Ruth Page died on April 8, 1991, in Chicago at age 92, after a career spanning over seven decades as a dancer and choreographer.
Ruth Page died on April 8, 1991, in Chicago, Illinois, at the age of 92. Her death marked the end of an era for American ballet, as she had been an active and influential figure in the art form since the 1920s, spanning nearly the entire development of ballet as a serious discipline in the United States.
At the time of her death, Page was remembered as Chicago's 'grand dame of dance,' a title reflecting her decades-long role in building the city's dance infrastructure, including the Ruth Page Foundation School of Dance and various companies she led, including what would become the Chicago Ballet. The Chicago Tribune and New York Times both published extensive obituaries recognizing her as a pioneering American choreographer who fused classical ballet with distinctly American themes, music, and narrative sensibilities.
Her legacy continued through the Ruth Page Center for the Arts (formerly the Ruth Page School of Dance) in Chicago, which continued to train dancers in her name long after her death. She left behind a body of choreographic work that included over ninety ballets, many drawing on American folklore, jazz, and contemporary themes rather than solely European classical traditions, cementing her reputation as a uniquely American artistic innovator.