Game Drive

Game Drive

World Premiere—2012

A new work under construction inspired by Jeanne Ruddy’s recent Safari in Kenya, Africa.

Choreography: Jeanne Ruddy
Music: Jennifer Higdon
Costume Design: Jeffrey Wirsing
Lighting Design: Peter J. Jakubowski

Length: 14 min.
World Premeire—May 10th, 2012—Suzanne Roberts Theatre, Philadelphia

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MonTage à Trois

MonTage à trois

World Premiere—2011
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MonTage à Trois combines three elements: dance, music and painting. Created specifically for the galleries of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, it is inspired by the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts’ theme, Paris 1910-1920 and by Elizabeth Osborn’s paintings.

Choreography: Jeanne Ruddy
Music: Claude Debussy, Erik Satie, Igor Stravinsky
Paintings: Elizabeth Osborne
Costume Design: Jeffrey Wirsing
Lighting Design: Peter J. Jakubowski
Video Design: Ellen Fishman-Johnson

World Premiere—April 14, 20011—Philadelphia Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, in conjunction with the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts 2011.

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LARK

LARK

World Premiere—2009
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“Bathed in golden light, five dancers connected and frolicked to Ellen Fishman-Johnson’s jaunty score while their shadow images flickered in step. In one lovely sequence, each stood balanced on one leg, the other lifting upward at the knee, recalling a small flock of beautiful flamingos.” Janet Anderson, Philadelphia Citypaper

“[LARK] is a clean dive into nonnarative dance.” Merilyn Jackson / The Philadelphia Inquirer

“[LARK]. . .fresh, snappy and filled with humor.” Merilyn Jackson / The Philadelphia Inquirer

“[Ruddy] took a risk pitting her dancerly LARK against Clarke's highly theatricalized Sandman. But it paid off as the audience bridged the gulf enthusiastically.” Merilyn Jackson / The Philadelphia Inquirer

Choreography: Jeanne Ruddy
Music: Ellen Fishman-Johnson
Costume Design: Jeffrey Wirsing
Lighting Design: Peter J. Jakubowski

Performed by:
Rick Callender
Thayne Alexander Dibble
Ian Dodge
Janet Pilla
Christine Taylor

Length of dance: 21 min.
World Premiere—2009

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Sandman

Sandman

World Premiere—2009
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Sandman was inspired by the photographs of Diane Arbus, Ralph Eugene Meatyard and Helen Levit.

Choreography: Martha Clarke
Music: Arthur Solari, with music by John Lurie
Costume Design: Jeffrey Wirsing
Lighting Design: Peter J. Jakubowski
Performed by:
Rick Callender, Thayne Alexander Dibble, Ian Dodge, Janet Pilla, Meredith Riley Stewart, Christine Taylor

Length of dance: 25 min.

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Quasi Normal

Quasi Normal

World Premiere—2008
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Quasi Normal is composed of three sections, all informed by the idea that the past contains the building blocks for the future works.

The movement vocabulary in the first section is inspired by the body positions of the body in the Mary Wigman work, Niobe, a kind of mourning-dance.

In the second section, improvisations were extrapolated from the choreographic sketches of Dore Hoyer, a dancer and follower of the Wigman branch of German expressionist dance, or Ausdruckstanz.

In the final section, movement impulses were inspired by the play between opposing forces: yin/yang, permanence/fleetingness, positive/negative

“[The dancers] magnificent fluidity of movement looks bred to practice Linke’s expressionist technique.” Broad Street Review, a Philadelphia-based online publication

Choreography: Susanne Linke
Guest Artist : Brigitta Herrman
Music: Tomasz Sikorski, Michael von Hintzenstern
Costume Design: Jeffrey Wirsing
Lighting Design: Peter J. Jakubowski

Length of Dance: 25 min.
World Premiere—April 10, 2008—The Performance Garage, Philadelphia

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Breathless

Breathless

World premiere—2005
reimaged - 2008
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In 1925, Theodore Dreiser published a novel centered around the drowning of an unmarried pregnant woman by the unborn child's father. He believed life offered him better prospects.

In 1996, a young unmarried Delaware woman was murdered and her body entombed on the ocean floor by her powerful, politically connected lover, who refused to permit her to end their affair. In 1997, a Philadelphia man drugged and strangled his wife (and mother of his young daughter) and placed her body in the bathtub, in order to collect insurance proceeds and continue to pursue a professional stripper. In 2002, a Californian fertilizer salesman murdered his pregnant wife and set her adrift in the San Francisco Bay, culminating a pattern of infidelity.

Breathless is informed and inspired by these stories. Spanning many months, the scenes include a pastoral lakeside, room interiors, an insurance company office and a stripper bar.

