| MadisonBallet

Gretchen Bourg

Gretchen holds a BS in Art Education and has served as a staff member at Interlochen Arts Camp in Interlochen, MI, and a faculty member for A Step Above Dance and Music Academy in Monona, WI, and School of Madison Ballet in Madison, WI. In 2000, Gretchen joined the Madison Ballet Studio Company, under the direction of W. Earle Smith, Artistic Director. She has danced corps and soloist roles in the Nutcracker, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Cinderella, and Peter Pan in addition to performing in repertory pieces for Pure Ballet!, the MSO Grand Viennese Ball and the grand opening festivities for the Overture Center.

Currently, Ms. Bourg is both a faculty member and Registrar at the School of Madison Ballet. She is also Madison Ballet's Education and Outreach Coordinator, conducting dance and movement workshops throughout the community. She continues her own studies with regular ballet, Pilates, yoga and Middle Eastern dance classes.

Marguerite Luksik

Marguerite is a native of Johnstown, PA. She trained with the Allegheny Ballet Academy under Deborah Anthony. She has danced professionally with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Ballet Austin, and Chicago Ballet. She has performed works by choreographers such as Steven Mills, Stanton Welch, Ben Stevenson, Terrence Orr, Thaddeus Davis, and Paul Gibson. She is very excited to be joining the faculty of School of Madison Ballet this year!

Katrina Oeffling

Katrina received her dance training at the School of Ballet Chicago and the Miami Ballet School. She participated in summer workshops at the School of American Ballet and Exploring Ballet with Suzanne Farrell. She appeared with the Miami City Ballet at the Kennedy Center’s Balanchine Celebration and at the Torino Danza Festival in Tourin, Italy. She has also performed with Milwaukee Ballet and City Ballet Theatre. Katrina has appeared in the films “Save the Last Dance” and “The Company.” In addition to dancing, Katrina is also a Wisconsin licensed esthetician and a free-lance make-up artist. She is happy to continue with Madison Ballet for the 2009-2010 season.

Alissa Bratz

Alissa began her training with Eugene Ballet and Salem City Ballet in Oregon state before moving to Wisconsin, where she studied ballet with Jim Moore and Joan Karlen at the University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point Conservatory, where Ms. Bratz began teaching ballet classes. while Favorite roles at the Stevens Point Conservatory include Diamond Fairy in Sleeping Beauty, Carlotta Grisi in Pas de Quatre, and 4 Little Swans in Swan Lake. During this time, Ms. Bratz participated in the Milwaukee Ballet's summer program, training with Basil Thompson and other Milwaukee Ballet dancers and faculty. Ms. Bratz moved to Madison in 1993 to pursue a Linguistics degree at the UW-Madison, continuing training with Diane Woodward and other UW-Madison dance faculty. Favorite roles with Madison Ballet include Snow and Spanish in Nutcracker, Drunken Fairy in Peter Pan. Ms. Bratz teaches French at Milton High School and is a faculty member at the School of Madison Ballet.

Maelanie Kuzma

Maelanie began her ballet training here in Madison with Charmaine Ristow, Susan Marsden, Salvador Barillas, Bess Zana and Tibor Zana. Ms. Kuzma has also trained with the Milwaukee Ballet School, The Joffrey Ballet, and Boston Ballet School. Ms. Kuzma received her BS in Education from the UW-Madison while performing and studying with the UW Dance Program. Ms. Kuzma’s performance credits with Wisconsin Dance Ensemble, Madison Ballet, and Milwaukee Ballet in Nutcracker, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Sylvia, Peter Rabbit's Ballet, as well as many musical theatre roles and student concerts. Ms. Kuzma began teaching ballet in 1992 and has choreographed for many community theatres, high school musical theatre productions and school show choirs. In 1995, Maelanie assumed ownership of A Step Above Dance Studio in Monona, WI, growing and directing the school's dance and music programs for 9 successful years. Ms. Kuzma has received numerous awards at regional conventions for choreography. Ms. Kuzma is currently a faculty member with the School of Madison Ballet and Madison Ballet’s Education and Outreach programs and a Rehearsal Assisstant for Madison Ballet productions.

Rachelle Butler

Rachelle Butler is excited to join the Madison Ballet for this season. As a Madison native she joined the company in its first season for the last two repertory series. She has returned from dancing for the Sacramento Ballet to join the Madison Ballet for the 2010/11 season and is excited to be a part of the Madison community again. She trained with Ballet Chicago, Miami City Ballet, and The Rock School of the Pennsylvania Ballet. Her favorite roles include Ilana Goldman’s Three Muses, one of the five women in trey McIntyre’s Second Before the Ground, and Balanchine’s Who Cares? pas de deux. She would like to thank her family as well as Artistic Director Earle Smith for their continued guidance and support.