Alice is excited to return for a third year of dancing fun choreographies while wearing spiffy costumes. She first got lured into the world of dance by the movie "Swing Kids", but upon taking several of Richard Powers' classes, was completely waylaid by the elegance and exhilaration of the waltz.  Previous to joining Danse Libre and performing in Stanford's Viennese Ball Opening Committee in 2004 and 2005, she enjoyed working backstage in theaters and hopes that being a dancer is different enough from being an actor that she is still allowed to call herself a techie (the first tenet of techie-hood being, "No actors!").  When not dancing, Alice works at Stanford University attempting to figure out how to farm fish without destroying the environment.  She also loves to cook, ride horses, enjoy nature, and sleep, although she never seems to get enough of the latter. Alice is the Managing Director.

Craig is thrilled to join Danse Libre this year. He grew up in Orange County where he terrorized the streets of Irvine before he was sent off to Stanford. In his sophomore year, he confused Roble dorm for Roble gym (it seemed like a weird place for a class) so he ended up on the wait list for Social Dance I. We like to imagine that he got into the class, but he probably didn't and with a Terpsichorean rebelliousness borne of the suburbs, showed up anyway. He performed with the Viennese Ball Opening Committee 2007 and 2008. He likes pivots. He can be found in the index under "philosopher, feisty."

Edoardo discovered social dancing in the spring of 1997 and joined the Academy of Danse Libre in the fall of the same year, at the beginning of its second season. Little did he know that dance would play such a pivotal role in his life: the elegance of Victorian dances and the energy of those from the early 20th century immediately captured him and haven't let go since. As his passion for dancing grew at a very fast pace, he joined the Stanford Vintage Dance Ensemble and eventually other dance groups on and off-campus, like the Knotts Dance Company, decadance, and SF Bounce. Edoardo choreographed the opening dances for the Stanford Viennese Ball in 2000 as well as a few pieces for the Academy of Danse Libre. He became Artistic Director in 2000 and held that role until 2006, when he passed on the flame thrower to Julie, with whom he is now co-directing the ensemble. He will do anything (within legality) for a serving or two of good fries.

Helen is yet another Stanford engineer turned social dancer; she is always willing to discuss lindy hop in terms of control theory. She attended her first Jammix in autumn 2007, became instantly addicted, and started dancing several times a week (except when robots demanded her attention). Helen is excited to be joining Danse Libre for her first season, and finds it a great substitute for playing with robots. When she isn't dancing, she works on designing the car of the future.

Jackie is thrilled to be returning to Danse Libre this season! A native of the Bay Area, she began dancing ballet before she could add (age 4) but quit shortly after integers and basic algebra (age 11). Dance and performance took a back seat until she began taking Richard Powers' social dance courses her freshman year at Stanford. She maintained a healthy obsession with social dancing from then on, becoming a full-fledged dance addict upon rediscovering the joys of ballet in her senior year. After graduating with a B.S. in Biological Sciences, Jackie can now be found buried in MCAT prep materials, dancing with the Stanford Viennese Ball Opening Committee, and working on various theatre projects as set designer/scenic painter when not wreaking havoc in DL rehearsals. She is co-choreographor of the 2010 Stanford Viennese Ball Opening Committee.

Jason grew up in San Diego before moving to the Bay Area to attend Stanford University, where he earned his BS and MS in Computer Science. Before being introduced to Social Dance through the classes of Richard Powers, Jason was a Second Degree Black Belt in Taekwondo. Now in his fifth year with Danse Libre, Jason tries to remember that unlike the martial arts, while dancing he is supposed to do lifts and not take-downs, and to instill pleasure instead of inflict pain on his partner. Jason currently works for a large software company in Mountain View (the one that is not a misspelling of a very large number), and can often be found out dancing at Friday Night Waltz, Jammix, and Gaskell's Ball. Jason co-choreographed his first piece for Danse Libre in 2008. He was the co-choreographor for the 2009 Stanford Viennese Ball Opening Committee.

