HIGHLAND, Utah -- Members of the Diamond Dance Company aren't dancing for money or accolades.

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

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

The 15 current members of the dance company come from all over northern Utah County and Heber. They range in age from 30 to 40 and have more than 50 children between them. They're 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 hungering for the emotional, physical and spiritual fulfillment dancing brings to their lives.

That's where Diamond Dance comes in.

Started in 2004 by Andrea McAllister and seven of her dancing friends, the company is a loose coalition of dancers who are willing to commit to a weekly two-hour practice and one to two performances a month, usually at LDS Church activities. A recent company performance was at a Relief Society activity in Alpine, Utah.

They all share the responsibility of choreography and perform lyrical dance, modern dance, some jazz and some ballet. There's no set number of company members. If someone is interested in joining, they're welcomed. If they learn the dances, they perform. They pay for their own costumes and choreograph the dances. They arrange for babysitters or bring their small ones along, if necessary.

Anderson once thought she'd have to give up dancing with the company when she started a dance studio in her home.

"But when I thought about life without this, I realized my school and my life would suffer," she said. "This makes me a better teacher and a better mother."

"Obviously, it gives you something to do away from the everyday," Jessa Layton said.
Lisa Danielson said she was feeling a void in her life, which the company helped fill.
"I had been praying for an opportunity ... ," Danielson said. "It's kind of a lot of work, but if I didn't come, I'd be so empty."

She heard about the company from Jamie Hofheins, who compares her involvement to a calling and says it's "something I need to do."

"My patriarchal blessing talks about using my talents for uplifting," Hofheins said. "I know this is what I'm supposed to be doing. When I get busy and look for something to drop, this is never an option."

"There's something about the movement that enriches our souls," said Nicole Olsen, who moved from Highland but continues to drive in from Heber City, Utah, for the weekly rehearsals. "It inspires us to be better mothers."

Chelsea Clark is currently the Relief Society president in her ward and briefly considered giving up the dance company, fearing it might be too hard to juggle her four children and her new calling.

"I couldn't give this up," Clark said. "It's one thing I can call my own. It is way different than just a dance performance. It provides spiritual energy in my life."

Clark believes she speaks for every member of the company when she says inviting the spirit into their dances makes all the difference. Not only do they perform to gospel-theme music, but they pray before each rehearsal and performance. Their dances are often inspired by the religious experiences of members of the company.

"I'm really excited," Leanne Cox said. "I've never been able to dance to something spiritual. At the University of Utah I was the only LDS girl in the dance department."

"It sounds kind of cheesy, but we try to bear testimony through dance," Bekah Johnson said.

Angie Lowe is a new company member who has a newborn baby and a 2-year-old in tow.

"When they came and performed for our stake, I felt the spirit," Lowe said.

Husbands are supportive because they recognize their wives are much happier dancing, Clark says. Family and children remain a central focus.

"Somebody is always pregnant," Hofheins said. "But it seems to work out so that when somebody's leaving, we get a new person."

E-mail: haddoc@desnews.com