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University Daily Kansan
Tuesday, Nov. 10, 1964
Dancing Teacher Believes In Working Beside Students
She can direct nightly rehearsals for the dancers in "West Side Story." paint scenery, work out daily with individual dancers and still have the energy to dance all night.
Bobbi Waite came here from Kalaamazoo. Mich., to direct the dancers and choreography for the musical which opened Friday night for a one week run.
Miss Waite believes that a busy person is a happy person. Her quick smile and warm manner are clear evidence that her philosophy is true.
PUNCTUATING HER conversation with spontaneous laughter, Miss White talked about KU students, dancing, choreography and her plans and goals.
"The students here are wonderful,' she said. "They work so hard and are so enthusiastic about the production. I could never have gotten the show wrapped up without them."
Dancing is essential for actors.
"Unless an actor is born with grace,
he cannot move well without some dance training," she said.
As an expressive art, modern dance is difficult to understand, she said. "You must know what is in the dancer's mind to understand what he is expressing with his body," she explained.
MISS WAITE likes to be a part of the show, so she has been painting scenery in her "spare" time. "I feel that the kids will do a better job if they think that I am working as hard as they are," she said.
"That is why I dance with them, instead of telling them what to do."
When they see me getting a few bruises too, they'll work harder."
Working with untrained dancers is a challenge to Miss Waite.
"I love to work with non-professionals," she said. "I get my biggest pleasure from working with people who say I can't dance." Then, when the show goes on, and they do a great job, I can say 'Now see, you really can dance.'"
Although she has been working with the dancers here for a month. Miss Waite got to see the show only once. She returned to Michigan Sunday and started teaching again.
Miss Waite has been dancing since she was three and has a background in classical ballet and modern jazz dancing.
She was a majorette with a high school band before she was five and won state baton championships in Michigan, Florida and Texas.
Today she runs a dance studio in Kalamazoo, teaches at Olivet College, works with underprivileged children and does choreography for civic and little theater productions.
Prof. Ruhe Named a Fulbright Lecturer
Prof. Edward Ruhe of the English Department has been awarded a Fulbright lecturer position abroad in English literature.
Prof. Ruhe will leave for Australia after the end of the fall 1964 semester to teach at the University of Adalalaide for the 1965 academic year.
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She also finds time to do club and television work in Detroit and Lansing.
"I WANT to keep going because there is so much I want to see and do," she said.
Dancing has been her primary interest, but Miss Waite hopes to have a career in choreography now.
"There's still enough of the ham in me to keep me dancing, but choreography is a real challenge," she said.
Professional dancers must be tall, and Miss Waite finds the competition for night club and chorus performing stiff. She is only 5" 1".
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