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Mainewoods Teachers for 2012


Susan Anderson, Sonia Dion & Cristian Florescu, George Fogg, Susan de Guardiola, Tony Parkes, Barbara Pixton, Julia Poirier, Danny Pollock, Olga Sandolowich, Sandy Starkman, Bill Wadlinger, Carol Wadlinger, Yuliyan Yordanov




Susan Anderson Susan Anderson (International Folk Musician) has been actively involved in the folk dance community since 1962 as an international folk dancer and musician.  She has led international singing workshops for groups, festivals and schools and has taught folk dancing in the Philadelphia area and beyond. Her talents are many: she sings and plays fiddle, gaida, balalaika, keyboard, guitar and tambura.  Along with Carol Wadlinger, Susan is a member of the International Folk Sounds, a folk dance band that plays for folk dances, festivals, concerts and special events. In addition, Susan is the president of the Folk Dance Council of the Delaware Valley, leads a weekly dance and a monthly international music jam, performs Appalachian clogging with the Fiddlekicks, and sings with Svitanya, a women's Eastern European vocal ensemble.


Sonia Dion Sonia Dion and Cristian Florescu (Romanian) are known for their wonderful energy, warmth and exciting choice of dances and music. Cristian has danced with and choreographed for many Romanian folk ensembles and has studied with various specialists including Theodor Vasilescu. In 1993 Cristian joined Les Sortilèges, a professional folk dance company based in Montréal, where he danced, taught and choreographed. In the course of her 20 years with the same company, Sonia was lead dancer, choreographer and artistic director, among other roles. It was at Les Sortilèges that the two met and formed a professional and personal partnership. They have performed with the Collage International Dance Ensemble of Boston, have taught at l'École Supérieure de Danse du Québec, and have been part of the Artists in the Schools program sponsored by the Quebec Ministry of Education. In recent years, they have been teaching workshops for recreational folk dance groups in Canada, Hong Kong, Holland, Japan, Norway, Taiwan, Germany, Italy, and the United States, sharing their love of Romanian folk traditions. Sonia & Cristian's website


George Fogg George Fogg (English Country Dance) has been teaching English Country Dance for over 35 years. He is a member of the Pinewoods Morris Men and Black Jokers, and his knowledge of Playford, early American, morris, and sword dances is notable. Since 1984 he has presented semiannual English Country Dance Balls in the Boston area. George is the coauthor of Country Dances from Colonial New York and Social Dances from 18th-Century Virginia: The Richmond Assemblies 1790-1797 and No Kissing Allowed In School 1784. In addition to offering a first-rate English Country Dance class, George can be counted on for wonderful contributions to our evening dance parties.


Susan de Guardiola Susan de Guardiola (Vintage Couple Dances) is an independent dance historian, teacher, and writer. Based in Connecticut, she teaches regularly in New York City and Boston. She is a popular dance leader at major New England dance festivals and dance weeks, including the Dance Flurry, Newport Vintage Dance Week, the New England Folk Festival, Cape May Victorian Weekend, and Pinewoods English Dance Week, and will be teaching this year in southern California and St. Petersburg, Russia. She has lectured on social dance history at the Dolmetsch Historical Dance Society, the International Congress on Medieval Studies, and Stanford's Historical Dance Week, and is the author of Capering & Kickery, a blog covering historical social dance. Her interests include 15th and 16th century court dance, 17th century country dance, the Napoleonic and Victorian eras, and the early 20th century/pre-WWI era. Susan also teaches cross-step waltz and conducts gender-role-free dance workshops.


Tony Parkes Tony Parkes (Contras and Squares) has called square and contra dances since 1964 for people of all ages and all levels of experience. Dancers in 35 states, Canada, and Europe have enjoyed his clear calling, excellent timing, and positive, reassuring teaching manner. He has beginners doing real dances within seconds, but can also keep experienced dancers entertained with an extra degree of challenge or elegance. Tony is known for his original dances in the traditional New England style, including Flirtation Reel, Hey Fever, and the modern classic Shadrack's Delight. He is the author of Contra Dance Calling: A Basic Text and two collections of dance material. For over 20 years he appeared weekly with the band Yankee Ingenuity, which he co-founded; he recorded two albums with them, Kitchen Junket and Heatin' Up the Hall. He also played piano on two albums with the Canadian-American fiddler Gerry Robichaud. Currently Tony runs a monthly dance in Belmont, Massachusetts, focusing on squares of all regions and eras. He also appears at local contra dance series throughout New England and is a frequent headliner at dance weeks and weekends across the United States and Canada.


Barbara Pixton Barbara Pixton (International Folk Musician) began playing her mother's button accordion at the age of eight. She moved on to the piano, obtaining a degree in piano performance from Boston University. A folk dancer for many years, in the early 1990's she and her husband Tom Pixton began playing for dances. Since then they have put together several bands, played at music festivals and dance camps all over the US, published a music book, and made several recordings. Barbara has picked up skills on many other instruments including double bass, santouri, guitar, flute, violin and panflute. In 1994 she started the International Music Club under the sponsorship of the Folk Arts Center of New England. She is known for her wonderful ability to pull together amateur musicians for music-making and merriment.


