Ben Rudisin

Principal Dancer

Ben Rudisin View Gallery

Quick Facts

Born: Woodbridge, Virginia
Trained: North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem and Houston Ballet II in Texas
Joined: 2013
Principal Dancer Since: 2021

Ben Rudisin is sponsored through Dancers First by Sylvie Allard & Brian O’Keefe.

 

Five Things to Know

  1. 1Ben's repertoire includes Diaghilev in Nijinsky, Prince Gremin in Onegin, the male lead in Being and Nothingness, Paris in Romeo and Juliet, Icicle in The Nutcracker, The Mad Hatter in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and 
  2. L’Allumeur in Le Petit Prince.  
  3.  
  4. 2His dog is named Buffy after one of his favourite television shows from the 90s, Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
     
  5. 3One of Ben’s favourite hobbies to do after a long day of rehearsals is crocheting.
     
  6. 4Ben loves cooking and baking shows. He often binge-watches shows such as The Great Canadian Bake Off and Master Chef. He'd also love to compete on the reality show Survivor but only once he's done dancing. 
     
  7. 5
  8. Ben fell in love with ballet after seeing Swan Lake as a child. In 2017, he made his debut as Rothbart while he was still a member of the Corps de Ballet.

 

Favourite Ballets

  1. 1Swan Lake
     
  2. 2Petite Mort
     
  3. 3Theme and Variations
     
  4. 4The Second Detail
     
  5. 5Emergence

 

Reviews

Nijinsky
“Ben Rudisin was a haughty, vaguely menacing Diaghilev and showcased impressive strength touched with sensuality.”
–  ArtsFile.ca

“Able to partner any company’s tallest women, Rudisin rocketed through the ranks at National Ballet, from apprentice to principal in less than eight years. All his strengths, from partnering to collaborating, will be on display in the season-opening program.”
–  The Globe and Mail