Guest Artists Summer Camp 2026
In Person in Santa Cruz, California!

Daniel Sandu’s journey into the world of dance began in 1971, when his parents took him to a dance evening in Bucharest. As soon as he heard the music, he felt an undeniable urge to move. The rhythm captured him completely, and he couldn’t sit still. Seeing his enthusiasm, his parents enrolled him in a children’s dance group. At age six, he auditioned and was accepted into the children’s dance group Românașul, an accomplishment that filled him with pride. This group was based in the grand former royal palace in Bucharest, now the presidential palace.

Daniel’s talent for picking up complex dances quickly led to a remarkable opportunity in 1978: he was chosen to join the adult delegation representing Romania at a world festival in Cuba, the only child in any of the delegations.

By age fourteen, he dreamed of becoming a professional dancer and later a dance teacher. In 1985, after a demanding audition, he was accepted as a trainee in Romania’s most prestigious dance company, Rapsodia Română in Bucharest. At the time, his parents were unaware of his plans, expecting him to pursue technical studies. To satisfy them, he took the entrance exam for the technical university—hoping to fail, which he almost didn’t accomplish!

After seven challenging yet rewarding years in Romania, Daniel sought a more favorable social environment. In May 1992, he auditioned for Het Internationaal Danstheater in Amsterdam. The company’s response was an invitation to a trial period in the Netherlands—a dream come true and the start of a new chapter in his life.

From 1992 to 2000, Daniel performed with Het Internationaal Danstheater for nine memorable years. Here, he had the chance to learn and master a wide range of dance styles, from Indian Kathak and Armenian dances to tap, drum dancing, and Argentinian baleadores to Balkan gypsy dances. He credits his versatility and skill to his foundation in Romanian folk dance, which he describes as varied, technically challenging, and rhythmic. To Daniel, Romanian folk dance serves as a perfect base; mastering it, especially the gypsy style, prepares one to be a truly complete dancer.

In 2003, Daniel graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Dance Education from the Rotterdam Dance Academy, with a specialization in tap dance. This accomplishment marked the realization of the final part of his lifelong dream.

Maurits Van Geel lives in The Netherlands and holds a degree in Arts and Crafts and Art History. He graduated as a folk dance teacher in 1977 and received his degree at Dance Academy level from the Ministry of Culture in 1986. He taught at folk dance clubs in Amsterdam and worked as a dance consultant for the City Council 1986-1988, initiating dance projects in schools in combination with setting up dance projects and festivals. Also in the 1980s, he specialized in the Appalachian clogging, worked as guest teacher in Belgium, The Netherlands, and Germany, and was invited to be a guest teacher at the Rotterdam Dance Academy.

He was employed by Het Internationaal Danstheater, a professional dance company in Amsterdam, first as choreographer and later as artistic director for 23 years (1988-2011). During his career, he produced over 47 theatre programs in the field of world dance for this company. Part of this job involved several months of dance research each year in order to prepare for these programs. His travels have included India, Pakistan, Turkey, Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Cherkassy, among many other countries. His archive consists of almost 900 DVDs, with research material from all over the world, most of it recorded by himself. He has also choreographed folk dances, among them Syrtós Kitrínou.

Since 2011, Maurits has been teaching, often with his wife Tineke. They have traveled to many European countries, New Zealand, Australia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia, and were guest teachers at a number of folk dance camps and workshops in North America.

In November 2017, Willem-Alexander, King of the Netherlands, appointed Maurits Knight in the Order of Oranje-Nassau for his extensive contribution to dance.

Maurits first attended Stockton in 1986, as a camper, with his wife, Tineke.

Roo Lester began folk dancing as part of rainy-day phys ed at school and hasn’t stopped since. A college folk dance class subsequently inspired her to pursue and complete a Master of Arts in Dance Ethnology from UCLA; she later turned toward a specialty in Scandinavian dance after taking a class in Norwegian folk dancing from Ingvar and Jofrid Sodal.

