[Adta] More thoughts about Ruthanna Boris

[Jsskatz at aol.com]

Hi Susan, Cynthia , Judith and everyone interested in remembering  Ruthanna,
 
Your post, Susan, about Ruthanna using a drum brought to mind  that  
Ruthanna's beliefs about what should be included in D/MT education were  expansive, 
yet valuable. She hoped to interest students in a broad  experience in movement, 
not simply ballet training, as hers had  initially been. She was often 
frustrated in observing D/MT students who, in  her opinion, had not had a rich 
enough dance background. She was concerned that  as grad programs added "other" 
theoretical course work, that the basic movement  work would be neglected.
 
Back to the use of the drum. Ruthanna was interested in using Dalcroze  
Eurhythmics in training. A quick web search provides an interesting statement: 
"Eurhythmics, the key to harmony of the being...I am beginning to dream of  a 
form of music education in which the body itself would play the role of  
intermediary between sound and thought, and would become the direct instrument  of 
our feelings", Emile Jacques Dalcroze, 1898. 
Hence, her use of the drum in her demand for musicality in dancers. 
 
Cynthia touched on something very important to us all. What a loss to the  
world of dance to have lost the opportunity of Ruthanna's memoirs of Ballet  
Russe and NYC/Mr. B, as well as her writings about D/MT. She also kept  
correspondence from Marian Chace. How do we assure that  unpublished  material is saved 
and protected for future publications? 
 
Ruthanna attended the SF conference, which I believe was in '91. Mimi  Berger 
had organized and trained a small group of us to perform an Isadora  Duncan 
piece. We called ourselves "the Isadorables" and were the dinner  entertainment 
for the banquet. Ruthanna raved about our passion and loved our  performance. 
I knew that she yearned to participate and mourned her ability to  ever dance 
again.
 
Stephanie
 
 
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