Who was this unusual person? She was an Austrian who spoke better English than many native English-speakers. She didn't tolerate fools gladly and had no time for pretentious people, but was fiercely loyal to her friends. She was a founder of the Vienna Branch and the driving force behind the formation of the International Branch.

Susi was an excellent teacher and dancer, both for Country and Step Dancing. We really got to know her well and could appreciate her many qualities when she taught at our local Chiswick SCD Club in London and during the planning and preparation of the Kaleidoscope SCD Conference that took place in June 2009 just outside of Geneva. The Conference was Susi's idea, which she had based loosely on the Dance Masters Conference that she had attended in the US many years before. But a major difference was that it wasn't just about/for teachers but for anyone interested in the field of SCD. As far as I know nothing like it had been done before or since, despite a number of requests for a Kaleidoscope 2. A report and videos of the sessions are available on my.strathspey.org. The idea was to give an opportunity to share experiences and share topics of mutual interest in an informal setting. Susi had extensive contacts with SCD leaders and thinkers in North America as well as in Europe and Australasia. Dancers from as far away as California, Vancouver, Adelaide, Germany, Italy, France as well as Scotland and England actively participated with presentations and interesting sessions - including a number which involved dancing, even though dancing itself was not the principal activity of the Conference. It took over 2 years to plan, but the participants were almost universally enthusiastic about it.

This amazing person leaves a legacy and activities in SCD, which we remember with great fondness and love.

Jerry Reinstein