Ricky Ruiz began his dance training in Miami, Florida, graduating from Coral Reef Senior High’s Magnet Dance program. He studied with Amanda Tae Alvarez and Manny Castro and performed early on with Univision and other commercial projects. In 2007, he earned a BFA in Dance Performance (Cum Laude) from the University of South Florida, where he performed works by José Limón, Trisha Brown, and others. He also trained at Ann Reinking’s Broadway Theatre Project, performing Bob Fosse’s Crunchy Granola Suiteand studying voice, acting, and musical theatre.
Upon graduation from USF, Ricky moved to Chicago to dance with River North Dance Chicago. He toured the United States, Europe, and South America, performing works by Robert Battle, Lauri Stallings, Sidra Bell, Harrison McEldowny, Frank Chavez, among others. After four seasons with RNDC, Ricky performed with Visceral Dance Chicago, South Chicago Dance Theatre, Elements Contemporary Ballet, Level Dance Chicago, and collaborated with numerous choreographers and productions as a freelance artist.
Ricky is a highly sought-after teacher and choreographer with over two decades of experience training dancers at youth, collegiate, and professional levels. His accolades include Emerging Choreographer of the Year (Houston Metropolitan Dance Company), Top 5 Favorite Dance Teachers in Chicago by Art Intercepts, and a 3Arts “Make a Wave” Award. He has served on faculty at the Chicago Academy for the Arts, Roosevelt University, Lou Conte Dance Studio, and Visceral Dance Center, and has been a guest choreographer for Jacksonville University and James Madison University. Ricky is also honored to be a guest teacher and choreographer for professional companies Giordano Dance Chicago, Danceworks Chicago, The Launch Chicago, and Inaside Dance Chicago.
Outside of concert work, Ricky has an extensive background in dance team choreography, earning over 10 UDA National Titles with Coral Reef Senior High and working with major university programs such as the University of Delaware, The Ohio State University, the University of Wisconsin, Florida State University, among others. Ricky is also an experienced competition judge and former faculty member of VIP Dance.
Since 2010, Ricky has been a leading faculty member at The Academy of Dance Arts and Director of the Academy Dance Alliance. His choreography has received numerous regional and national honors, including NYCDA Critics’ Choice awards, Industry Dance Award recognition, and Outstanding Choreographer honors from YAGP and UBC. Many of Ricky’s former students have built successful professional dance careers, and he is passionate about continuing to guide and mentor the next generation.
