Susan de Guardiola is an independent dance historian, teacher, and caller. Based in Connecticut, she teaches regularly, leads balls and other dance events, and serves as resident instructor for The Elegant Arts Society, for which she teaches regular monthly workshops in New York City. Susan has taught historical social dance of various eras in New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Colorado, Virginia, Louisiana, Ontario, and more. She recently performed and served as dance consultant for A&E's "Biography" episode on Jane Austen.

Susan's particular specialties are Italian dances of the late 16th century and French and English dances of the early 19th century (Jane Austen/Napoleonic Wars), but her interests include 15th century court dance, 17th century country dance, the Victorian era, and the early 20th century/pre-WWI era. She has also been known to admit to a taste for disco line dances. While she does not call standard English Country Dance or Scottish Country Dance programs, dancers in those styles may find her historically-themed programs of interest. Susan also teaches cross-step waltz and conducts gender-role-free workshops in modern and historical dance styles.

Previous gigs include the Newport Vintage Dance Week (2003), Cape May's Spring Festival Victorian Weekend (2007), the NOMAD Arts & Music Festival (2002-2006), the New England Folk Festival (2005 & 2006), Louisiana for a Song and a Dance (2003), Country Dance New York's Elegant Madness evening of Regency-era dance (2003), an 1880s ball at New Jersey's beautiful Acorn Hall (2006), and the Town of Bethel (Connecticut) Sesquicentennial Celebration (2005). In addition, Susan has taught 19th and early 20th century dance regularly for Eclectic Enterprises' vintage tea dance series in Boston since 2002; Regency-era workshops for the Toronto English Country Dancers (2003-2005) and the Bay Area English Regency Society (2004); cross-step and other waltz for Mostly Waltz in Boston and New Haven (2005 & 2006); early foxtrot and tango for Odd Socks in Toronto (2005); cross-step waltz and ragtime tango for Vinnie's Jump and Jive (2006); 16th-century Italian dance for groups in Connecticut, Denver, and Charlottesville (2002-2004); gender-role-free cross-step waltz and ragtime tango for the Lavender Country and Folk Dancers (2005) and the Boston Gay & Lesbian Contra Dancers (2005 & 2006); and Victorian and Renaissance Dance for the Actors Movement Studio in New York City (2004-2005).

In 2007, Susan will teach for the first time at the Dance Flurry (waltz 101, schottische, and cross-step waltz sessions) in February, the Down East Country Dance Festival (cross-step waltz and 1910s one-step) in March, and Pinewoods English Dance Week (early and late English country dance and dance reconstruction) in August, as well as returning to teach cross-step waltz and tango for the Boston Gay and Lesbian Contra Dancers in February and basic 19th century dance at Newport Vintage Dance Week in August. She will also be presenting a paper on 16th century Italian dance at The 42nd International Congress on Medieval Studies in Kalamazoo in May, teaching 1910s maxixe and 1810s Regency dancing as part of Eclectic Enterprises' Around the World Vintage Tea Dance series in January and February, and running her new monthly waltz series, Elm City Waltz, in New Haven, Connecticut. In November she will return once again to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, for a Remembrance Day Ball.

References are available upon request.

Photograph by Ken Warren