Faculty - MELODIE RUFFIN WARD

Assistant Professor of Dance M.F.A., University of Michigan at Ann Arbor B.A., Spelman College

Melody's choreography and dancing have been described by poet Tim Seibles as "the physical capacity to articulate the delights and lyrical mysteries of being human . . . her work bears witness that we all live in bodies, and that it is only through our vulnerable flesh that we enter and come to know the world."

A native of Atlanta, Georgia, this dancer, educator, and choreographer currently lives in Providence, Rhode Island, where she is an assistant professor in the Department of Music, Theatre, and Dance at Rhode Island College. Having spent two decades of her life dancing and working with a myriad of wonderful artists and making her own work along the eastern seaboard, Ward has taught and been a guest artist in colleges and universities. A graduate of Spelman College with a B.A. in English and education, she graduated cum laude and went on the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where she received her M.F.A. in choreography and performance, studying both the Cunningham and Limon techniques.

Ward's work is steeped in her love for developing dances that have an internal and personal dialogue. She creates atmospheres where both the specialist and the nonspecialist have the opportunity to experience the impact that dance and movement have on humans. Ward is currently working on a series of solos that tell the stories of several disenfranchised women and examines the disparity of class and race. She is always looking for a story from anyone who wants to share and move with her.