The Dancers of Ballet West - Prinicipal Artists

CHRISTOPHER RUUD - San Francisco, California

A native of San Francisco, Christopher began his training at the San Francisco Ballet School at the age of eight. There he studied for seven years before training at the University of Utah Ballet Department. Christopher joined Ballet West in 1998, was promoted to Soloist in 2001 and Principal in 2004.

Since joining the company Christopher has toured throughout the United States and abroad including multi-city tours in China and most recently in Scotland at the Edinburgh International Festival. He has performed such roles as Petruchio in John Cranko's The Taming of the Shrew, Sigfried, Prince Florimund and Romeo in Jonas Kage's Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty and Romeo and Juliet, and the Second Pas de Deux in Anthony Tudor's The Leaves Are Fading. Other performance highlights include the role of Earth Father in Glen Tetley’s The rite of Spring, and the Jester, Little Step-Sister and Prince Charming in Ben Stevenson’s Cinderella. Christopher has also performed soloist and principal roles in Hans van Manen's Polish Pieces, Black Cake and Solo, Val Caniparoli's Book of Alleged Dances , Hamlet and Ophelia Pas de Deux and Lambarena, Ulysses Dove’s Red Angels, and William Forsythe's Artifact II and In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated. Christopher’s Balanchine credits include Liza in Who Cares?, Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Concerto Barocco, the First Aria in Stravinsky Violin Concerto, Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, and the principal man in Theme and Variations.

Son of respected dancer and choreographer Tomm Ruud, Christopher

Is proud to be responsible for his fathers work. Christopher has Set and performed his fathers ballets, such as MOBILE, all over the world and continues to do so to date.