Box Elder Academy of Music and Dance - The Christensen Family
- Ken Bott
- Mar 24
- 3 min read
Brigham City, “Birthplace of Modern American Ballet”
The Box Elder Academy of Music and Dancing was built at 60 North Main Street in 1903 at a cost of $20,000. A corporation was formed to construct the building with Christian B. Christensen as the general manager. Christian and his brother Lars Peter Christensen were naturally inclined in music and dance, following in the footsteps of their father, Laurs Christian Christensen (a convert from Denmark and early settler of Brigham City).
Christian had four sons, three of whom (William, Harold, and Llewelyn “Lew”) were trained in ballet by their father and uncle Lars. Lars, who was reared and educated in Brigham City, went on to study in New York and would later become known by the title of “Father of the ballet in the west.” Lars performed in Saltair for a number of seasons, the Knutsford hotel, and also began the instrumental department in the Salt Lake public school system. He also was honored by an invitation to play first trumpet in a production of “The Messiah” in London.
The three Christensen brothers would go on to have a formative impact on ballet in the United States. Lew Christensen is considered the 20th century's first great American-born dancer and choreographer. “Willam (1902-2001), as artistic director, choreographer, and teacher, transformed the fledgling San Francisco Ballet from an appendage of San Francisco Opera to an independent company, and introduced countless numbers to classical dance in San Francisco and beyond. He then went on to found the ballet department at the University of Utah – the first of its kind in the country – and to establish Ballet West. Harold (1904-1989) was a gifted teacher who directed San Francisco Ballet School for 33 years, and brought it to national prominence. Lew (1909-1984) became the first American premier danseur under the guidance of George Balanchine, and later succeeded Willam as artistic director of San Francisco Ballet, guiding the company to even greater success.” https://lewchristensen.org/christensenbros_essay_flatow.pdf (retrieved 3/22/2025) The entire article is worth reading to understand the impact of these brothers from Brigham City on ballet in the west.
In 1909, the Academy building was sold after legal issues and conflict with the Box Elder Stake. It continued to be used for dances and other community offerings for many years. It was the place where the Peach Queen was crowned from 1924 until 1938 (In 1939, the coronation of the Peach Queen was moved into the fairly new gymnasium at Box Elder High School.) The final Peach Days dance was held here in 1952. It was later used as a roller rink, a bowling alley, the “Silver Slipper” dancing hall, and the “Blue Bird.” In 1953, the building became the new home of the American Sportswear Company and was remodeled. Thiokol used the building for a few years and then, in 1972, the building was used by a company known as Brigham Apparel after it needed a place to expand manufacturing. Around 1980, the building was vacated and sat vacant for many years. Brigham City has since restored and remodeled the building and it continues to offer the city a place to gather and enjoy.
The photos are used for nonprofit, educational and noncommercial purposes only. Most of the included photos are from the Compton Collection at the Merrill-Cazier Library Special Collections at USU.
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