Gillian Yoder
Greg and Barbara Storm Emerging Dancer
Joined KCB in 2024, +3 Years – Second Company
Gillian Yoder was born in San Diego, California, and raised in Jupiter, Florida. She began her early training at Paris Ballet and Dance before continuing her pre-professional education at Next Generation Ballet under Philip Neal and at The Colburn School under Jenifer Ringer and James Fayette. She also attended five summer programs at Pacific Northwest Ballet School.
In 2021, Yoder joined Kansas City Ballet as a trainee and was promoted to KCB II the following year. With the second company, she performed a wide range of corps de ballet roles, including George Balanchine’s Serenade and Jewels, Lila York’s Celts, Devon Carney’s The Nutcracker, Giselle, and Peter Pan, Alexander Ekman’s Cacti, and Val Caniparoli’s Jekyll & Hyde.
After three seasons with KCB II, Yoder was promoted to apprentice in 2024 and to company artist in 2025. Since joining the company, she has danced numerous roles, including Amor in Anna-Marie Holmes’ Don Quixote; William Forsythe’s In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated; Pas de Trois, Four Little Swans, and Spanish Divertissement in Devon Carney’s Swan Lake. She has also performed Sugar Plum Fairy in Devon Carney’s The Nutcracker, and first Regiment Leader in George Balanchine’s Stars and Stripes.