My mother and father introduced dancing to me at a young age. They loved to dance and did so in the kitchen and around the house. Much of my formal ballroom training was gained from coaching lessons. I have had professional coaching lessons with Bonita Vandersel of Cincinnati, Lola Volair from Vancouver, BC and Statislov Papov of Russia. I also trained at Fred Astair and Arthur Murray Dance Studios where I worked as a dance instructor from 1989 to 1995. Since leaving the franchised dance studio business I have been teaching private lessons and group classes at various colleges and locations, including the Crystal Ballroom. I have been instructing at Reed since 1995.