Lisa First, Executive Director

Lisa First has an extensive background in dance and strong connections to the field of dance in the United States and abroad. Nationally, she draws from a pool of highly respected dance artists, providing a diverse and talented contingent from the U.S. for the festival and related projects. These U.S. artists are representative of different regions as wells as aesthetic points of view. Additionally, there is an emphasis on involving the local dance community in the city in which Link Vostok is based currently Minneapolis, and previously, Boston and Los Angeles.

An American citizen, Lisa First has had the opportunity to work in Russia for over ten years. She is familiar with Russian culture, speaks the language and is very knowledgeable about the Russian dance community. Lisa First has M.A.L.S. in Dance and Movement Studies from Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut and a B.A. in Dance/Visual Arts from Antioch College, Yellow Springs, Ohio. She has danced for over twenty-five years and performed and choreographed during the fifteen years that she lived in Boston, Massachusetts. She often serves on dance panels in the Twin Cities for the Minneasota State Arts Board and the McKnight Foundation and the Jermila Jerabkova Dance Competition in Prague, the Czech Republic. And, she is often contacted by U.S. cultural foundations, dance company managers and artistic directors for assistance with East/West information and project development. She also has created an invaluable international advisory board for Link Vostok while making visits to Russia and Europe for the purpose of creating dance links with arts administrators and organizations.

Link Vostok Board of Directors 2008

Katherine Goodale, Board President
Dance Institute, Dance Instructor

Vance Gellert, Treasurer
Independent Photographer & Researcher

Lisa Helminiak, Secretary
Azul 7, CEO

Ann-Marie Draeger, Board Member
Normandale Community College Foundation,
Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations

Robert Goodale, M.D., Board Member

Chris Holman, Board Member
Financial Adviser

Jacqueline Mason, Board Member
Dance Instructor

Irene Trofimova-Peterston, Board Member
Structural Engineer, Meyer Borgman Johnson Structural Engineers