Atlanta dance pioneer passes away

Thousands of student dancers in Atlanta have been touched by the legacy of local dance pioneer Ruth Mitchell, who passed away on Tuesday, July 18, 2017. She founded her own dance school in 1956, which is currently known as the Georgia Dance Conservatory.

The Georgia Dance Conservatory, now branded as “Marietta’s Premier Ballet and Dance Studio for All Ages”, posted on its Instagram handle @georgiadanceconservatory, “It is with a heavy heart that we share Ms. Ruth, our founder and Atlanta dance pioneer, has passed away. Ruth Mitchell’s career included tours with Ruth Page, Jose Limon and Les Ballets Americans as well as the on-Broadway shows of Bloomer Girl and Annie Get Your Gun. After her successful Broadway career, Ruth relocated to Atlanta and opened Ruth Mitchell Dance Theatre in 1956, one of the first dance companies in Atlanta and now, 60 years later, one of Georgia’s longest standing nonprofit arts organizations. The Ruth Mitchell Dance Theatre (now Georgia Metropolitan Dance Theatre) quickly became a leading provider of quality dance performances and training under Ms. Ruth’s leadership. Ms. Ruth touched the lives of so many. We are forever grateful for Ms. Ruth and humbled to continue her legacy.”

Co-workers and former students remembered her in this article published in Mitchell’s local newspaper, The Marietta Daily Journal, on July 19.

A Memorial Service will be held in Mitchell’s honor at Saint Dunstan’s Episcopal Church in Atlanta on Thursday, July 27 at 2 p.m. In lieu of flowers, her family has asked for donations to be made to either of her favorite charitable organizations: Saint Dunstan’s Church or Miles for Cystic Fibrosis.

Read more about this Atlanta dance leader and her remarkable legacy here. Visit www.georgiadance.com to learn more about the school she founded.