“I perform because it is the only moment I am purely myself. I create works because materializing a vision is fascinating. I am an artist because I believe creativity is the breath of the world to balance human nature.”

Judith Sanchez Ruiz at Wet Series. Photos by David Beecroft

Judith Sánchez Ruz began her dance studies at the age of eleven at the National School of Arts in Ciudad de la Habana, Cuba. The Berlin-based director worked in New York City until 1999 and relocated to Berlin in 2011. She established the JSR Company in NYC in 2010, creating numerous choreographic stage works and site-specific projects involving live music with innovative composers and visual artists throughout the US, Europe, Latin America, and Asia.  Sánchez Ruíz is a former member of Sasha Waltz & Guests (2011-2014); Trisha Brown Dance Company (2006-2009); Mal Pelo (1997-1999); and DanzAbierta (1991-1996), among others like Deborah Hay (2012); DD Dorvillier (2002, 2019); Jeremy Nelson & Luis Malvacias (2001-2002) and David Zambrano (1997).

Sánchez has been awarded grants by The Rockefeller Brothers Fund, The American Music  Center’s Live Music for Dance program, and the Baryshnikov Arts Center. Her work has been commissioned at Danspace Project at St. Mark’s Church, Works & Process at the Guggenheim  Museum, Whitney Museum of American Art, and Storm King Art Center, NY; Residency Award at Choreographisches Centrum Heidelberg in Projekt der TANZ Allianz, Heidelberg, Germany (2017) and DIS-TANZEN grant, sponsored by the Dachverband Tanz Deutschland (2020), among others. 

Since moving to Europe in 2011, her work has been presented at numerous venues around the world: Bouge B, DeSingel Festival, Antwerp (Belgium); Tanzfestival im Kulturzentrum Tempel, Karlsruhe (Germany); Gdansk Dance Festival (Poland); Festival Deltebre Dansa (Spain); Tanz_house Festival, Saal – ARGEkultur (Austria); Festival El Cruce Rosario, Buenos Aires (Argentina); Notafe, Viljandi (Estonia); Guangdong Dance Festival, 

Guangzhou (China); Radialsystem V (Germany); Texas Dance Improvisation Festival (TDIF), Dallas (USA); Vitlycke-Centre for Performing Arts, Tanumshede (Sweden); TicTac Art Center (Belgium); B12 festival and Trauma Bar und Kino (Germany); HMD’s The Bridge Project (USA); Livestream Interactive Performance (Berlin/California); Artist in residence at Hong Kong Academic of Performing Arts, 2022, and the multidisciplinary opera production by the Theatre of Münster 2023.

Sánchez has created two practices: Functionality and Perspective in Dance (Release), and Your Own God Intensive Improvisation, establishing herself as a choreographer and teacher at major higher education institutions in dance throughout Europe, the US, Latin America, and Asia.