Biography

Rory began dancing at a very young age, and has always shown passion, strong focus, and commitment to developing his skills to the highest level.

At age 12, Rory took part in a competitive audition process and gained a place at the prestigious Dance School of Scotland.  During his time at the school he was awarded the Progress Prize, took part in the school’s choreography performances, and performed in end of year shows at the Theatre Royal, Glasgow and The Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. In 2013 he successfully auditioned for a part in Scottish Ballet’s production of Hansel & Gretel.   At the age of 16, Rory gained his RAD Advanced 1 (Ballet), ISTD Advanced 2 (National Dance), and ISTD Intermediate (Modern Dance) certificates.

In 2016, Rory was offered a place on the Scottish Ballet’s Youth Exchange Programme, where he attended weekly classes and workshops at Scottish Ballet.  This took much dedication and commitment as he took part in this alongside his dance school classes and studying for his National 5 exams.

Rory travelled to New York with the Youth Exchange group to collaborate with students from TISCH School of The Arts at New York University.  While there he had the opportunity to take classes at New York City Ballet.

At age 16, Rory competed against students from the UK and abroad for a place to study at the prestigious Central School of Ballet, London.  He was proud to be the only student in his year achieve this, and accepted a place on the BA (Hons) in Professional Dance and Performance.

How the Award Helped