Dancing days
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SALT LAKE CITY
Her sparkling blue eyes belied her age as she sat mesmerized by the dance group. More than 80 years ago Aline Coleman Smith laid the groundwork for Brigham Young University's Contemporary Dance Division. Now, at age 100, her influence continues to span the generations.
"Oh, to be young again," said Sister Smith of the Winder 15th (Retirement) Branch, Salt Lake Winder Stake. She clapped enthusiastically as BYU's Kinnect dance company leaped and twisted across the stage at the center where she resides. The performance was staged July 11 in her honor as the university's first modern dance teacher.
At the age of 15, Aline Coleman was asked to teach dance at BYU. She knew that additional education would be needed so she left Utah and traveled to New York to study at the Denishawn School. It was her first trip out of the state.
"I was on the train all by myself," Sister Smith reminisced. A missionary was to meet her at Grand Central Station. "In those days it wasn't as crowded. He saw this little country girl coming in, I guess."
Ruth St. Denis and her husband, Ted Shawn, were pioneers of modern dance. Under their tutelage, young Aline learned the skills to become an efficient teacher.
"It was wonderful," Sister Smith exclaimed as she recalled the six-hour days of concentrated dance study. This included morning and afternoon practices along with theory and history lessons.
She returned to BYU at the age of 17 and began to teach dance classes. "Some of my students were older than I but they were wonderful. It didn't seem to bother them. They knew I knew what I was doing from the school that I had been to."
With no budget for the dance program, she bought the music, students made their own costumes and her younger sister, Martha, played the piano for the classes. The 25 cents they received for each dance review ticket barely covered the cost of the performance.
"We all did it for the love of it. There was no money made of it," she said with a smile.
During that time she also took classes toward her degree in physical education and foods and nutrition. At the time, Sister Smith said, there were around 5,000 students at the university and there were around 30 dance students her first year. When she began her teaching career, only she and the head of the department taught dance classes. She accepted a tuition waiver in lieu of a salary, but chuckled as she recalled tuition was only $39 a quarter. Although her contributions to the school were small by her standards, Sister Smith's legacy carries on.
"We still espouse many of the foundational ideals Aline brought back to BYU from Denishawn — such as 'self generated creativity,' " wrote Marilyn Berrett, chair for the Department of Dance at BYU. She noted around 6,000 students enroll in the dance program for fall and winter semester each year. "She wanted her students to express their own ideas and feelings through movement — we still do!"
Branch President Jim Lindsey commented that Sister Smith is very "down to earth" and has a wonderful attitude. She and Martha live a couple of doors away from each other. Martha still plays the piano and Sister Smith still choreographs dances in her head as she hears beautiful music.
"Age hasn't slowed them down too much," President Lindsey said of the sisters. "They keep on going and living the gospel. There is a wonderful spirit among the mature adults."
That spirit was evident in Sister Smith's sweet smile as she warmly hugged the Kinnect dancers. The progenitor of BYU's modern dance program was adored by the rising generation of students and she is proud of the growth of the department.
"I'm just amazed and I'm thrilled about it," Sister Smith said. "When I go to their programs I'm so pleased and so happy it has developed."
