Photo: Lorna Sim
Former Artistic Director of QL2 Dance, Ruth is known for pioneering youth dance practice in Australia: performing, teaching, choreographing, directing and collaborating.
At the age of eight Ruth’s dance journey began at the Bodenwieser Dance Centre in Sydney, igniting a lifelong passion and desire to contribute to the contemporary dance world. In WA she established the Contemporary Dance Centre, taught at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) and was founding Artistic Director of Steps Youth Dance Company.
In Canberra Ruth has developed unique programs at the Australian Choreographic Centre, and as Artistic Director of QL2 Dance. She established Quantum Leap youth dance ensemble, developing choreographic literacy in young dancers, and has presented youth dance in Australia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Jamaica, and Scotland. At the 2011 Australian Dance Awards, she won the Award for Services to Dance “For her superlative teaching and wide-ranging services to dance for over four decades.” Ruth directed the Australian Dance Awards in 2012 (Perth) and 2013 (Canberra). She has won several ACT Critics Circle awards, and in 2017 was awarded a Churchill Fellowship. In 2024 Ruth was awarded an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for service to the performing arts, particularly dance.