“. . .the duo made an antagonistic duet into something quite moving.” Philadelphia Inquirer

Choreography: Jeanne Ruddy
Original Sound Score: Jorge Cousineau
2008 Sound Score: Ellen Fishman-Johnson
Costume Design: Jeffrey Wirsing
Lighting Design: Peter J. Jakubowski
Photographic Projections: Bob Emmott
Video Projections: Jorge Cousineau

Length of Dance: 25 min.
World premiere—2005—The Mandell Theater, Philadelphia
Reimaged with new score and choreography—April 10, 2008—Performance Garage, Philadelphia

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Ocean 1: Wetlands

Oceans 1: Wetlands

World Premiere—2007
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Inspired by the Southern New Jersey Wetlands, this work uses modern movement, text, and images to explore environmental threats and their ongoing effects on Earth's waterways, landscapes, and wildlife. Replete with references to shellfish, ospreys and even styrofoam, Ocean1: Wetlands is a compelling homage to everything alive and green and the importance of its preservation.

“. . .tightly constructed and superbly performed.” Philadelphia Inquirer

“The star piece of Ruddy's show was the self-choreographed Oceans I: Wetlands, a call to arms to save New Jersey's natural habitats.” —Janet Anderson / Philadelphia City Paper

Choreography: Jeanne Ruddy
Music: Ellen Fishman-Johnson
Set Photography: Bob Emmott
Costume Design: Jeffrey Wirsing
Lighting Design: Peter J. Jakubowski

Length of Dance: 25 min.
World Premiere—2007—Performance Garage, Philadelphia

Information on the creation of Oceans 1:Wetlands

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Short Term Memory

Short Term Memory

World Premiere—2007
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Short Term Memory, by New York City writer/director/choreographer Jane Comfort, examines the boundaries of space; physical, emotional and psychological. Using a score with a Souse March and everyday sounds, Comfort creates a humorous crowd-pleaser that reveals our quirky insecurities.

“[A] wonderful work centered on control and command.” Philadelphia Citypaper

Choreography: Jane Comfort
Costume Design: Jeffrey Wirsing
Lighting Design: Peter J. Jakubowski
Assistant to the Choreographer: Christine Taylor

Length of Dance: 12 min.
World Premiere>—2007>—The Performance Garage

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Still

Still

World Premiere—2006

Still explores the fragmented aspects of love through abstract gestures and sometimes subtle, sometimes explosive interaction, expressing the complexities and elusive journey of the heart.

Choreography: Robert Battle
Music: Arvo Part
Costumes: Jeffrey Wirsing
Lighting Design: Peter J. Jakubowski
Assistant to the Choreographer: Meredith Riley Stewart

Length of Dance: 13 min.

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Woa Cholena

Woh Cholena

World premier—2006

Set on three women and one man, this dance explores movement for movement's sake. Woa Cholena is Native American for “the great white bird”.

“. . .were birdlike in their stylized passés, shoulder stands and grand jetés.” Philadelphia Inquirer

Choreography: Jeanne Ruddy
Music: Stravinsky's Concerto for 12 instruments (1920, arr. 1952)
Costume Design: Jeffrey Wirsing
Lighting Design: Peter J. Jakubowski

Length of Dance: 6 min.
World premiére—2006—The Performance Garage

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Songs Without Words

Songs without Words

World Premiere—2004
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Reinking, the recognized Fosse acolyte, is known for her roles in the film All that Jazz and on Broadway in Chicago.

Songs Without Words is created especially for Jeanne Ruddy Dance, with music by Dudley Moore. A luscious new work with six women, and three men. Reinking has created a work that expresses the beauty and vulnerability of first love.

“[Songs Without Words] is a sensuous work, ignited by the smoldering virtuosity of partners. . .Its bold expressive trajectory was marked by the duo's convoluted coupling and compelling ensemble passages for three couples and three chairs.” Dance Magazine

“So beguiling, it made me want to fall in love.” Citypaper

Choreography: Ann Reinking
Guest Artist: Zane Booker
Music: Dudley Moore
Costume Design: Jeffrey Wirsing
Lighting Design: Peter J. Jakubowski

Length of Dance: 25 min.
World Premiere—June 17 2004—The Mandell Theatre, Philadelphia

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Out of the Mist, Above the Real

Out of the Mist, Above the Real

World Premiere—2004
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Out of the Mist, Above the Real's inspiration first came from the topography and spirit of Ireland where both Jeanne and Daniel have traveled. The musical composition is an Irish Cantata for Soprano, Uilleann Pipes, Children's, Youth and Mixed Choruses. It is based on poems that express a search for ancient origins. The title is from the poem The Irish Cliffs of Moher" by Wallace Stevens.

