Celebrating Rebecca Rutt

(Published Oct 9, 2017)

It is with great pleasure that the JCC Indianapolis celebrates Rebecca Rutt’s special 80^th birthday with friends, family and her fans. Rebecca is one of the founders and a driving force behind the creation of the JCC Dance Academy over 20 years ago.  This dance program has grown to serve over 275 children and adult students per year.

Rebecca brings tenacity, grace, a wicked sense of humor and wisdom to everything she does.  She has touched the lives of countless dancers and dance enthusiasts and her impact on the Indianapolis dance and art scene is enormous. We are blessed to have Rebecca as one of our very revered and respected instructors – she is the “jewel” in the JCC’s dance crown!

Happy Birthday to a uniquely beautiful woman.

Below are some of Rebecca’s many accomplishments.

• Creative director and choreographer for the Suzy Beeton Herring Memorial Fund Dance Performance on June 9, 2013 honoring the memory of a much-beloved ballet dancer who was one of her students.
• Adult Classical Ballet lead instructor at the JCC Indianapolis since 1997 teaching two classes per week – ongoing.
• Director of the Jordan College Academy of Dance at Butler University from 1985 until her retirement in 1997. Faculty member at Jordan College Academy of Dance from 1972 until 1985.
• Guest lecturer at the Indiana University Department of Arts from 1975 to 1976.
• Artist advisor for Indianapolis School of Ballet – ongoing.
• Dance Kaleidoscope’s very first Ballet Mistress back in the late 1970’s. Rebecca remained in this position until 1991.
• Spirit & Place Festival’s 2008 themed Exploring Imagination – Rebecca choreographed a dance group that performed along with other local artists for a program entitled Do Not Go Gently. Imagination can burn bright at any age and these 4 artists shared what inspired their creativity.
• Movement consultant for Bernice Rarig, Australian Harrison Center for the Arts artist-in-residence, during spring of 2012.
• Technical dance advisor for Debra Masten’s Footsteps of Hope, an Indianapolis-based liturgical dance group – ongoing.
• Volunteer for Harrison Center for the Arts – ongoing.