Once upon a time, there was a girl in a red checkered shirt, long blue jeans, and pink

ballet shoes, who was determined to change the world through dancing.

Her name is Judith.

Ruth was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1943.

As a little girl, she says she was so skinny, her legs went up to her armpits.

She was also pigeon-toed and not need, which meant her toes and knees pointed at each other

instead of straight ahead.

She had to wear special shoes to help her walk.

Still, when Judith was six years old, she insisted that she wanted to go to dance school.

Her parents didn't know what to expect, but they said, okay.

Judith went to the Duda Mar school of dance, which was in a studio on the second floor

of a rickety old building in Philadelphia.

Her teacher, Miss Suje, had wide green eyes and red hair, and she was determined to make

ballet accessible to young black dancers, just like Judith.

That first day, as Judith stepped into the studio, the floor felt slippery under her ballet

shoes.

Everyone took their place at the wooden bar that dancers hold onto for support during their

warm-up exercises.

Miss Suje went through all the basics.

First position, second position, plié, relevé.

Judith was mesmerized by her teacher, following her instructions diligently.

The Duda Mar school became Judith's second home.

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