Ruth Till

Ruth Till was a passionate advocate for dance in both the professional and community- focused spheres in Wales, forging vital international relationships that supported and encouraged children and young people.

In her early career as a dancer, she performed in the West End alongside Dora Bryan in Six of One (Adelphi Theatre, 1963) and in Robert and Elizabeth (Lyric Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, 1964).

On retiring from the stage, she taught performing arts at Rotherham College of Arts and Technology before becoming artistic director of Yorkshire Dance in Leeds.

Moving to Cardiff in 1993, she took up the position of director at Rubicon Dance, where she enhanced its reputation for reaching those often excluded from the arts. Among notable collaborations that she instigated were exchange visits to Australia, Sweden and the Children’s Dance Theatre in Salt Lake City, Utah.

With colleague Tracey Brown, in 1997 she instigated an acclaimed project with schools and orphanages in Craiova, Romania, working with deaf, disabled and HIV-positive children that lasted until 2009.

Other roles included vice-chair of People Dancing, an organisation for community and participatory dance, supporting a UK-wide network of members, and council member and national adviser of the Arts Council of Wales.

Her last post was chair of the board for Ballet Cymru, from which she retired in 2020 to become a patron of the company, the appointment acknowledging her pioneering dedication to the development of dance in Wales.

Ruth Till was born on January 26, 1944. She was appointed an MBE in 2005, and died on June 20, aged 81.