Christopher Ruud

About Christopher Ruud

Christopher is currently the Second Company Manager and Company Rehearsal Director with Kansas City Ballet. Now in his 5th season with the company he has choreographed, helped produce, and managed a notable lecture demonstration for the elementary schools of the Greater Kansas City area, been primary rehearsal director for several main stage company productions, has helped advance the training of the Kansas City Ballet School’s upper divisions, and choreographed several crowd pleasing works for many large public events. Christopher Ruud has been a part of the performing arts since birth. Growing up back stage at San Francisco Ballet he absorbed the art of professional dance, performance and stagecraft. Receiving the majority of his dance training at San Francisco Ballet School he began his performing career on the War Memorial Opera House stage. Christopher later found himself at the University of Utah as a student in the Ballet department. He was hired into Ballet West in 1998. Quickly moving through the ranks he was named Principal Dancer in 2004. He spent 21 years as a leading dancer for Ballet West performing a wide range of classical and contemporary repertoire both at home and all over the United States and internationally most notably to sold-out houses in Scotland, China, Chicago, New York, Cuba and at the Kennedy Center receiving glowing reviews. In his time with the company he has worked personally with some of the great names in the ballet world such as: Sir Anthony Dowell, Cynthia Gregory, Glen Tetley, Bart Cook, Maria Calgari, Ben Stevenson, Hans Van Mannen and Francia Russell. Christopher has had success as a choreographer for Ballet West having his ballets performed in the \"Innovations\" program and at their annual gala performance garnering such awards as a New York Choreographic Institute Fellowship as well as several NEA grants. The annual Utah Arts Festival sought a collaborative relationship with Christopher awarding him the Dance Commission several times and had him produce the Festival Ballet programing for close to a decade.

Experience

1. Kansas City Ballet Second Company Manager and Ballet Master

   Kansas City Ballet

   Jul 2019 — Present · Kansas City, MO, US

Skills

• Improvisation
• Costumes
• Choreography
• Choreography, Teacher and Coach of Dance
• Contemporary Dance
• Stage Management
• Modern Dance
• Performing
• Musical Theatre
• Opera
• Art
• Event Planning
• Classical
• Classical Ballet
• Theatre
• Stage Direction
• Ballet
• Arts Administration
• Acting
• Chamber Music
• Performing Arts
• Dance
• Entertainment
• Teaching
• Stage
• Stage Make-Up
• Dance Education
• Stage Combat
• Theatrical Production
• Acrobatics