Steve Woodruff

STEVEN WOODRUFF

Steven Woodruff currently pursues a varied career as a musician, dancer, and teacher. He has performed as a violinist with The Inland Empire Symphony, Orchestra of the Foothills, Claremont Chamber Orchestra, and the Pasadena Orchestra Da Camera. He is a member of HOLLOW LOG; a world music band that has recently released a CD entitled “Catch A Caber”. He wrote, directed and played music with HOLLOW LOG for Jamie Nichols’ critically acclaimed choreography, IF She Could Remember, performed live at the historic Alex Theatre in Glendale in 2003.

As a traditional musician and dancer he has appeared with Aman International Music & Dance as a soloist and choreographer. Mr. Woodruff is known through out the east coast and England for his knowledge and expertise in traditional music and dance. He is the artistic director of RATTLE UP (founded in 1993), a group of men that perform dances drawn on the sword dance tradition of northern England and the Welsh/English border. Their 1995 performance on the Los Angeles Music Center Holiday Program at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion was nominated for a LESTER HORTON DANCE AWARD by the Los Angeles Dance Resource Center.

Mr. Woodruff has also danced roles in the File Mal Gardee and Nutcracker with The Redlands Festival Ballet, Dance Corps, Ballet of The Foothills and Pasadena Dance Theatre. In1994 he performed at the Los Angeles Dance Kaleidoscope Festival in Charles Maples’ ballet Fall Of The Feet. Currently he is enjoying performing with Media City Ballet. He performed with Jamie Nichols’ contemporary dance company FAST FEET 1993-2003 and also acted as music director, prop maker and set designer, recently he danced as a guest artist with Wenta Ballet of Los Angeles in a premier performance of “Fantasy a la Mazurka” at The Ivar Theatre in SPLIT: Dance In & Out Of LA, The Jaime Rogers’ Studio Dance Ensemble in the 2006 Lester Horton Dance Awards show with guest artist Ben Vereen and again at the Jazz Dance LA Concert at the Japan American Theatre in June 2006. He was the recipient of the LESTER HORTON DANCE AWARD for Outstanding Achievement in Set Design 2001 for Jamie Nichols’ She Don’t Work At The Pizzeria No Mo, performed by Fast Feet at The Luckman Fine Arts Complex –CSULA in Jazz Dance LA 2001.

Mr. Woodruff is active as a teacher and educator and has been an adjudicator for The Los Angeles Music Center’s Spotlight Awards since 1990 and currently The Herb Alpert Foundation Scholarship Awards. He is currently teaching Social Dance, Folk Dance, The Theory and Analysis of Dance and Jazz Dance at California State University Los Angeles, Adult Ballet at Le Studio in Pasadena, and ballet & jazz at California Dance Arts Academy. He has served on the Dance Panel for The Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department 1999-2000 Cultural Grants and The Board of Directors of the Jazz Dance LA Foundation 2000-2001.

Mr. Woodruff holds a B.A. in Music/Asian Studies from Oberlin College and has studied music at Dartmouth College, Keene State College (Music/Education), Carleton College (Music/Asian Studies), and Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music.

Steven is a valued Lyrical Jazz teacher conducting class for students attending our Career Preparatory Divison and Adult Ballet.