Ruby Truly actor artist

rubytruly@rubytruly.com

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Maui girl

I was born Linda Ansai, third generation, sansei, of Japanese heritage on the island of Maui, Hawaii. That's my grandfather's barbershop in Lahaina taken around 1920 at the end of this page. I began studying theater at Baldwin High School (Sue Louden) and continued at the University of Hawaii (Glenn Cannon, SAG Hawaii president) but my greatest influence was and continues to be the hula. I began dancing the hula in the third grade and continued until I graduated from high school. When I returned to Maui in 2004 I began dancing again under the tutelage of Kumu Hula Keli'i Tau'a. I am sharing some hula stories on this site.

I immigrated to Canada in the 60's, moved to the country and had a son, Clay Hastings, a very gifted performance artist in his own right and a constant source of inspiration. I homesteaded, learned how to chop wood, shovel snow, fish in a lake, can fruit, recognize edible wild mushrooms, and live with bears (an ongoing challenge).

I spent fifteen years working in professional theatre and television and in 1982 I extended my work into the world of electronic media art. This was before personal computers, video camcorders, or the internet. Everything was edited old school, doing A/B rolls with two 3/4" u-matic tape decks. As the technology developed and changed, so did my work. I still use the production techniques I learned from the stage and film, and continue to perform in my time-based work. I don't usually work in dramatic narrative but since hula taught me to be a storyteller, there is always a story within the frame.

When the internet began to accommodate streaming video, I knew that would be the next venue for my work but it has taken me a while to venture into this new media. This is my first attempt at building a web site. Feedback is appreciated. I am excited to author my art web page that will link you to videos and performance art and works in progress.

I invite you to check out the Wireless Bodies Project and other video art through the art link. The Wireless Bodies Project marked my re-entry into the collaborative process with the late Blake Parker, spoken word artist, and performance poet. After many years of working independently, I welcomed the move to work with other talent and Wireless Bodies also pushed me to use the computer to create electronic 2-D animation and drawings, and I use my Amiga 2000 in performance, paying homage to my roots in analogue video technology. I am excited to share my work with you through this web site. Please email me, and introduce yourself. I enjoy collaborating with musicians, dancers, spoken word artists, and performance artists in an ongoing experiment to discover new creative applications for technology. I currently live both on Maui and in BC and make art wherever I can, perform whenever I get the chance, and dance the hula in everything I do.