Local Hero: Catie Condran Geist

Catie found out about Scottish Country Dancing in 1980 and fell in love with the dancing and music. She eventually received her Teacher's Certificate from the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society (RSCDS) in 1989 and has been organizing and teaching SCD in Melbourne for 35 years!

In 1981, she found International Folk Dancing and was especially drawn to the English country dances that were part of the repertoire. She established a separate English country dance group in Melbourne that has been ongoing for 15 years and she is still the primary caller. From 2002 to 2015, Catie was an organizer and one of the callers for the monthly English dance in Saint Cloud, Florida and the annual Mayfair Ball. The Sharpes Assembly ECD weekend in Sebring, Florida has been organized by Catie since 2006.

She has attended dance camps on both coasts and has brought new dances back to share with our group! In addition, she is also on the Contra Dance committee for the Melbourne and Cocoa Beach Contra Dances.

Catie is such an important part of our dance community that it would be impossible to list all the things she does behind the scenes. She always arrives early to turn on the air conditioning and set up for the evening dances so everything runs smoothly. She is our public relations person and I am amazed at her skills with people. She is definitely the glue that holds all of us together!

    - Submitted by Patricia Scott