I am a strategic collaboration consultant who helps organizations apply innovation by integrating collective decision-making processes with collaborative technologies (that’s a mouthful of words). I am also an interpersonal communications coach using the Forte Communications Profile. I am a founder and director of the Midwest Facilitators' Network and the Chicago Chapter of the International Association of Facilitators.

I began dancing with my parents at the age of eight and have been an ethnic folk dance leader and square & contra dance caller since high school. While dancing with his parents' adult group, I had the opportunity to call my first square dance at the age of 12. I have been a guest teacher and caller at dances from the North Country to the Deep South and have even called squares and taught folk dancing for the hearing impaired at Gallaudet University in Washington. DC. I led the University of Chicago’s student folk dance club for many years and introduced squares and contras into the repertoire of this mainly Balkan folk dance group.

After producing/directing the group’s annual fall "International Folk Festival" for 12 years, in 1980, I joined Gerhard Bernhard in producing the Door County Folk Festival and 2 years later became a partner and festival co-director. This primarily ethnic folk dance festival has added an impressive contra/square dance track and is still going strong in nearly 40 years later.

Through Ethnic Dance Chicago, I offer weekly classes in recreational ethnic folk dance at Chicago’s Latvian Community Center. Through Ethnic Dance Connection, I offer ethnic dance programs for students in elementary, middle and high schools, colleges, universities, and to participants in tutoring programs, scouting groups and community organizations. I do residencies in schools where students present dance performances for their schools’ International Festivals, Multi-Cultural Fairs, Diversity Days, etc.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

To help resolve need for lodging for "dance gypsies" (not the most politically correct term) who travel all anywhere and everywhere in order to enjoy the dance and music traditions of local communities around the world.

Interests

• folklore
• folk dancing
• folk music
• jazz
• ethnic music
• ethnic food
• contra dancing
• folk dance
• jazz music
• contra dance
• jazz dance
• square dancing

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: Jazz, Classical, Ethnic Folk, Classic Rock, Swing,
Movies: Film Noir, Musicals, Historical, Mystery, Comedy
Books: History, Novels, Mystery

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Getting over 400 people (mostly who had little or no previous dance experience) to learn to do dance to both simple and complex rhythms of dances from the Balkans at Chicago SummerDance – the largest free dance festival in the U.S.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Luxembourg, Mexico, Romania, Serbia, Switzerland, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States