Looking for something awesome to do this weekend? Come enjoy a free ballroom dance showcase featuring ballroom dancers from Brigham Young University, local ballroom dance workshop participants, and the Youth Leaders of America Ballroom Team. These dancers have been working hard to prepare for this showcase, and you won’t want to miss it! The performance will be Saturday, May 21 at 5 p.m. at the North Stake Center in Mount Pleasant (461 N. 300 West, Mt. Pleasant).

This showcase was organized by Jennifer Boekweg, a former resident of Mount Pleasant. Jennifer was introduced to ballroom dance at the age of 13 and studied it for two years while attending a charter school in Provo. After transferring to North Sanpete High School, she found that there were no local ballroom dance resources available to her. Rather than travel to Utah County, where ballroom dance is available in almost every high school, Jennifer decided, instead, to bring what she had learned to the Mount Pleasant community. She started with a simple ballroom team of three couples that performed as the opening number for a local girls show choir, and her program grew to include community classes, regular performances, and instruction at community events. Many members of our community have been able to participate and benefit from Jennifer’s willingness to share her talent and enrich our community.

Since she began attending Brigham Young University, where she is studying ballroom dance as a minor, Jennifer has returned several times to Sanpete County to offer workshops and organize performances. The showcase performance on May 21 will be the culminating event for her most recent ballroom dance workshop she has been teaching in Mt. Pleasant. While there are still relatively few opportunities and resources available for ballroom dance in Sanpete County, Jennifer has found the demand is growing, and she plans to continue to bring opportunities to fill that need as frequently as she can. Jennifer tries to keep ballroom dance as affordable as possible so that all who want to participate are able to, often charging enough to cover the rental of the facility, but not a lot more. If you want to contribute toward building the ballroom dance program in Sanpete County, she accepts donations for costuming, building rental, performance venues, etc. You can Venmo her at @Jessica-Boekweg.

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