Ricky Ruiz has been dancing since age six and has been choreographing and teaching throughout Florida for the past five years. He is a former student of Amanda Tae and has since moved on to teach and choreograph for Focal Point Dance Studios. He has training in Jazz, Ballet, Tap, Lyrical and Hip Hop. Additionally, he has studied the modern techniques of Limon and Skinner Release as well as Horton and Cunningham.

Ricky grew up in the competition circuit and won numerous high scores and titles for such organizations as West Coast Dance Explosions, New York City Dance Alliance, Starquest, Nexstar and Florida Dance Masters. He participated in the summer of 2002 in NYCDA’s Summer Dance Intensive in New York City. There he studied with Joe Lanteri, Dan Karaty, Rhonda Miller and Suzi Taylor among others.

For the summers of 2004 and 2005 Ricky was selected for the Broadway Theatre Project; a three week intensive founded by Anne Reinking. Hundreds audition for the program and 175 are selected. His teachers at the project include Debra McWaters, Desmond Richardson and Frank Wildhorn, as well other prominent teachers and performers from around the nation.

Ricky has performed numerous styles of dance including repertoire from the Jose Limon Company (Missa Brevis) as well as original choreography by Bob Fosse (Crunchy Granola Suite).

As a teacher and choreographer, his students have won high scores and titles at various competitions as well group high scores and choreography awards. He has worked with various school dance teams in Florida including: Southwood Middle School (national Champions in 05, 06, 07), Coral Reef Senior High, St. Brendan High, and Florida State University’s “Golden Girls”. He has also worked for schools in Tennessee and Georgia Southern University and now lives in Chicago where he dances with River North Chicago Dance Company. Additionally, he plans to continue his work at Focal Point Dance which he will always consider “home”.

Ricky Ruiz Choreography Reel