Mrs. Long’s professional career began as a teen with the Lyric Opera of Chicago. She started in the Corps de Ballet and left as a Principal Dancer. She danced principal roles with every Ruth Page company from 1954 to 1973. She also danced in Ruth Page and Chicago Tribune production of Ruth Page’s The Nutcracker as the American Beauty Rose and Sugar Plum Fairy for many years. Because of her lifetime connection to Ruth Page, Mrs. Long has been associated with the world’s greatest dancers, choreographers, producers, and designers. Upon her retirement from dancing, she co-founded the Ruth Page Foundation School of Dance in 1971 and still teaches at the school. She has been the teacher and mentor for many professional dancers throughout her teaching career.