Meet The RIB Staff

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.

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You can reach Michael at wise@robertiveyballet.net.

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. Mrs. Olga is also a professor at the College of Charleston as a part of their dance faculty. 

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You can reach Olga at olga@robertiveyballet.net.

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Maria Stewart is a native of Seneca, South Carolina and a recent graduate of  College Of Charleston with a Bachelors of the arts in Dance with a concentration in Performance and Choreography and a minor in Geology. Maria started her training at Foothills Dance Conservatory for 15 years learning both Balanchine and Vaganova Method of ballet under the direction of Ginny Siano-Eck. She has also trained with Joffrey Ballet, South Carolina Governor’s School for Arts and Humanities, Next Generation Ballet and American Ballet Theatre for summer sessions. Maria has also been trained in jazz, contemporary, tap, and modern under Allie Larson and Vaughn Newman. She has continued her education with Robert Ivey Ballet under Olga and Michael Wise since 2020 and is entering her fourth year teaching with Robert Ivey Ballet. 

Kailee Rafalko is a graduate of the College of Charleston with a Bachelor of the Arts in Dance

and Communications. From Hackettstown, New Jersey, she began her dance journey at the age

of 3 at North Jersey School of Dance Arts where she primarily focused on her ballet training.

She began her teaching career at NJSDA at age 15 and continued to teach until she graduated

high school. Additionally, she competed at Youth America Grand Prix in 2020 and 2021. More

recently, she has participated in the College of Charleston’s dance concerts performing in

pieces such as excerpts from La Sylphide and Le Corsaire. During this time, she also performed

with Rovert Ivey Ballet and taught at Rival Dance Academy. While at the College of Charleston,

she was coached by Gretchen McLaine, Kristin Alexander, and Olga Wise, to name a few.

Currently, Kailee continues her dance journey training and teaching with RIB.