Help Killian Rudd study at Royal Ballet School

Our son, Killian, is graduating from high school a year early so that he can achieve his dream of becoming a professional ballet dancer. He has been accepted to Royal Ballet School’s upper school in London and will begin training there in September of 2023. He looks forward to living and studying ballet there for the next two to three years. We are incredibly proud of his hard work and accomplishments!

While we are doing everything we can to help his dreams become a reality and get him to the Royal Ballet, we could use help from others who are so inclined. All funds will go towards offsetting the costs of his tuition, room and board, living expenses, and travel while living and studying at Royal Ballet School.

Killian began dancing in 2014 at International Ballet Academy in Cary, North Carolina when he was eight years old. He attended his first YAGP regional ballet competition when he was eleven as a part of an ensemble piece, which won second place. He competed in the YAGP junior division when he was fourteen where he advanced to the finals and placed in the junior men's Top Twelve. He won a full scholarship and studied at the Harid Conservatory in Boca Raton that summer.

The following year, he won first place at YAGP regionals—his first year competing in the senior men's division. At ADC regionals that year, he placed fourth in classical, fifth in contemporary, and second in pas de deux with his partner Seraphina, advancing him to the final round for both competitions. At ADC finals, he placed in the Top Ten senior men and won a full scholarship to the Ellison Ballet summer intensive in New York City, which he attended in 2022. He also placed in the Top Twelve senior men at YAGP finals, winning multiple scholarships to both summer programs and year-round programs.

This past school year, Killian was one of only five male dancers from the United States invited to the prestigious Prix de Lausanne competition in Lausanne, Switzerland where Royal Ballet offered him a spot in their program. He also competed at YAGP regionals, where he won first place in the pas de deux category with his partner Lola and won second place in both senior men's classical and contemporary. He and Lola won second place for their pas de deux at ADC finals, and they placed in the Top Twelve for their pas at YAGP finals, where he once again placed in the Top Twelve for senior men. Killian was also invited to compete at the prestigious ADC-IBC competition in Jackson, MS, which only takes place once every four years.

Killian loves ballet, and he loves to dance, and it is a way for him to express himself as an athlete, an artist, and a human. One of our hopes for raising our children is that they would grow to properly order their loves and to love those things that are lovely. Ballet is that which is worth loving, and we cannot wait to see where this art form takes Killian.

We would love to have you partner with us to help Killian continue his education and his training. Thank you so much for your consideration!