TEACHERS
The teachers for Asilomar Weekend 2026 are:
Katherine Giacoletti, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Kathy Jorgensen, Salinas, California
Moira Korus, Toronto, Canada
Andrew Nolan, Edinburgh, Scotland
Alan Twhigg, Mountain View, California
Katherine Giacoletti has been dancing her whole life, training in classical ballet, jazz, and modern from a very young age. Then she discovered Scottish dancing in college and never looked back! Scottish dance has been her passion ever since, and along the way she also took up English country dancing and contra dancing. Katherine also studies, teaches, and competes in highland dance, with her highland teaching certificate from the British Association of Teachers of Dance (BATD). When she has to be not dancing, Katherine currently serves as the Pinewoods Camp, Inc. Board of Directors President (ask her about PCI … when she’s not teaching!!), and supports the habit as a pharmaceutical manufacturing statistician based in Philadelphia.
Katherine Giacoletti, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Kathy Jorgensen, Salinas, California
Kathy Jorgensen started dancing after watching her nieces compete in the highland dancing national championships when they were held in Monterey. Enthralled, she started taking highland classes. When the highland teacher moved out of state, Kathy switched to Scottish country dancing and never looked back! Over the decades, she’s picked up a bit of ladies’ step, Irish step, English country dancing, Scottish hard-shoe, and especially Cape Breton step. She has been teaching the Monterey mixed-level Scottish country dancing class since she earned her full certificate in 2022.
Kathy is recently retired from her career as an editor in K–12 educational publishing. She and her wife, Kim, live in north Monterey County with their flock of chickens and peacocks and their goose and duck, Lucy and Desi.
Moira Korus, Toronto, Canada
Moira was born in Edinburgh and emigrated to Toronto as an adult. Moira first danced at primary school in Leith and in the girl guides and danced a little bit as a teenager in Edinburgh with Bill Hamilton as her teacher. Moira went back to dancing in Toronto in 1994 and in 2002 started to teach at the Rosedale Children Class which her daughter Jennie attended. She obtained her teaching certificate in 2006 and has continued to teach at Rosedale each week as well as the Glenview Social Group. Moira has also taught many workshops, the Toronto demo pool, beginner, intermediate and advanced level branch classes, the young adult class, all levels of DAA, medal tests and at TAC Summer school. Moira is passionate about encouraging youth to dance and loves the energy they create on the dance floor. She chairs the youth committee for TAC and is the youth rep on the TAC board as well as the director of education and training on the RSCDS Toronto board. Moira retired from nursing at SickKids Hospital in 2022, where she worked for 35 years. She hopes to spend her retirement dancing, teaching dance and travelling.
Andrew Nolan, Edinburgh, Scotland
Originally from London, Andrew learned to dance at a children's class in Isleworth and it has stuck with him ever since. Since gaining his certificate in 2012 while at University in Edinburgh, he has taught as far afield as Sydney to Ottawa as well as in the UK at the RSCDS Summer and Winter Schools. He is active within the Edinburgh Scottish Dancers group and also enjoys playing for SCD. Andrew takes a particular interest in less well known or 'forgotten' dances so hopes there will be something new for everyone in the class.
With Scottish heritage on both sides of his family, Alan developed a love for the traditional music at an early age. His parents danced with the Reel & Strathspey Club that preceded formation of the San Francisco Branch of the RSCDS and occasionally took him to Highland Games and pipe-band concerts as a child.
Alan himself discovered Scottish Country Dancing as a college student, amongst other dance forms such as ballroom and international folk. The music resonated with some early memories, and the intricate patterns of SCD stood out from the other styles. He soon sought out a weekly class, then two…
Alan passed both of the RSCDS teaching exams at St. Andrews in the 1980s, and has been teaching regular weekly classes at various levels ever since. He has served as a guest instructor at day schools and workshops across North America and tutored candidates for teaching exams. He also continues to participate in SCD performances, chiefly with the Red Thistle Dancers. Favorite memories include choreographing and performing a sword dance for the San Francisco Opera as well as teaching and performing in Norway, the Czech Republic, and Russia.
“SCD is a great activity for keeping body and mind engaged, for sociability, and for responding physically to the wealth and variety of music in the Scottish tradition. It has helped me connect with diverse people across the world and led to experiences and long-term friendships I never expected.”
Alan Twigg, Mountain View, California
