Ballet Brazos Lead Dancer
Rowdie Swanson
Rowdie, 16, is a Sophmore at College Station High School. She began dancing in Beaumont, TX at the age of 5. In 2019, Rowdie and her family moved to College Station, TX, where she began dancing at The Ballet Academy at Suzanne’s School of Dance, under the direction of Christi Varvel and the training of John and Aya Reid, and this year she has become a member of the Encore Company where she will have the opportunity to attend the Regional Dance America Festival in March of 2023. Rowdie has attended the Joffrey Academy summer intensive in Chicago from 2019 to 2021, and this past summer she attended the Colordo Ballet summer intensive in Denver.
Rowdie started performing with Ballet Brazos in 2019 at the age of 12. She has performed in The Nutcracker as Lead Chinese, Party Girl, Clara Understudy, Snowflake, Flower and Lead Spanish. This year, for the two evening shows Rowdie will perform as the Soldier Doll, Snowflake, Marzipan and Flower. For the matinee she can be seen as Snow Queen, Marzipan and Flower. She is also the Understudy for Lead Marzipan and Flower Fairy. Also, for Ballet Brazos, Rowdie has performed as a Flower in the production of Peter and the Wolf in 2020 and as the Bird in 2022.
Rowdie would like to thank Ballet Brazos for this wonderful opportunity, and her family for always supporting and believing in her.
Photo: Shannon Morton Photography