People swing dance at Sage Hall, located at the Cache County Event Center. Photo courtesy of Sage Hall.
The mission of Sage Hall is, “To be THE place where people meet, dance, and share some of the most memorable experiences in Logan, UT.”
It’s a country Swing Dance venue in Logan, founded by Utah State University Alumni Josh Lyman and Dance Instructor Manuel Carias-Pineda. Its name was inspired by a line from the USU fight song, the Scotsman: “Show me a true blooded aggie from Utah, who doesn’t love the spot where the sagebrush grows!”
While attending college, Lyman developed a passion for country swing dance, which he recognized was mutual among many of his peers in Cache Valley.
“It really came out of a love for country swing dance,” Lyman exclaims.
Since its opening in 2021, Sage Hall has grown to be the largest dance floor in Utah, with 400-600 people a week. Currently the dances take place at the Cache County Fairgrounds, 490 S 500 W, Logan, UT, and are held for the public on Tuesday nights from 8:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. Lyman says they do it on Tuesdays because they found that was the best night for people to come and dance.
The admission fee is $6 for students, and $7 for non-students.
“A lot of college students are looking for places to meet other people and there’s no better place to meet someone than dancing.” Lyman says, “It’s such a natural way to meet people.”
Sage Hall does not offer formal instruction, but at the beginning of the evening they do a lesson for people to learn new dances.
In cooler months, October through May, the event is held indoors at the Cache County Event Center. From May through September they do outdoor dancing at the Fairgrounds Pig Barn. They have semi annual dances held in the indoor arena in the spring and the outdoor rodeo arena in the fall under the lights. These dances are unique to Sage hall because they are held in the dirt.
“Which is kind of fun because it has a rural, rustic feel to it and there’s plenty of country songs that sing about dirt.” Lyman explains, “You’ve probably heard the song, ‘Kick the Dust up,’ or ‘The Fun by Dirt’ and so it’s kinda’ fun to play those songs in the dirt.”
He says the “dirt dances” are some of their biggest events.
Lyman hopes that eventually Sage Hall will be its own building, and puts all money earned from dances into that goal.
“The vision for us is we are always working towards making and actually building Sage Hall, and I really do see it as a place in Cache Valley where ultimately it’ll be the place to meet in Logan.”
He plans to use the venue for more than just dances, and wants Sage Hall to eventually be a place for weddings and other events.
For more information and updates, visit their website https://www.sagehallutah.com/ or find them on Instagram and Facebook @sage.hall.utah