Roo Lester Status:   Active Specialty:   Scandinavian Range:   Basque, Scandinavian, Balkan, Yugoslav, American, French, international Website:   Dancing Roo	CLICK TO ENLARGE
Roo Lester was born in California and began folk dancing in grade school as a rainy-day physical education activity. She studied Basque dance for three months in the Basque Provinces and spent five years as a director of Barátság Hungarian Music and Dance Camp. She also worked with Alan Alda and Mariette Hartley for an episode of TV's M*A*S*H. Roo obtained her Masters degree in Dance, with a focus in Dance Ethnology, from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). While a student, Roo began performing with several groups, including Betyarok (Hungarian), the UCLA Yugoslav Performing Group, and Westwind International Folk Ensemble in Los Angeles. She later toured the United States with the famed AMAN Folk Ensemble (aka, AMAN International Music and Dance Company) of Los Angeles, California. In Boulder, Colorado, Roo danced with Narodno (Balkan, Polish, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Appalachian, Transylvanian) and the Boulder Scandinavian Dancers. Roo has choreographed dance suites for the AMAN Chamber Ensemble and the Los Angeles-based division of Westwind International Folk Ensemble, Zivio in Utah, and Narodno and the Boulder Scandinavian Dancers in Colorado. Ingvar and Jofrid Sodal, from whom Roo was introduced to Scandanivan dance at the San Diego Folk Dance Conference one year, instilled in her a love of Scandinavia. She soon began teaching Scandinavian dance. She also teaches children and elderhostel participants. Since 1983, Roo has traveled extensively in Norway and Sweden studying dance. She has been the American coordinator for several dance and music camps in Scandinavia. Roo is a director of Scandia Camp in Mendocino, California, has taught at the Scandinavian Week on the East Coast, Nordic Fiddles and Feet at Buffalo Gap in West Virginia, Buffalo on the Danube, and many other camps throughout the United States and Scandinavia. Roo is on the Board of Trustees of the National Folk Organization (NFO) and is a consultant for Scandinavian events at Folklore Village in Dodgeville, Wisconsin. Roo, with her teaching partner, Larry Harding, have a delightful teaching style that is a favorite of both novice and experienced dancers. Dances Roo has taught include Allemansmarsh, Baztan Dantza, Busserull, Cickom Csárdás, Hegi, Langdans from Solleron, Maiana, Palóc Csárdás, Pariser Polka, Polkamasurka, Rugen, Sex Change Schottis, Stabberinglender, Stegvals, Torpespringdans, Txakolin, Telespringar, and Valdresspringar.

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