DANCER PROMOTIONS: Rylee Ann Rogers

Rylee Ann Rogers in Light Rain | Photo by Beau Pearson
 

Ballet West Corps Artist and Utah native Rylee Ann Rogers began dancing about the time she learned how to walk. She trained at Barlow Arts Academy in Utah County and, as a child, performed the role of Clara in Willam Christensen’s The Nutcracker with Ballet West for two years in a row; and then reprised the role in Radio City's Christmas Spectacular in New York City. During her high-school years, she moved to New York to train with the School of American Ballet. She dreamed of being accepted into the New York City Ballet, but when she graduated from SAB in 2020, the pandemic meant a different, but amazing journey for her.

During a time when most ballet companies were not accepting new hires, Rogers was fortunate to get a last-minute audition with Ballet West and was offered a contract to join Ballet West II. She was promoted to the main Company in 2022 and is now celebrating a promotion to Demi-Soloist for the 2024-25 season.

Hearing about her promotion was a shock to Rogers. “I didn’t expect it and it was incredibly special to have it be such a surprise. It was truly rewarding hearing that news. I felt as though my hard work this season was seen and acknowledged in the best way,” Rogers said. “As you move up the ranks, you work harder and harder to continue improving. Coming into this next season, I have high expectations for myself. As I reach for my goals, I find it crucial to maintain faith, a positive mindset and strong work ethic.”

Another key aspect to her success is being able to keep her professional career independent from her outside life. “I like being able to take myself out of the space sometimes and leave dance/work in the studio," she says. “I come to the studio because this is my passion, my joy, my job and I love it. Ballet is part of who I am. However, I can go home and focus on the other important things in life, giving them my full attention, outside of the studio. It has been healthy and productive to maintain a work/life balance."

Rogers explains that ballet has truly enriched her life and hopes she can enrich the lives of others through this art form.