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melody ruffin-ward

Melody Ruffin Ward’s choreography and dancing have been described by poet Tim Seibles as having “the physical capacity to articulate the delights and lyrical mysteries of being human…her work bears witness that we live in bodies, and that it is only through our vulnerable flesh that we enter and come to know the world.”  A native of Atlanta, Georgia, this dancer, educator, and choreographer currently lives in Providence, Rhode Island with her husband and two daughters.  A graduate of Spelman College with a B.A. in English and Education, she graduated cum laude and went on to the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where she received her M.F.A. in choreography and performance, studying both the Cunningham and Limon techniques.  Currently an associate professor in the Dance and Performance Studies Program at Roger Williams University, Ward’s work is focused on movement that is gestural and based in a love for spacious phrases that are rooted in the earth. She is interested in developing work that has an internal and personal dialogue.  She creates atmospheres where both the specialist and the non-specialist have the opportunity to experience the impact that dance and movement have on humans.  Ward is the recipient of the 2008 Rhode Island State Council on The Arts Choreographers Fellowship.  She currently dances for Daniel McCusker and just completed a shared concert of her work in Cambridge, Mass. at Green Street Studios and the Dance Complex May 2008.