Growing up in rural Oregon, I had no exposure to dance until I saw movie musicals. The vivid imagery and amazing dancers blew me away. I asked my parents for classes, and I fell in love.
I studied with Mara Lysova where my peers and Mara’s encouragement opened my eyes to a future in dance. I then demonstrated for a local studio in Redlands and studied at the American School of Dance. When I moved to Oakland, I danced for Raoul Pause and met Ronn Guidi, and in 1962 we transitioned away to start Oakland Ballet. We performed anywhere we could, eventually calling the Paramount Theatre home. I danced until 1977, ending my career on a high note with a final performance and farewell.
After leaving dance, I explored the business world and took a programming class in 1977. Fascinated by tech, I joined Cybex Computer Books and rose from executive assistant to acquisitions manager, overseeing book development and foreign rights. After losing our home in the 1991 Oakland Hills fire, we rebuilt but moved to a farmhouse-style home in the Sierra Nevada foothills, where I grew a garden with 650 varieties of roses. In 2006, we relocated to Australia, returning to California in 2022.
If you have a true passion for dance, it offers you more than physical expression—it teaches deep discipline. That discipline is rare and invaluable, shaping not just your art but your entire life. The lessons and techniques gained through dance stay with you forever, enriching everything you do.
Founding member of Oakland Ballet Company