Dr. Ruyter’s professional training, dating from the 1950’s was in ballet; modern; and various world dance genres, including those of Spain, India, and the Balkans. She has performed, taught, and choreographed in modern and world dance genres since the 1950’s.
She has been on the faculty of several university dance and theater programs including those of Tufts University, Pomona College, University of California-Riverside, and University of California-Los Angeles. At UC Irvine, she currently teaches dance history, graduate seminars, and Spanish dance and directs the UC Irvine Spanish Dance Ensemble.
Dr. Ruyter has been researching and writing on various aspects of theater and dance history since her doctoral studies in the 1960’s. Her areas of specialization are the system developed by Francois Delsarte in relation to 20th century developments in dance and theater in the United States and Europe and aspects of dance and theater history in Latin America, Spain, Italy, and the Balkans. Her publications include many articles and two books: Reformers and Visionaries: The Americanization of the Art of Dance (1979) and The Cultivation of Body and Mind in 19th-Century American Delsartism (1999). She is currently working on a biography of the international dance artist La Meri.
