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The Ruby is a catalyst for creativity and a home for making art at Duke.

Even the hallway is built for dance

With the opening of the Ruby, Duke’s Dance Program has a new home for classes, performances, and staff and faculty offices. The arts center has two dedicated dance studios and two multipurpose dance studios. One of them—the cube that projects up and out from the center of the building—is a truly stunning space, with metal shades over its floor-to-ceiling windows that are exactly positioned to block out the sun in the hottest weeks of the year. Four of the multipurpose studios are suitable for dance, as well. Each of these spaces features sprung floors finished with either a vinyl “marley” surface, a hardwood, or a masonite stage floor (for tap and step)—and theater-style lighting grids that can be configured for specific performance needs. The hallway in the second-floor dance area also has spring hardwood floors so dancers can keep their dance shoes on as they move between studios and locker rooms.

Primary Dance Studios: 201, 224

Multipurpose Dance Studios: 124, 202

Dancers lift their feet simultaneously, appearing as if they are floating together.
American Ballet Theatre at the Ruby. Photo by Alex Boerner.

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