Jason is very excited to return to Danse Libre this year. Born in Taiwan and grew up in Canada, he came to California for graduate studies and heard about Richard Powers on his first day of school. Before long, he was seen at Jammix, Ragtime Ball, and taking Richard's classes. Jason has continued dancing since then, and could not possibly have imagined his life at Stanford any other way. He looks forward to practicing and performing many of his favorite dances (hesitation waltz, the "French Quadrille as done as the bals public", among others) with the group this season. When not dansing, Jason enjoys photography and tennis, and would like to travel more.

Jeff has always been interested in dance and is quite honored to be a member of Danse Libre. During the 1980s, he was involved with all aspects of professional theatre with a focus on musical theatre in Connecticut and Boston, Massachusetts. His partner dance experience didn't come until much later in life: a chance class with Richard Powers. When it did enter his life, it became a full-time passion. Since the fall of 2005, Jeff has been out social partner dancing most days of each week, taking classes wherever he can and dancing as much as possible. Every form of dance interests him: waltz, swing, mazurka, tango, hustle, blues, salsa, samba, etc. He finds dance venues to attend everywhere he travels. He studied dance privately with Anna Botelho and takes ballet classes at Western Ballet. You'll often find him dancing at Friday Night Waltz, Swing Central, Wednesday Night Hop, and R.A. Blues. When he's not dancing or composing music, he's creating technology that you use regularly. This is Jeff's fourth season with Danse Libre.

Jennifer grew up in San Diego and moved to the Bay Area to attend Stanford University. After graduating with a B.A. in Psychology, she earned her Psy.D. (Doctor of Psychology) degree in Clinical Psychology with a specialization in Children and Families. She is a licensed psychologist and currently works as a Mental Health Clinical Supervisor at a community mental health agency. Jennifer enjoys many different types of dancing and has participated in folk dance performance groups and a hustle formation team. She is especially fond of vintage ballroom dance and has been a member of The Academy of Danse Libre for six years. When not dancing, Jennifer enjoys traveling, learning about financial planning, writing, cooking and spending time with friends.

Jeremy is not just a boring old person. He has been a member of Danse Libre since Autumn 2003, which means he has been in the group almost as many years as he unsuccessfully auditioned previously. He started dancing as an undergraduate at Stanford as a result of seeking larger events to setup, facilitate, and cleanup than mere dorm activities. His enjoyment of dancing has proven to be more than a fad. It has endured years of classes, workshops and weeks, dances, and a lack of any natural aptitude. It is even sufficient that he endures performing in exchange for the opportunity to learn more dances. He believes that rehearsals are *much* better when they include food and provides accordingly. When not dancing, Jeremy spends his days chasing frisbees, reading, playing with computers, or sleeping in. He spends his nights staying up far too late reading, writing, sitting in front of a computer, or going walking outside.

John grew up on a farm in southeastern Ohio, went off to Swarthmore College, and got as far as grad school at Stanford without any dance experience to speak of. One fateful Friday night, though, a colleague dragged him out of the physics lab and onto a local dance floor, and he hasn't stopped dancing since. He enjoys social ballroom dance as well as the vintage performance pieces. John performed with the Stanford Vintage Dance Ensemble for two years under Richard Powers, before joining the newly organized Danse Libre in 1996. He served as managing director of DL from 2001 through 2006, passing the baton to Rollie for the '06-'07 season. Off the dance floor (and sometimes on it), John does wedding and event video with his company Beale Corner Productions.

Julie has the honor of being the Artistic Director for the 2006-7, 2007-8, 2008-9, and 2009-10 seasons. A native New Yorker she came out west for undergraduate school and never left. As a founding member she took a hiatus for 3 years for physician assistant school before returning in 2003. Her previous performing experiences include founding member of the Stanford Vintage Dance Ensemble and the Swing Cats Rhythm Revue, Stanford Viennese Ball Opening Committee member and choreographer, and member of the Knotts Dance Company. When not dancing with Danse Libre, she may be found dancing lindy at local venues, wandering through bookstores, or reading - oh yes, and working at a community clinic.

