DOB: June 26, 2000 • Height: 6′ • Weight: 165
Roland’s passion for ballet, and his consistent run of fundamentals-oriented instructors, has led him to become a very strong, sound and articulate dancer, whose teachibility, musicality, jumping ability, partnering skills and dramatic presentation has quickly led him to success in his young career.
ROLAND’S STORY
Roland began his ballet training at Hope Garden Ballet at the age of 8. After 6 years of steady growth Roland transferred to Maryland Youth Ballet, where his interest in ballet became a passion. During 4 years at MYB Roland continued to concentrate on fundamentals, partnering skills, and developing impressive jumping ability.
Roland attended summer intensives starting at Pittsburgh Ballet Theater in 2015, followed by Orlando Ballet and Boston Ballet. After Roland auditioned for the Ballet West 2018 Intensive he was approached by Jeff Rogers, who was confident that Roland’s skills would garner him a full scholarship at the summer intensive, and likely lead to an invitation to join the Trainee Division at Ballet West Academy.
With the hope that he would be invited to stay in Salt Lake City, Roland, a high school junior, enrolled in a private online high school, and completed his senior year of high school while he also completed his junior year in public school, and also performed as the featured male dancer in every MYB production. Roland graduated high school days before he left for Salt Lake, and a strong summer intensive lead to the hoped-for trainee position.
Roland continued to develop during the 2018-2019 season, culminating in his being featured in four of the five pieces in the Academy’s season-ending performance, including being selected by the Balenchine Trust to dance the role of Oberon in Scherzo, and in Pas #1 in Bruce Marks’ Lark Ascending.
Roland began the 2019-2020 season as a temporary member of Ballet West II, performing with the first company as a mandarin in Balenchine’s Le Chant du Rossignol, and traveling to Anchorage for the opening of the 2019 production of The Nutcracker.
Having received a Ballet West II contract for the 2020-2021 season, Roland was preparing for prominent roles in the Academy’s spring show, including the fourth movement soloist in Balanchine’s Western Symphony. Unfortunately this performance, and ultimately Roland’s career in Salt Lake, was ended by the Covid-19 pandemic.
After spending a year away from the stage and studio due to the pandemic, Roland signed a second company contract with the Richmond Ballet for their 2021-2022 season. He performed in their Studio 2 series as a corps member in Balanchines’ Allegro Brilliante, and also in the world premiere of Tom Mattingly’s Jahreszeiten. Roland was also featured in the last performances of the Richmond Ballet’s most recent iteration of The Nutcracker as Russian.