Madeleine is originally from Beresford, SD. She is currently the founder, executive director & artistic director of South Dakota’s first professional ballet company; South Dakota Ballet. Madeleine has performed professionally (corps de ballet and soloist roles) with renowned classical ballet companies such as Ballet West, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, Sacramento Ballet & Gelsey Kirkland’s Studio company. She has performed principal roles in masterpieces such as “Cinderella” in Cinderella, the “Waltz Girl” in Balanchine’s iconic Serenade, “Odette & Odile” in Swan Lake & countless others.

Madeleine earned her BFA in ballet from the University of Utah in 2017. Madeleine left home at age 13 to train professionally at various prestigious programs such as the year-round program at the Rock School for Dance Education in Philadelphia, the School of American Ballet (feeder school for New York City Ballet), the Jaqueline Kennedy Onassis School of American Ballet Theatre & Edward Ellison Ballet in New York City. Madeleine is one of two American Ballet Theatre certified teachers in the state of South Dakota. She is also certified to teach the Italian Cecchetti syllabus through grade V & also in Pilates mat/reformer/barre classes.

Madeleine has expertise in various ballet styles such as Vaganova (“Russian”), Balanchine (“American”), Bournonville (“Danish”), Cecchetti (“Italian”), and Cuban. She is one of the most experienced & equipped teachers to produce an employable professional ballet dancer. Madeleine’s Balanchine experience has been handed down to her directly from George Balanchine’s renowned muses including Violette Verdy, Patricia McBride, Zippora Karz, John Clifford, and many others.

Madeleine has trained extensively in the styles of Bournonville (under the direction of Jeff Rogers of Ballet West & Karina Elver, former dancer of the Royal Danish Ballet). She received her Vaganova training from masters such as Elena Kunikova (Internationally sought-after répétiteur & graduate of the Vaganova Ballet Academy), Natasha Zeiger (YAGP judge & graduate of Moscow’s Bolshoi Ballet Academy), & Edward Ellison (internationally recognized ballet coach & former ballet master).

As a performer, Madeleine is known for her athletic facility, adaptability, attention to detail, intellectual capacity & innate ability to convey deep emotions through expressive story-telling. As a coach & mentor Madeleine believes in intentionally challenging each student while uplifting them to gain the confidence & bravery to meet each obstacle with the goal of producing employable artists, remarkable athletes & well- rounded young adults.

She recognizes that the art form of ballet is entrenched in its own culture. When ballet first became institutionalized, dancers were hand-selected based on their body type around 4 years old to become professional ballet dancers. In our current era, ballet has begun to shed the old-fashioned concept of what body type is conducive to a career in professional ballet…however the art form has yet to adapt its training approach to meet the demands of diverse body types & learning styles. In her curriculums, Madeleine aims to preserve the most valuable aspects of ballet culture while incorporating 21st-century elements to enhance each dancer’s physical facility & intellectual capabilities. She continuously conducts research to revamp her curriculums so that they remain top-tier in accommodating/showcasing each unique body type, artist & person.

Apart from ballet, Madeleine has experience in almost every other form of dance. She has performed professionally with LED Boise (a contemporary company recognized as the nation’s Top 25 to Watch by Dance Magazine in 2019). She has performed in commercial work such as the Pro-Bowl Halftime Show in Hawaii as well as opening for hip hop artists such as Nelly & FloRida.

Madeleine is an award-winning choreographer & teacher who has been invited to share her passion with students & professionals across the country. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, learning new hobbies, traveling to beautiful places, developing her yoga practice & helping people recover from injuries & restore their bodies at FYZICAL Therapy & Balance Centers.