Though she had always been a mover, Diane Frank had taken few formal dance classes before college. In fact, she entered Ohio University's theater department in 1966 planning to become a high school drama teacher. While there, though, she took class from Shirley Wimmer, founder of Ohio University's School of Dance, who saw her potential and encouraged her to explore it. Now a dance lecturer at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Frank understands how watching a student light up in a Cunningham or bharata natyam class, and encouraging the dancer to investigate the spark, can be richly rewarding for both teacher and student.

-Courtesy jweeks Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA