Lee Otterholt's program



Lee Otterholt is a master teacher of international folk dance, as well as a leader of folk dance tours all over the world. Born in the US of Norwegian-American parents, Lee lived and worked most of his life in Norway as a professional dancer, dance teacher and choreographer. He founded and led the Center for International Folk Dance in Oslo, Norway, and was a professor of folkloristic dance at the Norwegian National College of Ballet and at the University College of Oslo. He was responsible for the establishment of 4 still-active folk dance clubs and 3 performing groups in Norway, and led these groups to festivals all over Europe. He also produced teaching materials (videos, books and CDs) on folk dance for use in the Norwegian school system. He was one of the choreographers of the Opening Ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway in 1994.

During the last 20 years Lee Otterholt has been active on the international scene, teaching international folk dance (“Balkan and Beyond”) at festivals, workshops and camps in Europe, the US, and Asia and leading folk dance cruises and tours to many part of the world. He moved to Laguna Beach, California in 2003. There he founded and led the international folk dance performing group “SYRTAKI,” and he is the lead singer in the BalkanBeat band “Zimzala.” He teaches his own recreational folk dance group every Wednesday and Sunday evening at Laguna Woods, now meeting twice weekly on Zoom. In 2015 he received the National Dance Award, presented at the San Antonio Folk Dance Festival. He is the chairman of the Laguna Folk Dance Festival which will collaborate with San Antonio for an online festival in March 2021.

Lee taught Friday at 4 p.m. CT, Saturday at 1 p.m. CT, and reviewed Sunday at 12:30 p.m. CT.

Printable PDF of detailed schedule

Lee's Saturday session was in conjunction with the Folk Arts Center of New England's Saturday afternoon workshop program.

Lee's materials are available through the Folk Arts Center of New England's Little Shop of Horas.


Lee's program of dances


Lee usually leads folk dance tours and often picks up new dances on these trips, but with all the tours cancelled because of the pandemic he had to think differently, so he found new music and choreographed eight diverse dances to these pieces during the pandemic. He will present these new choreographies in a package he is calling his “Pandemic Dances.” Two of the dances are to music he composed and recorded himself. Five of the dances will have their debut at June Camp. Lee has created these treasures using Macedonian, Bulgarian, Greek, Russian, and Norwegian music. Hopefully this collection will become a staple in the folk dance community and a commemoration of this incredible period in our lives.

Lee has 1 dance to Bulgarian music

  • Grada se Gradi - a graceful women's dance in a rachenitsa rhythm (322), debut at June Camp

3 dances to Macedonian music

  • Gradel Ilija Manastir - a mixed dance, debut at June Camp

  • Domot Moj - a powerful men’s dance in a 2212 rhythm, presented previously at FACONE, great chance for a review

  • Kraj Manastirot - a women’s dance in a 322 rhythm, presented previously at FACONE, great chance for a review


2 dances to Greek music

  • Charoumeni Mykonos - a joyous fast dance with music composed by Lee, debut at June Camp

  • S' Agapo - a Hassapiko style dance done to a song which means “I Love You,” presented at the Laguna/San Antonio Spring festival, great chance for review


1 dance to Russian music

  • Vitaya Beryoza - a women’s dance using typical Russian steps and movement, getting faster and faster, debut at June Camp


And 1 dance to Norwegian music

Norwegian Lament - a couple mixer based loosely on a “pols” step, to music Lee composed which expresses both his feelings toward Norway (where he lived for 27 years) and his sorrow over the ravages of the pandemic