Michael Wise - Co Director

Mr. Wise was born in Charleston and studied at the North Carolina School of the Arts. In 1988 Mr. Wise was asked to train in Budapest as the Hungarian representative in international ballet competitions. He then joined the Moscow Classical Ballet, and was then promoted to Principal Dancer - the only American to have held this position in a major Soviet ballet company. In 1990, the Russian government awarded him the Tchaikovsky Diploma for continuous high levels of Technique and Artistry. After Russia, Mr. Wise continued to perform internationally as a Principal Dancer. Mr. Wise has taught ballet for over 20 years, prepared many students for international ballet competitions and professional careers.

Olga Wise - Co Director


Olga Tchoub Wise is a native of Moscow, Russia. Mrs. Wise graduated from the Bolshoi Choreographic Institute with a Masters Degree in the Fine Arts. In 1990 she accepted an offer to join the Moscow Classical Ballet as a soloist. She went on to work as a Principal Dancer with internationally known dancers and companies. She is a highly sought-after Master Teacher and Choreographer, and has frequently judged classical ballet competitions.

Bethany Rupert

Bethany Rupert is a native of Charleston, SC and is currently a Senior at The College of Charleston, double majoring in Psychology and Dance with a concentration in Performance and Choreography.  Bethany began her dance training at Metro North Dance where she trained in the Cecchetti method of ballet for 11 years and passed Cecchetti Exams 1-6. She started training at Robert Ivey Ballet Academy in the Vaganova method of ballet in 2013. She continues her ballet and modern dance training at Robert Ivey Ballet Academy and at The College of Charleston. Along with ballet and modern, she has trained in contemporary, jazz, tap, hip-hop, and lyrical. Bethany has studied to be a ballet teacher under the mentorship of Carroll Thompson, Michael Wise, and Olga Wise. She began assistant teaching at the age of 12 and teaching on her own at the age of 14.  She currently teaches students of all ages at Robert Ivey Ballet.  After graduation, her plan is to continue teaching dance to students of all ages and become a dance therapist for people with disabilities