Our Story 

Founder Waltraud G. Karkar established the Central Wisconsin School of Ballet in 1969 with a vision to create the highest quality dance education program in the region. Madame Karkar received extensive training in Europe and the United States, which included completing the Vaganova Grades with Madame Vilu Vecsey, Prima Ballerina in Budapest, Hungary. During the course of her career as a teacher, Madame Karkar studied with and was coached by a number of highly regarded dance teachers, schools, and companies, including Joan Lawson of the Royal Ballet of England, the Stone-Camryn School of Ballet in Chicago, and the Joffrey Ballet in
New York.

Madame Karkar’s son, Patrik Kasper, joined his mother at the School in 1997. After growing up under the tutelage of his mother, he went on to train at the Joffrey Ballet School in New York City. He then professionally danced and competed for 15 years with companies around the United States. He was a member of the USA Team that traveled to the International Varna Competition, where he and his dance partner placed in the top six and became the first Americans to reach the finals in 10 years. He was also trained and certified by the world-renowned Pilates instructor
Romama Kryzanowska. 

Today the School boasts an award-winning summer intensive program with guest artists that have included: former Kirov Ballet star Irina Kolpakova, who is the current Ballet Mistress at the American Ballet Theater; Vladilen Semynov, former
Ballet Master of the Vaganova School; and Derryl Yeager and Veronica Yeager of Odyssey Dance Theater. The School has also welcomed guests from the Milwaukee Ballet, Hamburg Ballet, Boston Ballet, Royal Ballet of England, and Bolshoi Ballet.

In 2004, the School embarked on its first international tour to Germany at the invitation of Moritz Landgraf Von Hessen. Students performed for the Darmstadter Residenz Festspiele in Darmstadt as well as the Schloss Fasanerie Barock-Castle in Eichenzell – Fulda.

Now in its fifth decade, the Central Wisconsin School of Ballet is committed to providing students with a strong foundation in classical technique, instilling a commitment to the art form, and eliciting a joy of dancing.