November 3rd, 2009 by soul4dance

Doesn’t this sound strange?

The members of the Diamond Dance Company aren’t dancing for money or honor.

They don’t charge for performances, except for a little now and then to help manage their expenses. The rewards come in the forms of applause and tears when they have touched the hearts of the audiences.

These Mormon women are dancing for their God and for themselves, because they have a talent that demands to be shared.

The present 15 members of the dance company come from all over northern Utah County and Heber. They vary in age from 30 to 40 and have more than 50 children between them. They include soccer moms, church leaders, busy wives and community members who have two things in common: firm testimonies of the gospel of Jesus Christ and a love of dance.

It’s like oxygen for them.

“To me, it edifies and grounds the rest of my life,” Marlo Andersen said. “It lets me focus on my Savior as a mother in Zion and a woman in the church.”

Most of the dancers are graduates of BYU’s dance program. After marriage and childbearing, many found themselves starving for the emotional, physical and spiritual fulfillment dancing brings to their lives.

That’s where Diamond Dance comes in.