Lee Otterholt, born in the US of Norwegian-American parents, has lived and worked most of his life in Norway as a professional dancer, dance teacher and choreographer. In Norway he founded and led the Center for International Folk Dance in Oslo, Norway. He 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. He 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.
For the last 10 years he has been active on the international scene, teaching various Balkan dances at international folk dance festivals in Europe, the USA, and East Asia, for example: Laguna Beach Folk Dance Festival (1999, 2001, 2007), Pan-Asian Folk Dance Festival – Taiwan (2002), DoeDans – Holland (1995), Festival of the Oaks – Berkeley (1999, 2001, 2009), Stockton Folk Dance Camp (2003, 2004, 2006, 2009), Tapestry –Minneapolis (2003), Florida Folk Dance Camp (2003, 2004), San Antonio Camp (2004, 2009), Mainewoods (2004, 2005, 2007). Lee has led folk dance tours and cruises to Norway, Greece, the Upper Danube, Alaska, the Lower Danube, Vietnam/Cambodia, Russia, Myanmar and the Adriatic Coast of Croatia.
Lee also leads the international folk dance PERFORMING GROUP "SYRTAKI" (click on "SYRTAKI Folk Dance Ensemble" below) and the international folk dance band "ZIMZALA" based in Orange County, California.
He has a professional education in choreography and was one of the choreographers of the Opening Ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway in 1994.
Lee’s teaching emphasizes style: dancing well, not just “getting the steps.” Whenever he can, he also tries to bring improvisation, self-expression and spontaneity back into the folk-dancing traditions where these elements are a central part of the tradition. And he never loses sight of the fact that we recreational folk dancers dance because it is fun, and because these dances mean something to us – just as they were fun and meant something to the village dancers before us!