About the Company
“Shook up UNLV’s Studio Theatre”
“The movement was breath-centered and emotional, depicting inner torment well and reminding the audience why, exactly, modern dance can be so enjoyable to watch.”
–The Las Vegas Dance Insider, March 13, 2011
" What a triumph for the Cape May community! Thank you for your artistry! Let's figure out how to do it again!"
–Roy B. Steinberg, Artistic Director, Cape May Stage
"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
". . . you were WONDERFUL. Really top notch. I am so glad our audiences felt the same and shared with you their enthusiasm as it was real and they see a lot of dance. Brava."
–Jeffrey Rosenstock / Executive and Artistic Director of Queens Theater in the Park
“…a fixture on the Philadelphia dance scene.”
Robert Ackerman / Philadelphia City Paper
“Jeanne Ruddy has become one of the biggest names in the dance community of Philadelphia.”
–Bryan Russo / AroundPhilly.com
“Jeanne Ruddy Dance [has] a maturity and depth to their choreography.”
–Deni Kasrel / Philadelphia City Paper
“Jeanne Ruddy Dance has grown to a robust presence in Philadelphia’s dance scene, blending the experience of Ruddy –former Principal Dancer for Martha Graham- and other experienced dancers with fresh choreography and the vitality of emerging artists.”
–Michelle McCaffrey / Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts
"This is a company of gorgeous, talented, pedigreed dancers that probably not enough Philadelphians know about."
–Ellen Dunkel / The Philadelphia Inquirer
"A first-rate contemporary dance company."
–Janet Anderson / Philadelphia City Paper
“One of the city's most exciting trends is the cross-pollination of local artists with out-of-towners. Mid-sized companies such as Jeanne Ruddy Dance are bringing in world-class and historically important choreographers.”
–Lisa Kraus / The Philadelphia Inquirer
“The Jeanne Ruddy troupe dazzles.”
–Lisa Kraus / The Philadelphia Inquirer
“It’s companies like Jeanne Ruddy Dance that give modern dance the good name it deserves.”
–Jim Rutter / Broad Street Review
“Ruddy has a dancer’s eye for performers, and she’s pulled together some of the best.”
–Janet Anderson / Philadelphia City Paper
“Ruddy, a former Martha Graham dancer, and her company are a jewel on the Philadelphia dance scene.”
–Merilyn Jackson and Ellen Dunkel / The Philadelphia Inquirer
“Jeanne Ruddy Dance looks mature and polished.”
–Lisa Kraus / Dance Magazine
“With her sure dance eye, Ruddy has formed a troupe of the city's best independent dancers.”
–Janet Anderson / Philadelphia City Paper
About/by Guest Choreographers
"I liked the whole feeling of Jeanne's company. It's a wonderful space not just for the dancers but for all the people who will be able to use it over the years. The dancers were inspiring because there wasn't anything they wouldn't try. So courageous. But then good dancers have to be courageous." –Ann Reinking
"[Jane] Comfort is the latest of the out-of-town choreographers brought in by Ruddy to create works for her company, including Broadway choreographer [Ann] Reinking, Mark Dendy, Peter Sparling and Igal Perry. Ruddy has created or commissioned 16 works in all, resulting in a company that incorporates both her own neoclassical Graham style and more experimental "downtown" performance aesthetics."
–Amy S. Rosenberg / The Philadelphia Inquirer
“When I saw the space [the Performance Garage], I loved it. It’s beautiful.” –Martha Clarke
"Jeanne's vision was born out of something we shared as young dancers in New York eager to partake of the feast set out for us by the pioneers of modern dance. Working with the likes of Martha Graham, Anna Sokolow, Agnes DeMille and José Limon, we set our expectations high' we also inherited from them a growing sense that we would be responsible for carrying on their legacy. But that legacy is about rejection and rebellion as much as it is about reconstruction and renewal. Eventually, we found ourselves leaving our elders to venture out on our own. Jeanne found in Philadelphia vital potential for new growth...and the challenges that go with starting one's own company and building a repertory of dances.
During my visits to Jeanne Ruddy Dance as guest choreographer and performer, I have been astounded by Jeanne's perseverance, resilience and grace under pressure. To carve out a niche for herself amidst the already proud legacy of the Philadelphia dance community is no easy feat! I've been impressed with her dancers, her board members, her staff and the wonderful space she has converted into her dance company home. May she continue to be supported by her audiences and community in order to sustain her important work and commission new dances.!"
—Peter Sparling
About the Repertoire
"All the pieces in this Earth Moves: Dance Gone Green program are tightly constructed and superbly performed."
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Lisa Kraus / The 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
"[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
"[Songs Without Words]..So beguiling, it made me want to fall in love."
–Deni Kasrel / Philadelphia City Paper
"[The System]..poignant and captivating..."
–Ballet-Dance Magazine
"[Still]...explosive, passionate and unpredictable like a fervent love affair."
–Ballet-Dance Magazine
"[Enfold]...engaged the audience with their romantice allegory, their emotions as intricate as their often intertwined limbs."
–Ballet-Dance Magazine
“[Significant Soil] brought to mind the fragility, grandeur, and redemptive strength of the human body.”
–Lewis Whittington / Dance Magazine
“..commended…for a commitment to use live music in her [Ruddy’s] dances.”
–Miriam Seidel / The Philadelphia Inquirer
“[Ruddy’s] material comes from and reaches out for the heart and mind…bears a palpable sense of femininity.”
–Deni Kasrel / Philadelphia City Paper
“Jeanne Ruddy Dance highlights terrific dancers and a repertoire that shows the breadth of aesthetics within modern dance.”
–Lisa Kraus / The Philadelphia Inquirer
“[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