Ronald Paul Guidi (Ronn) passed away on Thanksgiving, November 25, 2021 at the age of 85. A Catholic Mass will be celebrated on Monday, December 13th at 10:30 a.m. at Divine Mercy Catholic Church in Oakland, CA. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Ronn Guidi Foundation for Dance: 490 Lake Park Avenue #10653. Oakland CA 94610. Ronn was born on July 10, 1936 to Louis and Blanche Guidi in Oakland. His father was an Italian immigrant who trained as a boxer and worked the assembly line at the original General Motors plants in Oakland and Fremont. His French mother ran a dinette called Blanche’s Café in Oakland. Ronn will be remembered as the Founding Artistic Director of the Oakland Ballet. At its peak, Ronn's world-class company employed 28 full-time dancers. Ronn brought back to the stage lost ballets of the Ballet Russes era, 1909–1929, alongside a mix of classic story ballets and original commissions for audiences at Oakland's historic Paramount Theatre and at national and international venues. He lived for ballet and taught his last class in November, 2021. He was known for telling his students, “One more time, my loves.” His untimely passing has left his family and friends devastated and saddened. Ronn is survived by his loving sister Yvonne Guidi-Evans and her daughters: Renee Weiland, Denise Davila, Michelle Rodgers. He is also survived by the sons and daughters of his late brother, Louis (Snooky) Guidi: Jerry Guidi, Debbie Guidi-Roddick, Lori Stubblefield, Marty Guidi and their spouses. Ronn has 10 great and 7 great-great nieces and nephews. Moreover, Ronn is survived by the hundreds of dancers and students who had the good fortune to study and/or perform with him. Ronn will be sadly missed by his family, friends, and loved-ones across the dance community.
