This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Ashlee Vilos believes dance changes things. So she helped arrange performances Sunday night by groups from diverse cultural communities from across Utah to support the protesters at Standing Rock.

The event, at the Krishna Temple at 965 E. 3370 South in Millcreek, was held as a show of support for protesters in North Dakota who oppose construction of the Dakota Access oil pipeline. About 150 people showed up to watch performances of American Indian, African, Polynesian, ecstatic and freestyle dance.

"We wanted to show our honor for the water protectors at Standing Rock," Vilos said. "Dance is a language everyone speaks."

Donations were collected at the event for a legal fund for the pipeline opponents. The Standing Rock Sioux tribe says the pipeline — which will carry North Dakota oil to a shipping point in Illinois — threatens the tribe's drinking water, and hundreds of protesters have been arrested, the Associated Press reports.

pmanson@sltrib.com

Twitter: @PamelaMansonSLC