International ballroom dancer to open Port Washington studio

Jessica Parks
Bao Ru, a competitive ballroom dancer, is to open RuDance NY in Port Washington. (Photo by Jessica Parks)

A ballroom dancer who has graced international dance floors is docking in Port Washington. 

Bao Ru is launching his next venture on Port Washington’s Main Street with the second location of his dance studio, RuDance NY. 

Ru, who was born in China, has been ballroom dancing for 30 years. He attended Beijing Dance Academy in China and went on to dance in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Japan and England, where he stayed for some time before migrating to the United States.

While ballroom dancing requires a lot of practice, Ru said that it took a good audience and his own confidence for him to realize this was a craft he could actually pursue. 

When he was a child he practiced dancing with his older sister, and he said, “One day it just happened.” He finished his dance to the audience staring at him in awe and said he felt like a star. 

This experience has shaped the program he has created for his students in that he strives to be supportive and boost the confidence of his students, he said. 

“Everyone has talent,” Ru said, and the right atmosphere can unlock those hidden talents.

And not only does Ru work to facilitate a supportive atmosphere, but through dance classes, he aims to create a memory that his students can carry with them forever, he said. 

Ru said that through dancing, he continues to feel full of life as the years move on. “I never feel old,” he said and he hopes to share that feeling with the Port Washington community. 

Ru described his enthusiasm to have found a studio in Port Washington. He said he was looking for a smaller, more intimate space than at his Flushing studio and happened to stumble upon “the perfect place” in a real estate newsletter. 

He was drawn to the natural beauty of the area, which he said reminded him of home in Xinjiang, a region of China bordering Russia. 

He said he is looking forward to sharing his hobby with his new neighbors and is aiming for class sizes of about 20 people to provide for a more individualized classroom experience. 

The ballroom studio at 284 Main Street is not open for regular classes yet, but Ru has been hosting Friday night socials to get a feel for the area, he said. 

At his Flushing studio, he teaches private lessons, a variety of children’s classes and traditional ballroom dances such as the waltz, tango, salsa, samba and the foxtrot.

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