Coverly” and the Brits joined the Danes in dancing the “Danish Slide-Off”. Young and old, Scandinavian immigrants and native-born Americans all joined together in an artistic expression of joy, brotherhood and equality. Elijah danced and hearts were turned.

But the spirit of Elijah moves people in diverse ways. Millions search for the names of their ancestors. Alex Haley wrote a book. Cherie Call wrote “One Good Woman”. Caroline Prohosky created a dance suite “Onward Alone”. Virginia Baird commissioned Dennis Smith to create a sculpture incorporating objects from her father’s life.

In 2007, with the influence of Shawnda Bishop and my wife Bonnie, my heart was turned to establish Utah Pioneer Heritage Arts, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) public charity whose mission is to turn the hearts of children to their fathers through the heritage arts—those that our pioneer forefathers practiced. We preserve, create, educate and entertain using those arts. 

Based on historical accounts, UPHA created a musical/dramatic Utah pioneer history assembly, “The Heart of a Pioneer”, and partnered with This Is The Place Heritage Park, A.R.T.S., Inc., Daughters of Utah Pioneers, Map World and Beck Leather & Crafts to take it to Utah’s schools. Four thousand fourth-graders danced, sang, recited, and played with us as participants in presenting the assemblies. A total of 39,000 elementary-school students gained an appreciation for what the pioneers endured and created, and Elijah danced.

In addition, after researching the stories, Nancy Hanson, Tammy Robinson, Sam Payne and I created a musical-storytelling-quilting-dancing-photographic show, “The Ghosts of Gardner Village” telling the stories of the pioneer builders of the cabins that now reside at Gardner Village in West Jordan, Utah. It premiered at Gardner Village, and then BYU’s Media Music Department presented it at their Media Music Week to showcase media music at work, and Elijah danced.

 UPHA is working on an album celebrating the trials and accomplishments of the Mormon Battalion, and Elijah is dancing.

 But we didn’t realize where this would lead until we got a call from Ephraim, Utah.

The Scandinavian Heritage Festival began thirty-one years ago in Ephraim as an expression of those unique cultural elements that had built the area now known at “Little Denmark”, part of the Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area created by an act of congress in 2006 because of its historical and cultural significance. But over the years, the authentic Scandinavian dance, music, costuming and decorative painting arts have disappeared from the festival as people have moved away or passed on. And the storytellers tell fewer and fewer stories from the Saga of the Sanpitch. The heritage is almost gone. 

Gary Anderson and Greg Booth of the Scandinavian Heritage Festival Committee, asked Utah Pioneer Heritage Arts for help in reintroducing authentic dance, music, costuming, decorative painting, stories and foods to the festival. So Bonnie, a former BYU folk dancer, and I began our search for resources. 

Our search led us first to Kathy Peterson in Spring City, who had choreography notes and cassette tapes of Danish folkdance music from a now-lapsed local ensemble. It led to Old Time Utah Dances and Laraine Miner, whose roots are in Sanpete County. It led us to Brigham Young University’s world-renowned International Folkdance Department and Jeannette Geslison, a native Dane who teaches folkdance there and has music, costumes and choreography galore. 

I now spend one day a week in Sanpete County searching for resources and collaborators. Steve Peterson, who teaches English at Snow College, and whose wife Kathy provided that first treasure trove of choreography and music, has been an early supporter and provider of names and introductions. Larry Nielsen, who paints pioneer scenes on old wood, has done likewise. 

Snow College president Scott Wyatt suggested that folklorists David Allred and Kent Bean on his faculty be involved. Vance Larsen, music department chair, and Steve Meredith, choral department head, are preparing musicians and vocalists to play and sing Scandinavian music for the festival. 

Patty Meredith, Steve’s wife and dance department director, is heading up a county-wide effort to create folkdance ensembles of all ages and teach them Scandinavian dances. 

At Ephraim’s Rural Business Conference I met Joan Durfey of Spring City Arts. Joan suggested two artists whom she knows in Spring City who can teach tole painting and rosemaling, traditional Scandinavian decorative arts. Jared Latimer offered the Central Utah Art Center as a place to teach those skills. 

Michelle Walker, Fountain Green City Recorder, was delighted to provide names of her townspeople who are involved in the arts and could promote this heritage renaissance.  

Evelyn Chlarsen, publisher of the Mt. Pleasant Pyramid, and Suzanne Dean, publisher of The Sanpete Messenger, pledged their support. Jason Quinn is doing large-scale period murals at several locations in Mt. Pleasant to bring images of the past into the present. I believe I see Elijah leaping! 

This is only a beginning, but potential benefits from this re-infusion of heritage elements into the festival and the community range from greater self-understanding to inter-generational respect to increased community pride to increased cultural heritage tourism.