Roo Lester began folk dancing as part of rainy-day PE at school and hasn’t stopped since.  A college folk dance class inspired Roo to pursue and complete a Master of Arts in Dance Ethnology from UCLA.She was further inspired to pursue Scandinavian dance after taking a class in Norwegian folk dancing from Ingvar and Jofrid Sodal.  Roo is also an accomplished international folk dance teacher.

She teaches many different types of Scandinavian dance and focuses specifically on the turning dances of Norway and Sweden. She has taught at a variety of camps and workshops around the US in addition to a weekly (pre-pandemic) Scandinavian class in the SW suburbs of Chicagoland. Her teaching hallmarks include clear, positive teaching in a fun and lighthearted manner while incorporating basic dance concepts for dancers of all levels. She loves to share the joy of Scandinavian dance and music and has a welcoming teaching style.

Roo, with Harry Khamis, will teach sessions focusing on Scandinavian Dance Fundamentals, including Nordic mixers, core Scandinavian dances and skills to help make them even more fun.