Charles Worsley and Ruth Evans have been dancing amateur championship level, modern ballroom together at competitions for the past five years, and showcasing their unique then-to-now ballroom choreographies for the past three. Their combined experience adds up to over half-a-century’s worth of dancing and includes English country dance, English ritual dance (Morris and sword), American contras & squares, Middle Eastern dance, Swing, Modern ballroom and Historic ballroom. Charles has been dancing modern ballroom for fifteen years, and researching and dancing historic ballroom for twenty. He has performed both Civil War era and Ragtime era dances at such varied venues as Boston’s First Night and The Museum of Fine Arts. Ruth’s own résumé lists a performance at the National Folk Festival and a stint as a professional belly dancer among her accomplishments.
As a husband and wife team, Charles and Ruth bring their own special chemistry to every performance and the pleasure they take in the partnership resonates with their audience. Ruth, a professional seamstress with thousands of wedding gowns and costumes to her credit, has mastered the art of creating ballgowns that capture an era’s essence without sacrificing the movement and sparkle that are so much a part of today’s ballroom attire. Charles brings a quality engineer’s eye for detail to each choreography as well as the high standards of his trade. Working together, they strive to infuse their presentation with creativity and musicality. To insure the historical accuracy of their vintage dancing they rely on an extensive library of period dance manuals and film clips. To achieve, maintain, and polish their modern ballroom moves they receive regular coaching from world renowned Suzanne Hamby.
Here’s some of what has been said about Charles and Ruth’s shows:
Ruth and Charles currently have two show-ready choreographies: a mid-1800’s Mazurka that segues into a modern Viennese Waltz, and a foxtrot that shifts from the original 1914 "trot" to today’s competition style. In the planning stages are a Ragtime One-Step/Charleston/Quickstep transition and a 1914 Tango/Modern Tango combination. Although time constraints, and that little thing called "real life," prevent Ruth and Charles from performing as often as they might like, they would be happy to discuss dancing for educational presentations or non-profit fundraisers. Any performances would be free of charge.
For more info contact us at Evans-Worsley@comcast.net
Photography by Peter Alcivar: www.peteralcivar.com
