Rosanna Ruffo is native of Panama where she began her ballet training at the National School of Ballet.  She received a scholarship to study at the Russian Ballet Academy (Vaganova School of Ballet) in Saint Petersburg - Russia.  While in Russia Ms.Ruffo performed at The Mariinsky Theatre in Les Sylphides, The Nutcracker,Paquita and La Bayadère and others  In1982, after four years of performing in St. Petersburg and study with NataliaM. Dudinskaya, Tatiana A. Udalenkova and Konstantin M. Sergeyev, she returned to Panama and performed with the National Ballet of Panama as a soloist.  In 1985 she was promote to the rank of a principal dancer.  Under artistic direction of Dame Margot Fontayn Ms. Ruffo performed the leading roles in La Bayadère, Swan Lake, Giselle, The Nutcracker, Les Sylphides.   In 1986 the Mayor of New Orleans has conferred the title for her of International Honorary Citizen.  In 1988 Ms. Ruffo joined Indianapolis Ballet Theatre (Indianapolis, USA) and performed there the leading roles in The Nutcracker, Giselle, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Romeo and Juliet, Raymonda, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Variations Brilliante and George Balanchine's Night Shadow.  In Indianapolis she was working with Alla Sizova, Irina Kolpakova, John Taras and others.  Rosanna has been a guest artist with ballet companies in New Orleans, New Haven, San Antonio, San Francisco, Sacramento,Saint Louis, Chicago and with the National Ballet of Panama.  In her reviews by Betsy Light: Ruffo is “(…)the guiding spirit for Giselle(…)”, and in her last dance review in 1994 from Romeo and Juliet a New York Time critic Jack Anderson said “(…)Rosanna Ruffo was an eager Juliet, who moved lightly and impulsively, as if wanting to soar upward with every step and gesture.(…)”

          

Since 1995, Ms. Ruffo is a member of the dance faculty at Butler University and she teaches ballet, pointe as well she choreograph’s for Butler Ballet Company.