A Divine Gift of Dance: The BYU Ballroom Dance Company Performs for the King of Thailand

On April 30, 2025, 600 dignitaries, including leaders from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, filled the Aksra Theatre King Power in Bangkok in anticipation of King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida’s arrival. The occasion for the royal couple’s rare appearance was the East Meets West: Celebrating His Majesty the King’s Jubilee performance, held in honor of his 72nd year. The world-renowned Brigham Young University (BYU) Ballroom Dance Company traveled from America for it.

Elder Kelly R. Johnson, from the Church’s Asia Area Presidency; Vice President Steve Hafen, from Church-affiliated BYU; and their spouses joined the greeting party comprising His Excellency Pridiyathorn Devakula, event advisory committee chairman; Dr. Bhichit Rattakul, Organizing Committee and BYU alumni representative; and event chairperson, Her Excellency Benchapa Krairiksh.

Her Excellency Krairiksh said, "There is such gracefulness and grandeur in the BYU Ballroom Dance Company’s performance that is a delight to witness. The performers must be so disciplined that they are able to learn complex moves with ease. The Company’s performance is a show of beauty to the eyes and ears. It is a great honor to work with the organization again for charitable causes." 

The Princess Bichitrchirabha Devakul Foundation organized the event in collaboration with BYU and the Church. Event proceeds were donated to the Rajaprajanugroh Foundation under Royal Patronage, which provided educational assistance for underprivileged children.

Church Public Affairs director Sathit Kaivalvatana said, “The opportunity for BYU to perform before the king is not only a cultural honor but also a meaningful moment for the Church. This significant milestone reflects the Church’s ongoing efforts to build bridges through culture and service, opening doors for deeper community engagement and understanding.”

A Performance of a Lifetime

Before the show, their majesties granted the dance company a once-in-a-lifetime photograph together. The king also gifted mementos to the event sponsors, including Elder Johnson, key BYU staff and student representatives of the dance and technical teams. As the program commenced with Thai classical dances from the esteemed Rajini and Rajinibon schools, the company’s 32 elite dancers prepared to give the performance of a lifetime.

“Developing my dancing for years, I didn’t ever realize that would give me an opportunity to dance for the king of Thailand,” said 21-year-old dancer Darby Jo Hart. “But sometimes God works in mysterious ways. We work to develop things; then we’re given opportunities that we never could have anticipated.”

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The morning of the performance before the king, the company visited the Church’s sacred Bangkok Thailand Temple for spiritual contemplation. Having landed just several days earlier, they were grounded by the experience and reminded of their overarching purpose: to go forth to serve king and commoner alike.

While Aksra Theatre reverberated with applause for the shared journey through the rhythms of life, 24-year-old Wyatt Jennings felt their team had fulfilled their mission that night, to “through our dancing, try to be representatives of the Church of Jesus Christ [and] the university, and to let our dancing be a conduit through which the [Holy] Spirit can work to touch people’s hearts.”

Thai royal news reported on the event the following day. Her Excellency Krairiksh said, "I’d like to express my heartfelt appreciation and gratitude for the respect the Company’s performance has shown for our country and our King and Queen. It means so much to us and has made us so proud. Their Majesties’ smiles of appreciation for the performances are fulfilling and truly makes it all worthwhile.”

Kennidy McOmber, 21, who joined the King’s sendoff said, “He had a smile on his face the whole time he walked out. I think that really set in for me that our group can make such a huge impact on so many different kinds of people, just random people who come to our show, but also the king of Thailand.”

Rebuilding on Connections Forged

The company staged three more performances, the first of which occurred on April 29 at a benefit of the Thai Red Cross Society. St. Joseph Foundation President Sunantha Sombuntham, who organized the fundraiser with the Church, believed in the company’s drawing power, as Sombuntham had supported other visiting BYU performing groups. The society’s secretary-general, former Thai minister of foreign affairs Dr. Tej Bunnag, attended the successful show, to which almost 1,000 people came.

This was the company’s fifth tour to Thailand. Coming full circle, Artistic Director Curt Holman and several dancers’ parents had participated in the 1985 tour as students. The company’s last visit, in 2011, drew record-breaking crowds with a performance for Princess Soamsawali, and they visited the Father Ray Foundation in Pattaya.

This tour began at the Children’s Village, a residential care home for children ages 3 to 18 needing assistance. Sixty-five children and youth gathered, performing songs and dances for the company. The children were, in turn, thrilled by the showcase of ballroom dance styles, later pairing up with dancers to learn the cha-cha.

In a Thai Public Broadcasting Service interview the next day, Holman explained, “We bring them up onto the floor and teach them basic rhythms of how we dance and what we do. We get to know them one-on-one, and then they all join together and share. So it’s a very rich experience. … It can be quite life-changing to learn about other cultures and people.”

Oat, 22, who entered the home 15 years ago, said, “I’m deeply touched—it feels like a dream of mine since I was a kid. I never really had the chance to see this kind of thing. That’s why I feel so happy.” Dancer Justin Goodrich, also 22, said, “I first realized the joy that dance brings me when I started to do it for other people. God has given us these talents and these gifts for a reason, and when we use those to bless other people, it’s so satisfying to be able to serve and bring them joy.”

Touching Hearts and Lives

The company also met youths from around the world. Through workshops with International School Bangkok (ISB) and a visiting Singapore Church group, 430 people were impacted. Putting the diverse youths through the cha-cha’s infallible paces built the divine worth of each individual through the universal language of dance. Dancer Kelly Miles, 21, expressed her wish to “give a piece of our dancing and our spirit that comes with that, and ultimately, [I] hope that we make them feel loved and that we care about them.”

ISB student Naika, 16, felt the company’s community spirit and was “definitely inspired.” “From just watching them, it’s given me this sort of feeling of going back to dance again because they have so much passion when they dance and so much emotion and feeling,” she said. Her dance teacher, Stephanie Fletcher, shared, “One of them walked away, and she said … she felt really special and loved by all of your dancers.”

Two public shows on May 1 drew Church friends, missionaries and members such as Woraphat Anaworayan, a company alumnus of four decades earlier and dear friend of Holman. He took a seven-hour trip to reunite with the group of his youth. “Coming here to support them, to see the best show ever, it was worth the time that I came all the way,” he said. “This is one of the best things that happened in Thailand, and I hope that people get to know the Church.”

The king’s smile, reflected in Anaworayan's face, represented a people who had formed an indelible connection with the 2025 company through the divine gift of dance. The company next traveled to Cambodia and Viet Nam and concluded its tour in Phitsanulok, Thailand with a collaboration with Naresuan University. In total, the company's Southeast Asia tour conducted one devotional, three service projects, six outreach workshops, and nine shows touching almost 8,000 people.