Since 1983, Roo has traveled extensively in Norway and Sweden, studying dance and participating in dance and music festivals, competitions and other events. Known in Scandinavia for her keen interest and knowledge of music, dance and cultural traditions, she has served as the American coordinator for several dance and music camps in Sweden and Norway. As a dance educator and ethnologist, Roo has taught Scandinavian dancing throughout the U.S. and beyond for many years and has published a number of articles on Norwegian dances, as well as a guide to Scandinavian Dance Basics.

Roo’s life work in dance has taken many interesting twists and turns, from teaching folk dance in the Los Angeles area public schools, to a 3-month research trip to Spain to study Basque dance. Roo was a director of Barátság Hungarian Music and Dance Camp, and for over 20 years has served as a director of Scandia Camp Mendocino. She had a stint in the television industry working on an episode of M*A*S*H called “Inga.” During the pandemic, Roo has worked with dance in a variety of ways over Zoom, both as a teacher and assisting other dance programs to reach widespread, house-bound audiences.

When she is not traveling, Roo lives in the southwestern suburbs of the Chicago metropolitan area with her husband and frequent dance partner, Larry Harding.

Stacy Rose, a long time SFDC camper, is a dedicated folk dance instructor based in Coos Bay, Oregon, with a rich background in traditional dance and music. Since 2009, she has been teaching international folk dance classes at Southwestern Oregon Community College, celebrating over 15 years of instruction.

Beyond her teaching, Stacy is an active member of the South Coast Folk Society, where she organizes events that promote traditional American music and contra dancing. Her efforts to unite communities through dance were highlighted in the documentary film “Take Hands,” which follows her work in organizing a week-long celebration of these traditions in Coos Bay.

In addition to her dance endeavors, Stacy is recognized as a traditional Jewish cook, baker, and musician, reflecting her diverse cultural heritage and commitment to preserving traditional arts.

Stacy’s passion for dance and community building continues to inspire many, fostering a deeper appreciation for folk traditions in the Coos Bay area and beyond.

Stacy will be calling contras, squares and mixers at camp.

Tineke van Geel received her degree as folk dance instructor in 1977. She specializes in Armenian dance and works as a teacher and choreographer. Since 1985 she has regularly visited Armenia to study folklore at the Pedagogic Institute and Choreographic School in Yerevan. Part of each research trip was devoted to working with several amateur groups in Armenia and doing research on costumes. Two of those research trips were supported by scholarships of the Dutch government. On several occasions Tineke visited the United States to observe the dances performed by the Armenian communities there.

Tineke conducts workshops for students at various levels, beginning to professional, and has taught classes in international folk dance, Dutch and Armenian dances in many countries of the world, a fact that didn’t remain unnoticed in Armenia. In 2006, she received an award from the Armenian government for her extraordinary devotion and energy in promoting Armenian dance, music and culture. All her research in Armenia has made her a world-renown specialist of Armenian dance.

In addition to a pleasant sense of humor, Tineke is an excellent teacher who can break down dance patterns step by step to enable every student to master the dances and to experience the joy of both learning and executing this exciting material. Combined with a vast knowledge of Armenian dance and culture, these qualities have contributed to her worldwide success and popularity. Besides giving workshops in 14 European countries she taught in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Japan.

The music for a lot of dances that were researched in Armenia had never been recorded. Therefore, Tineke invited bands from Armenia to make recordings in a Dutch studio and she produced a number of compact discs on her own Van Geel Records label, established in 1989. Recently these programs are also made available on DVD.

Tineke has also conducted over 40 successful dance and culture tours to Armenia which have been attended by hundreds of participants from all over the world. Recently Georgia was also included in some tour programs.

Although Tineke is known as an Armenian dance specialist, she is sometimes asked to teach international folk dances because she has mastered a variety of styles and learned from many master teachers. This year Tineke will be presenting a package of dances from various countries, mainly non-partner dances, with a few exceptions.

Tineke first attended Stockton in 1986, as a camper, with her husband Maurits. Since then, she has been on the teaching staff five times.