University TV Airs ‘Tribute to Joel Ruminer’
This week on “Center Stage at UALR,” University Television will broadcast “A Tribute to Mr. Joel Ruminer,” the gala tribute held in February to celebrate his 50 years in dance. It airs Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. UALR Television is aired on Comcast Channel 62.
His former students and UALR dance students performed at the gala to benefit the new Ruminer Dance Scholarship and UALR’s new bachelor of fine arts degree in dance.
Ruminer, founder of Joel’s House of Dance studio in Little Rock, caused 1930s dance star Eleanor Powell to stop her show to find out who he was. MGM star Gene Kelly came to watch the dance workshops Ruminer taught in New York. When “Late Night’s” David Letterman asked the late Gregory Hines to name the best tap dancer ever, the star of “White Nights” and “Tap” named Ruminer.