Julia Poirier Julia Poirier (International Folk Musician) has been singing and playing in Boston-area choruses and folk dance bands for more than 20 years. During that time she has led numerous groups in singing a variety of music ranging from Christmas choral arrangements to folk dance songs to a cappella pop. In 2009, she completed an MA in Ethnomusicology, focusing on Bulgarian traditional song. Julia plays rhythm guitar for The Pinewoods Band and The All-Girl Band, two of Boston's many folk dance bands. She also plays recorders and tenor viol, and sings with the Tufts Early Music Ensemble.


Danny Pollock Danny Pollock (Israeli) has been teaching and performing Israeli folk dance throughout the NY Metropolitan area and beyond for nearly 30 years. Danny has led his own classes and sessions, as well as regularly guest teaching at other folk dance sessions. He has taught at numerous folk dance camps and weekends including "Hora Keff," "Shorashim," Ellen Golann's "International & Israeli Folk Dance Weekend," and "Maine Folk Dance Camp" (1994); he has also led workshops at contra dance weekends, namely "NOMAD," "NEFFA" (scheduled for 2012), "LCFD Dance Camp," and the West Coast's "Queer Camp." Danny has also led teacher training workshops and has choreographed more than a dozen dances for children. Danny has performed with a number of Israeli dance troupes including "Ayalah" and "Kalanit" in Philadelphia, "Screaming Sa'adya & The Electric Camels" in Boston, and "Parparim" in NYC, as well as doing his own solo performances. Danny has been involved with NY's Annual Israeli Folk Dance Festival through the years in numerous capacities, serving as dance assistant to the director, performer, festival group choreographer, festival finale director & choreographer, and as community dance leader. Currently, Danny is based at the 92nd Street Y in NYC, where, for many years, he has served as folk dance instructor in the Y's Sixty-Plus Program, dance instructor for the Y's "Nesher Afterschool Program" for special needs children, and "Israeli Dance Specialist" for the Y's Summer Camp Programs.


Olga Sandolowich Olga Sandolowich (Macedonian), born in Toronto of Macedonian parents, is well known in the Macedonian and International folk dance communities. She has taught at camps, workshops, festivals, cruises, elementary schools, and universities (teacher training) in Canada and the U.S., and Japan 2007. Olga currently teaches several groups in Toronto. She also founded Selyani Macedonian Folklore Group. She brings joy, energy and a delightful sense of humor to her teaching, along with her trademark "Nema Problema!"  Daichovo, Graovsko and Bavno are dances Olga introduced to the folk dance community. She has just returned from Japan celebrating Atanas Kolarovski's incredible 85th Birthday (Nov. 2011) Olga was on the staff of Maine Folk Dance Camp in the 1980s. She looks forward to returning to Mainewoods.


Sandy Starkman Sandy Starkman (International Folk Dance) has taught folk dance classes and workshops in Canada and the U.S., has been the featured teacher on several of Mel Mann's Dance on the Water cruises, teaches every year at the Kentucky Dance Institute, and has taught folk dance teacher training courses at the university level. Sandy is well known for the easy way she breaks down a dance, for getting everyone moving quickly and for running an outstanding evening program. She joined the staff of our predecessor, Maine Folk Dance Camp, in 1980 and has also served as President of the Mainewoods Board of Directors. She is also Chair of the Ontario Folk Dance Camp.


Bill Wadlinger Bill Wadlinger (International Folk Musician) founded Beaver College Folk Dancing with his wife Carol in 1977. He was a founding member and first president of the Folk Dance Council of the Delaware Valley. Over the years he organized countless Philly Area dance and music events in addition to teaching dance classes and workshops, and leading the weekly Beaver group with Carol. Then in the 90's, Bill dusted off his guitar and later acquired a mandolin, tamburas, and a charango. With his wife Carol, Susan Anderson and other musicians, Bill plays with International Folk Sounds (the IFS). He occasionally plays with pickup bands such as the Philly area contra dance band SPUDs. He currently teaches a weekly international dance class, “Folk Dance on Fridays,” in Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia.


Carol Wadlinger Carol Wadlinger (International Folk Musician) has been active in the folk dance community since the 70's. She is a member of the International Folk Sounds, a folk dance band. She plays flute, piano, English concertina and a smattering of other instruments. In addition to playing for folk dancers, she plays  contra, klezmer, English, etc. She enjoys teaching and encouraging adults to make music for dancers.  When she is not busy playing music (or working), she is on the floor dancing. She and her husband Bill started and ran the Beaver Folk Dance group in the Philadelphia area for over 25 years.


Yuliyan Yordanov Yuliyan Yordanov (Balkan) grew up in Doyrentsi, a village in the Lovech region of North Central Bulgaria, where he was immersed in dancing and singing from a young age. He later completed his studies at the Academy of Music and Dance Art in Plovdiv, and for nine years worked professionally in Lovech as a traditional Bulgarian dance instructor, choreographer, and artistic director of youth ensembles. Along with his students, Yuliyan participated in many festivals throughout Europe. Since moving to the US in 2001, Yuliyan has: worked primarily with children in the Bulgarian and Serbian communities in the Chicago-Milwaukee areas; started a recreational dance group in Chicago for Bulgarian adults interested in reconnecting with their tradition; danced in the traditional Greek dance troupe Mesoghios Greek Dancers in Madison; served as choreographer and artistic director for the “Na Lesa” Bulgarian folk dance ensemble in Milwaukee; sung and played tupan with “Malo Selo” and “Veseliyka,” both based in Madison. He has taught at numerous camps, festivals and workshops within the folkdance community in North America and is currently based in Brooklyn, NY.