Performance Garage

" Out of the Mist" One of my favorite choreographies of Jeanne Ruddy for JRD, and one of the most lyrical, with music by Daniel Brewbaker, captured in this beau...tiful photo by Bob Emmott. It was a joy to create the costumes for this piece Christine Taylor as the mast head of the boat that carries the young girl through various phases of life. See more

I am posting a collage of images from a special place that I have had the pleasure of dancing in, filled with performers I have had the pleasure of dancing with... and giving thanks to a director and company of who I danced for. The Performance Garage gave Jeanne Ruddy Dance a home of which to grow in and eventually a hub for more companies to experience as well. I have seen all walks of life share this stage in bringing dance to Philadelphia, I got to work with choreographers from around the world and through the years a wide array of dancing talent. I know that growing a special arts place like this takes time and a lot of hard work and I feel grateful that I played a small part in it’s growth. Years after I was gone I had the fortune of having my students experience the Performance Garage and Jeanne Ruddy teaching them, it brought me joy to see this and I am very much proud of that . I think as we grow as an arts community we can take something from the history of this establishment and let it nurture our future. Thank you.#performancegarage See more

Pinning a smiling "Lion", Jerome Stigler in Jeanne Ruddy's Game Drive for the final season of JRD at the Performance Garage in Philadelphia. I did costumes for ...the company for eleven years and it was an incredible experience and opportunity for me, the dancers and the community at large to have had Jeanne attract world class choreographers to Philadelphia to do works on the company, such as Susanna Linke, Robert Battle, Ann Reinking, Mark Dendy, Jane Comfort, Martha Clarke and others. It has been a gift to the city. With all of the arts and arts organizations in jeopardy for the unforeseeable future because of the virus, I hope that this special and unique organization will continue to find the support it needs to continue its good work. See more

I hate to hear about all the different arts orgs that are struggling in this Covid time. The arts in my life have always been essential. I’m especially thankf...ul for Jeanne Ruddy and the example she always set at The Performance Garage. As someone who now runs an organization myself with employees, strategic goals, and budgets etc., I truly appreciate all the vision, guts, care, energy, and 24/7 work she gave to make something good and enduring for Philadelphia. I benefited personally from her leadership in my younger years but it has taken my own maturing to understand the weight of what she has given and the investment she has made in the lives of so many. #performancegarage #phillygrateful See more

My decade at The Performance Garage was a transformative one. To be included among this group of interesting and entertaining dancers Jeanne Ruddy Dance, to be ...directed by renowned choreographers, to watch Jeanne Ruddy transition to an artistic director who spent every waking moment rallying for support of this newly-built home for dance was truly an education. I understand the Performance Garage is in its own transformative period. This summer brought nationwide visibility of marginalized communities and clarity about the institutional racism that has kept them there. It's impossible to unsee...and it's good for us to reckon with. Turning an eye to our own privilege and asking how we can be better is essential, especially at a location that has become a hub for dance and all who love it in Philadelphia. Actually having the conversation is what's important -- coming together for the complex, complicated, uncomfortable moments that induce growth. That's a lengthy path, and I choose that way forward, rather than the knee-jerk demands listed in an online petition. The Garage has too important a legacy to burn it down through call-out culture. Instead of calling out, step up and do the work. Be the change. Create the future for all Philadelphia dancers to inherit. #performancegarage

Dear Sun-Mi, Thank you so much for your kind words. Philadelphia is only the richer for having you join and continue to contribute to the community. I am so proud of all you've accomplished and the full life you've built with your husband and children and your creative dance projects fueled by your prodigious talent.