Paul Collins (Chicago, IL)
Paul has had a passion for dance since he started dancing at the age of eight and called his first Square Dance at the age of twelve.  He has taught ethnic dance programs at the Old Town School of Folk Music, the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois at Chicago, has been a popular instructor in downtown dance programs at SummerDance in Grant Park, Millennium Park and the Chicago Cultural Center. He has taught dance workshops throughout the United States, Canada and Europe.has been an ethnic folk dance leader & square/contra dance caller since high school in the mid 1960's. Paul has been a guest caller at contra dances from the North Country to the Deep South and has even called squares and taught folk dancing for the hearing impaired at Galledet University in Washington. DC.

Between 1966 and 1979, Paul led the University of Chicago Folk Dance Club and introduced squares and contras into the group's repertiore. After directing the U of Cs' Annual Fall "International Folk Festival" for twelve years, in 1980 Paul joined Gerhard Bernhard in producing the Door County Folk Festival, now in its 30th year and is co-director and managing partner.

In 1989, Paul and Bill Sasso started the Mid-North Folk Dance Club that has today evolved into Ethnic Dance Chicago (EDC), which now meets weekly at the Chicago Latvian Cultural Center and the S.P.A.C.E. Academy Center for the Arts. EDC sponsors weekly recreational dances and periodic workshops and parties for a multi-ethnic and multi-generational group of people who enjoy the dances and music of many countries from around the world. 

In the 1970s, Paul began presenting ethnic dance programs for kids in Chicago area schools, tutoring programs and scouting organizations.  Since the 1980s, Paul has designed and delivered accelerated dance programs for students in public, parochial and private schools in in the U.S. and Canada. Since 2000 Paul has spent a week in residency at the Spring Hill Middle School in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconson, helping the 8th grade classes prepare ethnic dance presentations for the School's International Festival and school assemblies. Since 2005, Paul has developed and presented In-Service Workshops and Teacher Continuing Education Programs for which teachers can earn Illinois State Board of Education CPDUs and CEUs. In 2009, Paul founded Ethnic Dance Connection (EDC2) that delivers dance programs to schools and community programs.

Diane Garvey (Chicago, IL)
Diane Garvey is a certified group exercise instructor and personal trainer with more than 15 years experience in the industry.  Her specialties include Zumba latin dance fitness, creating dynamic youth choreography for school musicals, leading youth dance fitness and conditioning classes, and bringing a contagious enthusiasm for dance and fitness to all of her classes. Currently she enjoys leading dance fitness classes for all ages including Zumba Kids for grade schools and Zumba Gold for seniors.

She received her early dance training in jazz, ballet and modern at various schools including the Academy of Movement and Music, Oak Park Illinois, Lou Conte Jazz (Hubbard Street Dance), Ruth Page Ballet, Iowa State University and the American Dance Festival.

Diane believes that successful fitness programming requires a positive attitude and a balance between challenge and fun. She calls Zumba “exercise in disguise”. It is the perfect blend of fitness, dance and hot Latin music that has put the passion back into group fitness.

Yuliyan "Yuli" Yordanov
"Yuli" grew up in Doyrentsi, a village in Lovech region of north central Bulgaria, and learned dancing and singing at a young age. A graduate of the acclaimed Academy of  Music and Dance Art in Plovdiv, he worked professionally in Lovech as a dance director, choreographer, and Bulgarian folk dance instructor beginning in 1993. He and his students participated in many concerts, celebrations, and international festivals throughout Bulgaria and the rest of Europe. In May 1995 they were selected to appear on Channel One of Bulgarian National Television. In 1997 Yuliyan was honored with an invitation to attend the traditional annual party for Bulgarians with notable achievements in education and culture hosted by the president of Bulgaria.  

Since moving to the U.S., Yuliyan has taught Bulgarian dancing at: Door County Folk Festival in Door County, WI (2003, 2004 and 2005), Appleton IFD Dance Weekend in Appleton, WI (2005), Autumn Leaves Festival in Nashville, TN (2005), Balkanske Igre Spring Festival in Chicago, IL (2004, 2005 and 2006), Bulgarian Dance Weekend in Harrisburg, PA (2006, 2008), Buffalo on the Danube Dance Camp at Timber Ridge Camp in High View, WV (2007), Old Country Weekend, Lake Texoma, OK (2007), Rang Tang, Atlanta, GA (2008), Workshops in Evanston, IL (2004); Milwaukee, WI (2004); Chicago, IL (2003, 2004, 2005); Washington DC (2006, 2008); Princeton, NJ (2006, 2008); Las Vegas, NV (2007); San Diego, Laguna Beach, Bellflower and Berkeley, California (2007); Seattle, WA (2008); Philadelphia, PA (2008); Brooklyn Heights, NY (2008).  In Des Plaines, IL, Yuliyan established and leads the folk dance formations "Nashencheta" and "Mitronija" of St. Sophia Bulgarian School since 2002. In Milwaukee, WI, he has been a choreographer and artistic director for the "Na Lesa" Bulgarian folk dance ensemble since 2004.

For two years (2005-2006) he served as an artistic director of the younger group of "St. Sava Junior Dancers" at the Serbian Cultural Center.  In Madison, WI, Yuliyan has danced with and choreographed regional Bulgarian dance suites for  “Narodno! International Dancers”. He also dances with the “Mesoghios Greek Dancers” where he learned many authentic dances.  As a musician, Yuliyan has performed (tupan, tambura, vocals) with “Malo Selo” folk ensemble in Madison and is now the vocalist and tupan player for the Balkan folk music ensemble “Veseliyka” also in Madison.