Growing up, Khalil Rogers spent his time playing sports – never envisioning himself transitioning into musical theatre. Even during his time at Owensboro High School, when he was playing football and a member of the cheer team, the stage never crossed his mind.
Fast forward to this past March, Rogers, alongside multiple of his University of Kentucky cheer teammates, were invited to try out and joined the cast for Bring It On: The Musical – performing nightly from June 16 to 22.
“On the first night, I was crazy nervous because where we performed at sat 11,000 people,” Rogers said.
“I performed in front of a big crowd before, but not doing a musical. Once I got up there, I was kind of nervous, but as I got going, I was flowing with it. Every single night it got easier and easier. The last night I was sad it was over, but I had a great experience.”
Shortly after tryouts, practices began during the second week of May, and rehearsals started in early June. Cast as cheer ensemble, Rogers and his teammates utilized their cheer skills, had a few scenes in the background, and were in multiple dance sequences.
Gaining confidence after every performance, Rogers’ calm demeanor allowed him to keep his emotions in check on the final night and acknowledged that a return to the stage isn’t out of the question.
“We were discussing how if they brought it back, we would all do it again,” Rogers said. “So, I hope they do bring it back so I can do it again, because that would make me happy.”
Graduating Owensboro High School in 2023, Rogers just finished his sophomore year at the University of Kentucky. Since arriving at campus, he has been a member of the cheer team and was recently named to the varsity roster – Blue Squad.
“This was my goal, and over the last few years, I have worked really hard,” Rogers said. “I felt like I deserved it, putting countless hours in the gym, and I am happy all of the hard work finally paid off.”
When arriving at campus as a freshman, Rogers lacked cheer skills in his arsenal, but over the last two years has improved in both tumbling and stunts, evolving over his two years on White Squad. Cheer practice recently started, and Rogers has his eyes set on a National Championship, a goal he believes his team can achieve.
