115 years ago today - Feb 8, 1908

[First Presidency to Joseph Shepherd]

As you know, the presidency of the Church from the beginning have advised against round dancing in the social gatherings of our people, and that restrictions have been placed upon it as the demands for that form of dancing have been made from time to time by our up; but so strong has been their desire to indulge in round dancing that in some places, as you say, the restrictions have been removed altogether, while in other places a check is still held upon it. We fully appreciate what you say that to undertake to regulate the dances with a view to restraining round dancings is a very difficult thing to do; and in view of the circumstances we know of no better way than to place the subject squarely before the young people of the several wards of your stake, and then leave the responsibility of their action with themselves. But in doing this we would like you to say to them, with our compliments, that the First Presidency have had naught but their very best interests at heart, and foreseeing the evil tendencies of round dancing they considered it a matter of duty to exclude it altogether from our dancing halls and afterwards to regulate it as best they could when it was found that rather than be permitted to have any such dances some would patronize public dancing halls run in the interest of money making in opposition to Church control.

[First Presidency, Letter to Joseph R. Shepherd, as quoted in Minutes of the Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1835-1951, Electronic Edition, 2015]