Kimber is a California native who spent her formative years learning to be coordinated while cold (synchronized swimming) and pained (ballet). She discovered vintage dance while at Stanford University and decided that, not only was it better than being cold, it was great fun. She spent the rest of her time at Stanford performing in Richard Powers' Stanford Vintage Dance Ensemble and the Viennese Ball Opening Committee. After graduating with a B.A. in history and an M.A. in humanities, Kimber did some musical theater and cofounded Decadance, a social dance performance group. She returns to the Bay Area after a hiatus in Los Angeles, where she studied ballroom dance and lindy hop in between learning about the Constitution, and Arizona, where she experienced some very hot weather. When not driving to rehearsals, Kimber does dog agility with her dog Sara.

Laura's first foray into social dance was at Stanford in 2004, when she enrolled in Richard Powers' Social Dance I on a whim and a dare.  Within the first month of class she was hooked:  from salsa and swing to waltz and one-step, Laura wanted to try it all.  After participating in numerous social dance classes and performing with Stanford's Viennese Ball Opening Committee, Laura decided there was something missing from her dance experience:  more petticoats.  Laura joined Danse Libre in 2006 to fill this void, and the group's Victorian choreographies will always have a special place in her heart.  When she escapes from her corset and spaniel curls, Laura enjoys hiking, cooking, jewelry making, and chocolate. Especially chocolate.

Lee started dancing the Shag and Swing summers at Myrtle Beach while on vacation from Duke. To survive the Viennese Ball, he woke up early to sign-up for Duke's most popular class: Mrs. Trout's Social Dance I. Later he found the one ballroom dance class in Allentown Pennsylvania. In 1999 he moved to the Bay Area and was amazed at the dance scene. Lee met his wife Tatiana at a dance club in Santa Clara. He danced with Fezziwig's for a year, and then started stalking DL tryouts. He joined DL in 2005. Outside of dance, Lee loves games of all sorts and works as a software engineer for Apple working on OS X. He also likes cheese.

Lily learned to dance in college, where she was dragged to a Jammix and experienced for the first time the (then nausea-inducing) waltz and the bouncy schottische. She began taking social dance classes anywhere she could find them, and over the years she joined several dance groups including Stanford Vintage Dance Ensemble, Stanford Viennese Ball Opening Committee, Knotts Dance Company, and of course, the Academy of Danse Libre. Waltz no longer makes her dizzy and is in fact one of her favorite dance forms.

Mike still needs to write his bio.

Rebecca comes from a family of avid dancers and performers. She began folk dancing with her parents and grandparents when she was very young. Throughout high school, she performed Balkan songs and dances in regional costume with the South Hills Junior Tamburitzans. While working at Stanford University she began taking social dance classes with Richard Powers, and discovered frame. In addition to the lovely 19th and 20th century dances performed by Danse Libre, Rebecca enjoys lindy hop, balboa, bellydance, and the Madison. When not dancing, Rebecca rollerblades, skis, knits, and tries to keep up with her extroverted son.

Rollie has been dancing ever since being dragged to the Dickens Fair, kicking and screaming, in 2000. The next year he was seen escorting ladies onto the dance floor, and he's never looked back. He joined Danse Libre in 2005 and assumed the role of managing director from 2006-2009.

Sasha is thrilled to be joining Danse Libre for the coming year! She discovered her passion for dancing at the age of 8, soon after coming to the Bay Area from St. Petersburg, Russia. She is trained in classical ballet, with most of her education coming from the UC Irvine Dance Department and Western Ballet. Sasha's love for social dance began in a high school swing class, and she is excited to finally incorporate it back into her life amidst graduate school and work.

Valerie has been dancing all her life.  Born into a family of big band jazz musicians, she trained in ballet and modern dance from an early age, receiving her BFA from California Institute of the Arts.  After a career of artistic dance and choreography, she developed the movement and vintage ballroom program at San Francisco Waldorf School for many years.  Now in private practice as a movement coach, therapist, and writer, she is a Spacial Dynamics practitioner, an affiliate of the Fourfold Healing Clinic using movement  to heal the emotional and physical body, and a licensed Lebed Method - Focus on Healing instructor, helping those recovering from breast and other cancers heal and thrive through movement and dance.  More about Valerie and San Francisco Movement For Health And Healing can be found at www.sfmovement.com.