Ruth has danced all her life and can remember family members paying her to sing and dance when she was 2 years old. She has studied many dance disciplines including Israeli Irish dances. During her undergraduate years at Howard University she studied modern dance under the direction of Joyce Lacey and performed with the Howard University Modern Dance Troupe.

 

Ruth began belly dancing in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1990 while learning Hawaiian hula. Just to get hula classmate to stop nagging her about belly dance class, she tried her first belly dance class and instantly fell in love with the dance. After only 2 weeks of lessons she was selected to perform as an ensemble dancer in Horatio Cifeuntes’ Arabesque show at Mamiya Theater. Ruth continued to learn and perform locally with Kay Kurima, Peggy Hazzard, Gale Fenna, and Allison Chun Smith.

 

At the insistence of several of her classmates, Ruth began teaching belly dance in 1996. She then founded and directed her own dance troupe, Shakira Dancers of Hawaii.

 

When Ruth moved to Las Vegas in 2006, after getting established in the community she taught belly dance in Sun City Summerlin. She has performed in the Sun City Talent Show, the Las Vegas Senior Idol show, at private parties, and for various club functions. She continued to teach belly dance until interest shifted to Zumba. She currently teaches Zumba Toning, Aqua Zumba, Zumba, and “Waterobics”. However, her first love is belly dance and after requests to teach again she would love to do so.

 

Ruth’s philosophy is that everyone can dance and it is the teacher’s responsibility not only to teach at the dancer’s ability level but to gently challenge learners to reach beyond their comfort zones.