About Tap Dancer Ruth Williams

A profile and fan site with information about tap dancer Ruth Williams.

NAME: Ruth Williams
PLACE OF BIRTH: New York City, New York, United States
BEGAN DANCING: Age 4

- Born and raised in Harlem
- Began dancing at age 4
- first studied tap with Ella Gordon
- Toured with "Porgy and Bess" orignal production
- Opened Ruth Williams Dance Studio in 1948
- Her studio marked its 50th anniversary in 1998

A Legacy of Dance in Harlem for Over 50 Years
Article about tap dancing instructor Ruth Williams published in June of 1998 on the Web site of the New York Daily News.

Ruth Williams Dance Studio
The offiial Web site of the Ruth Williams Dance Studio was at "ruth williams dance dot webs dot com". A September 2015 note on the home page of that site announced the schools was suspending operations and it thanked the Harlem dance community and neighbors for 66 years of support. The studio was located at 170 East 116th Street, Suite 2E in New York City. It was situated between Lexington and Third Avenue.

Ruth Williams Dance Studio - Founder's Official Bio

Ms. Ruth Williams was born and raised in Harlem, NY. She has been a dancer since the age of four when she studied tap with Ella Gordon and toured in the U.S. and Europe with her brother in a original production of Porgy and Bess. Her formative years in dance were strongly influenced by what is now known as the "Harlem Renaissance". Over the years, she continued to study dance with noted chorepgraphers Sylvia Forte, Charles Moore, Destine, Ajaibo Walrond, Mona Schurman and Charles Weidman.

Education was a significant factor in Ms. Williams development, both as an individual and as the teacher who touched the lives of 40,000 children. She is a graduate of Hunter College, and has a Master's Degree in Early Childhood Education from NYU and has successfully completed post graduate work at Columbia University in Administration and Supervision. In 1982, Ms. Williams dedicated herself fully to public service in the dance arts, church and community.

Share Tap Dancing in Your Community

If you would like to share information about tap dancing classes, events, history, artists, ensembles, products, shops, blogs, or Web sites in your part of the world please send a message to the email address on our Contact Us page and we will add it to this Web site.

---

More Profiles of Tap Dancers

Tap Dancing Ensembles

Regional Tap Dance Resources World Wide

All Tap Dancing Resources

---