Fifty years ago was the beginning of a dream come true for one of South Jersey’s most successful dance directors, Ruth M. Lowe. Miss Ruth stepped into a dance studio to take her first lesson when she was nine years old. She knew at that very moment that she loved what she was doing and would be a dance teacher when she grew up. She absorbed everything she could from her dance teacher and mentor, Mrs. Dorothea Riegert from The Crystal School of Dance. In 1958, she opened her school in her parents’ basement with five eager students. A year and a half later, the school almost doubled in size! Miss Ruth presented her first dance recital at The Church of the Good Shepherd with nine students! 

Over the next couple of years, the school’s location moved from basement to basement, accommodating growth until eventually, Miss Ruth rented a room in a friend’s home. The enrollment continued to increase and required an even larger facility. Thus, the location at 1207 Haddonfield Berlin Road was purchased in 1966. 

During this time period, many students passed through the doors of Lowe Dance Studio. The student-teaching program was implemented. A competitive team was formed in the late 1970s, and dancers were learning and performing all over the East Coast. Competitors were bringing home performance awards, scholarships, and choreography awards, just to name a few.

The Voorhees Ballet Theatre was created in 1986, and the Voorhees Danse Ensemble gave serious-minded students the opportunity to study ballet at a more demanding level. The Ensemble has sent students to prestigious institutions, including Joffrey Ballet, Boston Ballet, ABT, SAB, Princeton Ballet, Miami City Ballet, NC School of the Arts, The Harid Conservatory, CPYB, Pittsburgh Ballet, First State Ballet, and Nashville Ballet.

It’s unimaginable how many families have gone through the doors of Lowe Dance Studio in the past 50 years. Multiple generations have experience the joy of dance through the guidance and nurturing of Miss Ruth. Many accomplishments have come, from the shy child emerging into an upstanding, successful adult to the uncoordinated, weak, young child becoming a graceful, strong, beautiful dancer on their way to a career in the arts. 

Many success stories can be told by the students who have attended our school. Lowe Dance Studio is very proud of its progression in the past 60 years, and all the students who have passed through the doors are very proud of Miss Ruth and her continued dedication to her kids.