Gang of 13
Gaby Candes
Hello! I'm Gaby! I'm a sophomore (thinking about majoring in philosophy and MCS) from the faraway land of Palo Alto, California. I got into social dance with Living Traditions of Swing my freshman fall, fell in love, and have taken one (or more) of Richard's social dance classes every quarter since. I was on the organizing committees for Fall Ball and Big Dance last year, and for Viennese Ball this year, and now I'm one of the co-chairs for Big Dance. My favorite dance changes with my mood, so feel free to ask me to dance anything!
Xinlan Emily Hu
Hi everyone! I'm Emily, one of this year's Big Dance co-chairs. I'm a junior majoring in Computer Science and minoring in Symbolic Systems. I'm Chinese-born, Kentucky/Indiana-raised. I didn’t really start dancing until I came to Stanford, when, on a whim, I took Beginning Ballet as a freshman. Soon after, I attended an Austria Fortnight, Viennese Ball, a litany of social dance classes, and have been in love with dance ever since. I was also on Gang in 2018 and Steering in 2019. Outside of dance, I enjoy sipping on matcha green tea lattes, talking really fast, pondering ethics, working on fountain pen calligraphy, waiting for The Good Place Season 3 to hit Netflix, and procrastinating on articles for my blog, Emileaf. I’ll actually be abroad in Spring Quarter 2019, but don’t be too surprised if you see me around campus on at least one weekend, dancing (waltzing) through life.
Praty Sharma
my name is praty
i didn't write a bio
it made gaby sad
Jerry Chen
Hi, I'm Jerry Chen, a Junior in CS, and this year's webmaster (continuing on from last year). I've been doing social dance in some capactiy ever since high school, when my class organized a ball, and I've also been on Viennese Ball Steering for the past 2 years. Outside of dance, you'll most likely find me either climbing or at the PRL. Hope to see you at Big Dance!
Raul Girbal
Hello! I'm Raul, a junior majoring in Math who's a long way from my home in Portugal. I started dancing sophomore fall in Social Dance 1 and I've been hooked every since! I was on the organizing committee for Viennese Ball this year and am super psyched to help Gaby and Emily run the best Big Dance yet! My favorite dances right now are West Coast Swing and Rotary Waltz, but tbh ask me to dance and I'll do whatever works!
Milan Mossé
Hi! I'm a senior from Pasadena (the one in California, not Texas) and study math and philosophy. I also like baking bread. I started social dancing in Richard Powers' History of Waltz class in Autumn of this school year. Cross-Step Waltz and Tango are my favorite dances, and I've mostly danced as a lead, but I really like social dancing of all kinds and in both roles. I'm really excited to help out with Big Dance, and I hope to see you there!
Michael Cooper
Hi everyone! I'm Michael, a junior majoring in CS, from Victoria, Canada (to those of you wondering where that is - it's on an island just west of Vancouver!). I started dancing in high school, when a teacher of mine kindly offered to teach my friend group some introductory swing and cha-cha before Grad (which I understand Americans call "Prom"). I then took Social Dance I Sophomore year, and have since taken History of Waltz and Social Dance III. Rotary Waltz is my favourite dance, and I enjoy experimenting with supplanting my favourite Rotary Waltz figures into other dance.
Alexis Ivec
Hi Everyone! I'm Alexis, a sophomore majoring in Materials Science and Engineering originally from the cornfields of Illinois. I started dancing last year by taking Social Dance I and have since taken History of Waltz, and Social Dance III as a lead. When I am not dancing, I love drawing, drinking black coffee, going on spontaneous adventures, singing in the Stanford Chamber Chorale, running, designing oligos, or baking apple pies. My favorite dances are the ones in which my partner and I have no idea what we are doing and end up making randomness up, and I have an affinity for Strauss waltzes. Ask me about what I call the bubbly soft drink (pop), how I pronounce the word "Chicago", my family of succulents, or my affinity for the Oxford comma. Dance with you soon!
Katherine Erdman
Hi! I'm Katherine, a Wisconsin-born, D.C.-raised senior that is studying computer science. I've been involved with the social dance community since freshman year, when I signed up to be on the Viennese Ball Steering Committee. Over the past four years, I've helped plan four Viennese Balls and last year's Big Dance. Excited to be on the Gang again and to have officially taken Social Dance I.
Lillian Zhu
Hey there, I'm Lillian, bioengineering (i.e. the 'a little bit of everything' STEM major) '20. I generally love to create, and can often be found tinkering in silver, bronze, wood, acrylic, wax, clay, paper, wires, paint, flour, ink, and Illustrator. Much like my other interests, I'm down to try and dance anything, so don't be afraid to ask! Being 2019 Viennese Ball Steering co-chair, attending every single session of four of Richard's classes except for the time I was actually in class but forgot to sign in, and countless dance events at Stanford and out in the wild have taught me a lot… mostly about how to learn—and fail—a bit more gracefully.
Angela Zhang
Hi! I'm Angela—a Bay Area native and 3rd year MD/PhD student at the med school! I graduated in 2016 from Harvard with a degree in Bioengineering. After attending the 2019 Austria Fortnight workshops I enjoyed how social social dance is and rediscovered how much fun moving your body can be! I applied to help with out with the Big Dance in hopes of becoming more involved in Stanford's awesome and friendly dance community!
Rachel Grant
Hello! I'm Rachel, a PhD student in Developmental Biology, and I'm on this year's Big Dance Marketing Committee! You might overhear me at a dance event saying: "I need to go to lab after this!" "I get really dizzy while spinning, but I appreciate your musicality!" and "I technically never learned this one, but I’ll try!" I started dancing through the 2018 Austria Fortnight classes, and fell in love with dance and with the community. On the dance floor, you'll find me happiest while waltzing or pretending I know how to West Coast Swing. Off the dance floor and out of lab, you might see me climbing, crafting, attending concerts, or pretending I'm in the circus. Looking forward to dancing with you!
Kent Vainio
Hi there! I'm Kent, a junior majoring in Computer Science and minoring in Japanese. I'm from London and have a British accent, but I was actually born in California and my parents come from Finland! My average nationality is thus approximately mid-Atlantic. I started dancing in the Fall of this academic year when I took History of Waltz, and am currently in Social Dance 1 and planning to take Social Dance 2 next quarter. I love the elegance and creativity of social dance and enjoy meeting new people and trying out new moves across the board! My favorite dance is probably cross-step waltz, but I like all of them a lot! When I'm not dancing, you'll find me high up on the rock climbing wall, strolling down the golf course or playing video games with friends! I'm really excited to be helping organize Big Dance this year, and I hope to see you there!
Vincent Sheu
Hi, I'm Vincent! I'm a Law/Computer Science '18 student who first learned to dance in a 2017 Austria Fortnight class. At the behest of some of the nicest and most enthusiastic friends I have, Social Dance I/III/II followed, along with co-chairing Fall Ball and Big Dance last year. I'm curious, focused on becoming a better partner, and always willing to learn new things—feel free to teach me anything or drag me onto the dance floor! My favourite dances are rotary waltz, and messing around as a follow in just about every dance; my favourite pieces to dance to include all classical and most instrumental pieces. See you at Big Dance!