Kurt Lichtmann
Kristin Germeroth - Meredith Lutz - Leah Wright - Ariel Conant
Lauren Kutik - Camila Marquez - Ruonan Cheng - Erica Mallare - Christine Halter
kpL5@cornell.edu   
A little about us...

Kurt teaches Swing Dance and Ballroom Dance at Cornell University, in the Physical Education Department. The founder of ithacadance, he teaches Salsa, Merengue, Bachata, Ballroom & Swing off-campus as well. He offers private lessons in his Cayuga Heights studio. Our complete philosophy of social dance:  "FUN!"

Born in Highland Park NJ, Kurt graduated Cornell '70 B.A., Ithaca College '82 M.M. Music Ed. (Voice,Piano). He brings the perspective of a musicain, composer, and professionally trained educator to dance instruction. He led the retro-rock band THE CORVETTES for 15 years, and has been couples dancing for 14 years. He is founder/ producer/ DJ for 93.5 WVBR SATURDAY SWING radio show (1pm-3pm). He also founded the CSMA (Ithaca Community School Of Music & Art) WHITON CHORALE, and directed it for four years. Let's not forget ten glorious years giving hundreds of workshops in songwriting at Central New NY public schools, and writing a whole lot of songs. He DJ's weddings and events CAYUGA PRO DJ and is webbmeister for the Cornell Phys Ed Dept,

Kristin Germeroth, Swing III Lindy TA - has been swing dancing for three years. She is the President of Rooftop Mayhem Jumpswing Club and Treasurer of Cornell Swing Dance Club. This is her fourth semester as a teaching assistant for the Cornell Physical Education Department. She is a junior in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and is an Animal Science and Biology double major. She was born in Rochester, New York and plans on staying in Ithaca to pursue a veterinary degree.   Christine Halter, Ballroom summer TA - Christine is a Ph.D. student in the Plant Cell & Molecular Biology Dept. She has been dancing ballroom competitively for 9 years, competing & performing with DanceSport teams at Ohio State, Columbus, and Cornell. She has danced & choreographed for the CU Sabor Latino, and the International Dance Company in New York City. Christine currently trains/competes with her partner in NYC.
 
Camila Marquez, Ballroom TA, MON section - Camila Marquez is a sophomore Latino Studies Concentration, Human Development Major in the College of Human Ecology . She is from Santa Fe , New Mexico and Antonito , Colorado where she took various types of dance (ballet, modern, Irish, folk, etc.) for over a decade. She is ecstatic to be teaching Ballroom dance for her second semester and looks forward to meeting everyone!   Leah Wright, Swing I TA, SUN section - was born and raised in Stuart , Florida —a small city close to West Palm Beach . She is a sophomore chemical engineering major at Cornell, set to graduate in May 2009. She was an avid horseback rider before coming to college, but sadly had to leave her horse at home. She has always enjoyed dancing and picked up swing in her freshman year of college.
Lauren Kutik, Swing I TA, WED section - is a sophormore at Cornell, majoring in the Science of Natural and Environmental Systems (in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences).  She hails from Shaker Heights, Ohio (near Cleveland), where she had seven years of ballet training, as well as several years of hip-hop and modern dance experience.  Her first encounter with swing dance was swing 1 PE class during the first semester of her freshman year, and she has been teaching ever since!   Ruonan Cheng, Ballroom TA, WED section - Hi, my name is Ro.. I'm a human development major in the the college of Human Ecology. I started as a ballroom TA last semester and I had a great time. Dancing is the best way to exercise and have fun and look good doing it.
 

Ariel Conant, Swing I TA, SAT section - bio forthcoming...

   Erica Mallare, Swing I TA - Engineering, currently studying in France, and will be back to Ithaca next year to TA again, we hope!

Vicki Alexander - Not busy enough already with marching band, varsity track, and pep band, Vicki decided to challenge herself with something different for her freshmen gym class - dance - and has loved it ever since.  Vicki is a sophmore mechanical engineering student from Philadelphia, PA

  Meredith Lutz, Swing II TA - From Albany, NY
Danced jazz for 12 years in addition to a small smattering of tap.
Human Biology, Health and Society in the College of Human Ecology. Also loves flute and horses!