Richard Powers is one of the world's foremost
experts in American social dance. He has been researching and reconstructing
contemporary and historic social dances
for thirty years and is currently a full-time instructor at Stanford University. Selected
by the Centennial Issue of Stanford Magazine as one of Stanford University's most
notable graduates of its first century, he was also awarded the Lloyd Dinkelspiel Award
for exceptional contributions to education at Stanford. In addition to his Stanford
responsibilities, Richard is busy teaching workshops across the country, in Europe, and is a
popular teacher in Japan where he has returned twenty times to teach workshops.
Angela Amarillas, who has assisted Richard in
his classes and workshops for the past sixteen years, was Stanford
University's first Dance Minor. Angela is a graceful dancer who shares
Richard's passion for historical and vernacular social dance.
Richard and Angela have taught and performed in Paris, Rome, Prague, Venice,
London and St. Petersburg as well as across the U.S. and Canada
Joan Walton has taught classes in Ragtime Era,
Jazz Age and 19th Century dance at Vintage Dance workshops across America, in Europe and
Australia. She has created award-winning choreography for opera and musical theatre, and
has performed as a guest artist with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, dancing Morton Gould's
challenging Tap Dance Concerto. As Assistant Director and dancer with Richard Powers'
Flying Cloud Vintage Dance Troupe for ten years, she performed all over the country,
including at the Smithsonian and in the ABC-TV mini-series North and South.
Her energy, focused teaching, theatrical choreographic style and morning warmups have become
well known to vintage dancers over the years. As a teacher, her strength lies in her ability
to communicate movement concepts to all levels of learners with energy, humor and interest.
A keen observer of learning styles, Joan has an ongoing interest in understanding the many
ways that people learn to dance. She received her Masters Degree in Dance Education from
Stanford University and is now teaching and choreographing in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Ari Levitt has performed and taught social dances since 1990,
first touring with Stanford's Dunai Dance Ensemble, at which time he also helped to start
Stanford's first ballroom/swing dance club, and served as lead choreographer and dance
instructor for the Stanford Viennese Ball. Ari was next involved in the creation of the
Lindy Hop movement in Seattle, and actively taught and performed as a member of Seattle's
first Savoy Swing Performance Troupe. In 1992 he introduced the first Night Club Two-Step
classes to Seattle as a guest instructor with Living Traditions. During this time he
also taught workshops in swing, salsa, ballroom and Latin dance around the USA and Canada.
Ari also founded the Central Pennsylvania Swing Society; founded, choreographed, directed
and performed with the Jumpcats swing ensemble; was commissioned to choreograph and
perform various swing and salsa numbers for the One Broadway concert series two years
running; and ran a swing week each Spring at Hershey Park, while continuing to travel
throughout the US and Canada teaching swing, salsa, and social dance workshops.
Jodi Fleischman excels in many areas, both as a teacher
and dancer. Jodi is one of the hottest
new talents around. She has been the Pacific Northwest Lindy Hop Grand Champion, a judge
in Lindy Hop competitions in Seattle and Vancouver B.C., and has partnered Frankie Manning
in some of his workshops. However her current passion is the Waltz, and she is busy instructing workshops
in Latin Waltz, turning waltz, slow romantic waltz, Salsa, Blues and Nightclub Two Step and styling pointers for the follow.
Anna Botelho started dancing jazz and musical theater at age 4, and has barely gotten off
the dance floor since. Although her first partner dancing was Irish Keili dancing, during college she was immersed in ballroom through the Yale Ballroom Dance Team (including
competing as a leader her first year!) and was selected to be the director and
choreographer of their annual show. Anne has traveled the world both to study and teach
dance - whether visiting Buenos Aires to study Argentine Tango, or being invited to Sydney
to train the staff of a new Ballroom Dance studio. However, when at home Anne teaches at
her primary studio, Starlite Dance Club, where she has won top solo performance awards.
Although she dances at ballroom dance competitions with her students and professional
partner, Anne also has a history with social and vintage dance styles. Because of her
background in both areas, she provides unique solutions and perspective to both ballroom
and social dancers.
Ryan & Monica Shen Knotts are the founders of the Knotts Dance Company,
and have also been instructors for the Academy of Danse Libre and assistant directors of the Stanford Vintage
Dance Ensemble. They have choreographed vintage
dances since 1995 and performed in Paris, St. Petersburg, Prague and the
Smithsonian Institution. They teach waltz, Lindy Hop, Charleston, vintage, Radical Vintage,
and social dance with a focus on personal style and energy.