The School of Jeanne Ruddy Dance
at
the Performance Garage
GRAHAM-BASED Modern - ADULT return
Instructor: Jeanne Ruddy, JRD Artistic director - bio
Class Description:
Jeanne Ruddy is a former Principal Dancer of the Martha Graham Company who traveled worldwide and was a part of Ms. Graham’s creation of new works for a decade. After leaving the Company in 1984, Ms. Ruddy was invited to teach on the faculties of The Graham School of Contemporary Dance, the Alvin Ailey School where she became the Chair of the Modern Department, and was invited to join the faculty of the Juilliard School where she taught for nine years. In addition, she became the Company teacher for Ballet Hispanico for two years as well as traveled internationally to guest teach and give master classes.
Many of Ms. Ruddy’s students are currently performing in The Mark Morris Company, The Limon Company, The Paul Taylor Company, Trisha Brown, on Broadway and abroad.
Now, based in Philadelphia directing her Company Jeanne Ruddy Dance, and her School, Ms. Ruddy offers two classes a week teaching the Martha Graham Technique as it was taught to her by Martha Graham and Ms. Graham’s senior Company Members,
Ruddy incorporates her knowledge of anatomy, the pilates technique, and ballet technique, to help connect the student’s understanding of how the various techniques connect and interrelate.
The technique helps dancers learn to work from their center and to dance not only from their arms and legs but also throughout the torso and pelvis.
They will explore the contraction, the spirals, the breathings, and all of the extraordinary exercises based on a thoroughly developed philosophy that Ms. Graham created over the course of twenty-five years.
Ruddy believes in strong imagery to help the dancer find his or her own inner dynamic. Class consists of one half-hour with the floor work, one half-hour with strength building standing work, and one hour-hour moving in combinations across the dance floor.
Jeanne Ruddy Dance Company members take this class for their own training and the class is open to intermediate to advanced dancers.
Some experience with having studied the Graham Class is appreciated, but not absolutely necessary.
The JRD School offers beginning Graham-based class on Saturday morning from 12:00 to 1:30 with JRD Company member, Christine Taylor, who is a professional dancer for the past eighteen years and has studied with Ms. Ruddy for the past six years.