Out of the Mist, Above the Real was commissioned by the CME New Millennium Institute and Dr. Doreen Rao, who conducted its' world premiere at the National Concert Hall in Dublin, Ireland on July 27, 2002. Lyrical. Sacred.

“ . . .held the audience in thrall . . .„ The Philadelphia Inquirer

Choreography: Jeanne Ruddy
Music: Daniel Brewbaker
Costume Design: Jeffrey Wirsing
Lighting Design: Peter J. Jakubowski

Original Dancers
Jeanne Ruddy
Kimberly Braton Lantz
Janet Pilla
Gabrielle Revlock
Katharine Savage
Meredith Riley Stewart
Paul Struck
Christine Taylor
guest artist: Brigitta Heerman
featuring: Juliette Snyder and Noa Buzby.

Length of Dance: 25 min.
World Premiere—2004—The Mandell Theater

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The System

The System

Philadelphia Premiere—2002
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This duet explores a mature relationship with its long developed habits and unspoken boundaries.

Choreography: Jeanne Ruddy and Peter Sparling
Original Score: Frank Pahl
Visual Artist: Terry Rosenberg
Spoken Text: Charles Baxter
Costume Design: Alison Roberts
Lighting Design: Peter J. Jakubowski

Length of Dance: 11 min.

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Voices and Echoes

Voices and Echoes

World Premiere—1999
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Voices and Echoes speaks to the sorrows of women and the strengths found in their lifelong mutual support. The title reflects the four "voices" of the dancers, while "echoes" addresses the many movement canons found in their work.

“[the dancers] seemed to flow out of the instruments of the stirring live accompaniment…responding to the richness of the cello, almost like the notes were bowing their torsos.” Dance Magazine

Choreography: Igal Perry
Original string quartet composed by John Mackey and performed live live by Curtis Student Quartet
Costumes: Jeffrey Wirsing
Lighting Design: Nanette Hudson Joyce

Length of Dance: 15 min.
World Premiere—1999—The Merriam Theater, Ten Thousand Feet Festival

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No Fear of Flying—First Leg

No Fear of Flying-First Leg

Premiere—June 2000
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No Fear of Flying incorporates a gestural vocabulary developed in collaboration with the dancers, along with the use of experimental use of text, movement, and dramatic characterization. The building of strong female characterizations and themes related to the "diva" are explored.

“. . .Irrepressibly crowd pleasing. . .” The Philadelphia Inquirer

Choreography: Mark Dendy
Costumes: Cloe Fox
Lighting: John Hoey
Music: Peggy Lee, Nancy Sinatra, and Australian Dijeridoo music

Length of Dance: 25 min.
Premiere—June 2000—The Wilma Theater

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Significant Soil

Significant Soil

Premiere—June 2000
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Life takes on new meaning after faced with the possibility of death. It is here that the soul asks the deeper questions of purpose, of the meaning of one's life. It is the incredible gift of a reprieve from such an early sentence that one strives for a renewed life built on significant soil.

“Brilliant and disturbing. . .brought to mind the fragility, grandeur and redemptive strength of the human body.” Dance Magazine

“The 10th anniversary performances marked my introduction to Jeanne Ruddy Dance and, for me, the experience was absolutely transformational. I have never witnessed vulnerability, honesty and pure emotion more poignantly than in Jeanne's SIGNIFICANT SOIL. The choreography, the look and feel of the space, the costuming, the music all culminated in a rare artistic experience to be treasured.” —Anne Ewers / President and CEO, Kimmel Center

Choreography: Jeanne Ruddy
Costumes: Jeffrey Wirsing
Lighting and Set Design: John Hoey
Music: Philip Glass Violin Concert

Length of Dance: 25 min.
Premiere—June 2000—The Wilma Theater

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Suite Reel

Suite Reel

Premiere—2001
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“Suite Reel celebrates America’s rural past with a series of 10 quick sketches, accompanied by a versatile bluegrass/barbershop quartet ensemble. . .” The Philadelphia Inquirer

Choreography: Jeanne Ruddy
Music: Appalachian Bluegrass Music
Costume Design: Jeffrey Wirsing
Lighting Design: Peter J. Jakubowski

Musicians:
Lawrence Cohen, guitar and arrangments
William Dominick, fiddle
Beth Mead Sullivan, banjo
Jennie Heitler-Klevans, vocals
George Abramson, guitar and mandolin
Ray Duffy, guitar
Bill Hangley, guitar Joe Spinelli, bass

Barbershop Quartet:

Length of Dance: 25 min.
Premiere—2001—The Painted Bride

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