Ruth Evelyn (US)

Known for both her leading and her following skills, Ruth’s teaching gives detailed, inspiring, and artistic guidance for both roles. Ruth’s 20+ years as a dance instructor have taken her on teaching adventures in more than 20 countries around the world. Some students enthusiastically claim that “mean Ruth” is their favorite- a hard-core coach happy to help people push themselves to fulfill their goals. Others say they prefer some of her more light-hearted classes, with vivid metaphors and lots of fun exercises that make learning natural and easy. Organizers, co-teachers, and students agree that Ruth’s teaching techniques combined with her dance expertise make her a fantastic instructor.

In addition to teaching, Ruth is passionate about choreography. She is one of the choreographers and founding members of the B-sides, the world’s first professional blues dance group, and collaborated with many people on projects. Her University studies in music and dance impact her choreographic style, merging stage and social dance ideas and aesthetics.

Students rave about Ruth’s uncanny ability to change their lives on and off the dance floor by drastically deepening their body awareness and restructuring their longstanding movement habits. She draws on her two certifications in Franklin Method, as well as deep studies in many other mind-body modalities to help students eliminate pain and to discover new movement possibilities.

As a dancer, Ruth is a technique geek whose true love is artistry. Her dance passions range across several dances- Balboa, Blues Dances (over 30 idioms), Lindy Hop, and Argentine Tango are her current focuses. When asked what her uniting vision is across dance- leading, following, solo, she replies, “Relating. Relating to a partner, relating parts of the body, relating to music, relating to community, relating to culture, relating to history.