Recent Cruises
Led by David & Marija
Year Destination Dance Leader
2014 Slovenia-Croatia Marija Hillis
2014 Spain Marija Hillis
2015 Paris & Normandy Marija Hillis
2016 Vienna & the Danube Marija Hillis
2017 Amsterdam to Zurich Marija Hillis
2018 Rome to Athens Marija Hillis
2019 Croatia Slovenia Venice Marija Hillis
2023 The Rhone & Marsaille Marija Hillis
The Mel Mann Era
1984 – 2013
For thirty years, Mel Mann led folk dancers and landlubbers alike on unique and unforgettable trips around the world, exploring culture, music and dance wherever they went. Operating Dance On The Water from his Berkeley home, Mel organized and went on 54 cruises.
Each cruise had an experienced folk dance teacher, and Mel went out of his way to find local dancers to perform their native dances and exchange teaching opportunities. Now that his duties as tour operator are over, Mel plans to go on as many Dance On The Water cruises as he can, now as an honored passenger!
Year Destination Dance Leader
1984 Hawaii Hugo Pressnall
1985 Alaska Burt Scholin
1986 Alaska Mikki Revenaugh
1986 Tahiti Beverly Barr
1987 Alaska Nancy & Dean Linscott
1987 Mississippi River Edith Spear
1988 Alaska Dick Oakes
1988 Panama/Caribbean Mikki Revenaugh
1989 Alaska Ercument Kilie
1989 St. Lawrence River/ Dean Linscott
New England
1990 Alaska Sandy Starkman
1990 Bermuda/Caribbean Sheila Sharp
1991 Alaska Al Gladstone
1991 Mexican Riviera Sandy Starkman
1992 Alaska Sanna & Mars Longden
1992 Greek Islands Sandy Starkman
1993 Alaska Olga Sandolowich
1993 Caribbean “Seminar at Sea” Sandy Starkman
1993 Hawaii Denise Heenan
1994 Alaska Bill & Louise Lidicker
1994 Caribbean “Seminar at Sea” Sandy Starkman
1994 St. Lawrence River Marianne Taylor
1995 Alaska Sandy Starkman
1995 Volga River, Russia Sanna & Mars Longden
1996 Alaska [cancelled – fire]
1996 Danube River Sanna & Mars Longden
1997 Alaska Marianne Taylor
1997 Caribbean/Yucatan Marianne Taylor
1997 New Zealand Sandy Starkman
1998 Alaska Ned & Marian Gault
1998 Norway Fjords Lee Otterholt
1998 Caribbean/Latin America Sandy Starkman
1999 Alaska Bruce Mitchell
1999 Danube River Lee Otterholt
2000 Alaska Sanna & Mars Longden
2000 Portugal Sandy Starkman
2001 Alaska Jimmy Drury
2001 Greek Islands Lee Otterholt
2002 Alaska Lee Otterholt
2002 Equador/Galapagos Islands All of us
2003 Hawaii Sandy Starkman
2004 Mississippi River Paul Wagner
2004 Danube River Lee Otterholt
2005 Adriatic Coast Lee Otterholt
2006 Vietnam/Cambodia Lee Otterholt
2007 Provence Sandy Starkman
2008 Moscow to St. Petersburg Lee Otterholt
2009 Ukraine to Turkey Lee Otterholt
2010 China Sandy Starkman
2011 Egypt Lee Otterholt
2011 Portugal Roberto Bagnoli
2012 Thailand All of us
2012 Vienna to Bucharest Lee Otterholt
2013 Prague and Three Rivers Marija Hillis
2013 India and Hooghly River Mel Mann