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Other Festival Stories and Comments
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1990 Story
One of the most impressive of stories that have come out of the Festival involved a polish family who had come the Festival in the first year. Two of the dancers had married and had a child. The baby was born with a defect called hemangioma, which deformed his nose. Someone in Poland had performed the needed surgery. Tandy and Sherie Schwendiman were the hosts of these dancers when they were here earlier. As they became aware of the problem the Schwendiman’s arranged for the family to come to America, they also arranged with doctors in Rexburg and Salt Lake City to perform the needed surgery. It was very successful. The family remained in Rexburg for six months. While here they learned English that allowed them to have good jobs when they returned to Poland.
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2001 Story
Bruce R Herker told in 2002 of the 'spirit' of the Dance Festival with an incident that occurred to him as head of the concessions for the celebration. The story took place in 2001. A young lady from Peru approached the table to purchase a few Festival shirts. "Unfortunately, she only spoke Spanish. I do not speak Spanish. We were in trouble, as we could not communicate with each other. I checked with a number of people right in the area of the concessions without any luck. I was wondering what I could do when a young dancer from the Romanian team stepped across the hall and asked if I needed someone who spoke Spanish. I truly did. She interpreted English for me and Spanish for the young lady from Peru. We were able to sell the shirts, fulfill the requests and have a wonderful experience. That is what the Dance Festival is all about, to promote world peace, brotherhood and international understanding."
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1991-2001 Story
In 2001 a success story surfaced involving host families and performers. Valeri Glava was a violinist and part of th Moldovan dance group who came to Rexburg in 1991. The Simmons family of Rigby were his hosts that year. Over the succeeding years a relationship continued with LuAnne Simmons and Linda Eames guiding his career in the United States. Less than a decade later he was named Branson, Missouri's Instrumentalist and Headline of the Year, beating out more than sixty other acts. "Without these people, we never would have done what we have done," he said. I want to recognize them for their help. This is a big part of what they have done for me."
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