Elite Hall in Hyrum, Utah has a rare dance floor with a lot of character under its surface.
It’s one of only two left in Utah with a spring floor. What is a spring floor? Well, it literally gives a dance floor spring.
Here’s how it works. Under the hardwood floor, during it's construction, wood planks were laid across each other. Imagine a woven basket pattern. Then the hardwood floor was placed over the top to distribute the weight evenly across the hall. The result is a floor that literally bounces.
So for the 50 or so dancers here on any given Saturday night - dressed-up and swing dancing - part of the fun is in fact the floor, according to Sean Anderson, who runs events at Elite Hall.
“It’s not too bouncy that you’re flying around in the air, but it’s also just bouncy enough, it has enough spring that it’ll let you dance better," Anderson said.
Samantha Wilhelm agrees.
“It’s kind of a subtle bounce, but it’s a bounce," she said.
The music from the band can be felt through vibrations in the floor, all the way at the other end of the room. That rhythm and the beat of the other dancers makes the dancing experience even more unique.
“People that are new to dancing can come and feel the beat, even if they have no idea how to dance," Anderson said.
The city plans to renovate the building to keep it around for years to come. Part of the renovation includes changing the blue paint on the outside to better reflect the original color of the building. Also, all the walls will eventually be replaced. The city is raising money to pay for this costly restoration, and it’s worth it for those who say this place is full of memories.
“You talk to any old person here in Hyrum and they’ll tell you exactly what memories they had here at Elite Hall," Anderson said.
And it connects these younger dancers with the past, according to Greg Ostermiller.
“It’s a great opportunity for us to live in how our grandparents, or our past families lived," Ostermiller said
The music can help with that too.
“I love the atmosphere you get, especially with the live band," Ostermiller said. "I love dancing to the old-timey music.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHaI3meLjeo&t=9s
