Jessica Ruhlin

Jessica Ruhlin, artistic director of Bodies Never Lie Dance Company, is a dancer, choreographer and educator who’s performed with the Louisville Ballet Company, St. Louis Ballet, Roxey Ballet, and several contemporary companies in New York. Her award-winning proposal for GreenStage, “By My Bootstraps,” will be an original ballet for four dancers, using imagination, collaboration, and humor to tell a story of triumph over limitation. Ruhlin is a Type-1 diabetic who can no longer jump, run, or dance professionally and now choreographs, teaches, and collaborates with neuroscientists in researching the effects of movement on the brain and nervous system. She’s passionate about increasing self-acceptance and visibility for dancers with disabilities.