Ryland Acree III, originally from Floyd, Virginia, began his dance education at age nine training with Sandra Meythaler, Michele Plescia, Olivier Muñoz, Le Yin, Peter Boal, and Alexei Kremnev. He has attended summer intensives at Boston Ballet, Orlando Ballet, Milwaukee Ballet, Texas Ballet Theater, and Pacific Northwest Ballet all on full scholarship, graduating from the Professional Division of Pacific Northwest Ballet.

Acree joined Oklahoma City Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet in 2021. His repertoire includes works by Gerald Arpino, Septime Webre, Edwaard Liang, Jessica Lang, Jean-Christophe Maillot, Bruce Wells, Val Caniparoli, Twyla Tharp, and George Balanchine. Acree has performed leading roles such as Hans in Ryan Jolicoeur-Nye’s The Nutcracker, Benvolio in Edwaard Liang’s Romeo & Juliet and White Rabbit and The King in Brian Enos’ Alice in Wonderland. Featured roles include Jessica Lang’s To Familiar Spaces in Dream, Puss in Boots in Ryan Jolicoeur-Nye’s The Sleeping Beauty, and Snow Prince in Gerald Arpino's The Nutcracker.

International highlights include performing in Cinderella at the Bravissimo International Festival in Guatemala City as well as performing as a guest artist with the Alberta Ballet in Bruce Wells’ A Midsummer Night's Dream. Theater credits include performing as Mush in Disney’s Newsies with the Public Theater of San Antonio. Acree was invited to compete in the prestigious XII USA International Ballet Competition and is also a teacher for Oklahoma City Ballet's Yvonne Chouteau School.