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.

Larry Harding began folk dancing as an undergraduate in college in Connecticut. Shortly after he moved to Illinois, he participated in and then led the Argonne International Folk Dance Group for over twenty-five years.

Roo and Larry have been dancing and teaching together since shortly after they met. They teach many different types of Scandinavian dance and focus specifically on the turning dances of Norway and Sweden. They have taught at a variety of camps and workshops around the US in addition to their weekly (pre-pandemic) Scandinavian class in the SW suburbs of Chicagoland.

Their hallmarks include clear, positive teaching in a fun and lighthearted manner and incorporating basic dance concepts for dancers of all levels. They love to share the joy of Scandinavian dance and music and have a welcoming teaching style.

Roo and Larry will teach sessions focusing on Scandinavian Dance Fundamentals, the Hambo, and the Scandinavian style of waltz.