Truth Or Spin.

[dirtius maximus]

It must have been some time ago because I took a class in ballroom dancing at BYU in the sixties. I hated it because they were always short of boys and because I was tall I had to be the boy. And young men wondered later why I always tried to lead.

just a bump to update. I read the comment about BYU or the LDS Church and dancing in the comments section of the Salt Lake Tribune, not the bastion of truth but a start to peek interest. So I finally found some things.

According to Micheal Hicks in his book "Mormonism and Music: A History" (start on page 74) Joseph Smith had a unpublicly spoken disapproval to dancing, though, dances were held regularly in his house with Emma Smith as host, Joseph Smith would remain upstairs. But Joseph Smith tolerated the dances in his home so as to keep persons from going to the Steam Boats for dances. Hicks also states that many people of the time had an aversion to dancing due to religious upbringing. Brigham was also opposed to dancing or rather "round dancing" - haven't figured out what that means, but that BY also encouraged dancing on the trek West.

Separately I found statements attributed to LDS about dancing and any negative statements about dancing concerned when dancing is used to simulate lustful desires, so the aversion to dancing wasn't blanket just an aversion to what could deemed inappropriate dancing - The Waltz being at the top of the list of dances that was often misused.

So side story, about a month or two ago, I read some information about a wife of Joseph Smith. From her journal are statements about how she was angry that she was forbidden from attending dances. But given that Joseph Smith did not attend the dances and "said everything against [dancing] he could" to Emma (Mormonism and Music page 75; footnote 6 page 87 - Heber C. Kimball TS 5 (1 November 1844: 694)) it is not much of a suprise to me to that this particular woman was not permitted at the dances.

[Deborah]

I think Joseph just didn't know how to dance and so didn't like it. Like a lot of men I know.

[Calm]

So side story, about a month or two ago, I read some information about a wife of Joseph Smith. From her journal are statements about how she was angry that she was forbidden from attending dances. But given that Joseph Smith did not attend the dances and "said everything against [dancing] he could" to Emma (Mormonism and Music page 75; footnote 6 page 87 - Heber C. Kimball TS 5 (1 November 1844: 694)) it is not much of a suprise to me to that this particular woman was not permitted at the dances.

This was Helen Mar Kimball. The most common usage of her quotation leaves out the reason why she was forbidden to attend a particular set of dances that Emma Smith was hosting at which certain "blacklegs" were to be present. The Prophet had warned her father and her father refused to let her go and only allowed her brother to go because he said he had committed and must pay no matter what. She reported that those young ladies who had gone to these dances had their reputations sullied. There was nothing said about not attending dances in general.

During the winter of 1843, there were plenty of parties and balls, and many were held at the mansion. The last one that I attended there that winter was on Christmas Eve. Some of the young gentlemen got up a series of dancing parties to be held at the mansion once a week. My brother William put his name down before asking father's permission, and when questioned about it made him believe that he must pay the money for himself and the lady, whether he went or not, and that he could not honorably withdraw from it. He carried the day, but I had to stay at home, as my father had been warned by the Prophet to keep his daughter away from there, because of the blacklegs and certain ones of questionable character who attended there. His wife Emma had become the ruling spirit and money had become her God. I did not betray William, but I felt quite sore over it, and thought it a very unkind act in father to allow him to go and enjoy the dance unrestrained with others of my companions, and fetter me down, for no girl loved dancing better than I did and I really felt that it was too much to bear. It made the dull school still more dull and like a wild bird, I longed for the freedom that was denied me; and thought myself a much abused child, and that it was pardonable if I did murmur. I imagined that my happiness was all over and brooded over the sad memories of sweet departed joys and all manner of future woes, which (by the by) were of short duration, my bump of hope being too large to admit of my remaining long under the clouds. Besides my father was very kind and indulgent in other ways, and always took me with him when mother could not go, and it was not a very long time before I became satisfied that I was blessed in being under the control of so good and wise a parent who had taken counsel and thus saved me from evils, which some others in their youth and inexperience were exposed to though they thought no evil. Yet the busy tongue of scandal did not spare them.

http://www.boap.org/...s/HWhitney.html Edited June 30, 2011 by calmoriah