Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, population 44,000, is not the first Midwestern city that comes to mind when most people think of ballet training. Yet over the past three decades, it has developed a small but competitive cluster of dance schools serving everyone from preschoolers in first tutus to teenagers eyeing collegiate and pre-professional programs. What the city lacks in the scale of Milwaukee or Chicago, its schools compensate for through individualized attention, lower tuition costs, and unusually tight-knit student cohorts.
This guide examines the three established ballet programs operating in Fond du Lac today, what distinguishes their training philosophies, and what parents and students can realistically expect from dance education in this market.
The Landscape of Ballet Training in Fond du Lac
Ballet instruction in the city traces its modern shape to the 1990s, when former regional dancers began settling in the area and opening studios to fill a gap left by the touring master-class model of earlier decades. Today, Fond du Lac supports three schools with dedicated ballet curricula, all located within 15 minutes of one another. None maintain full-time pre-professional boarding programs—the closest such options remain Milwaukee Ballet School and Academy of Dance Arts in nearby Fox Valley—but all three send students annually to summer intensives, college dance programs, and regional company auditions.
School Profiles
The School of Ballet: Classical Vaganova Roots
Founded: 1998
Artistic Director: Margaret Chen-Whitmore
Location: South Main Street corridor
Margaret Chen-Whitmore, a former soloist with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre who completed her pedagogical training at the Vaganova Academy's faculty courses, established The School of Ballet with a deliberately old-world focus. The school currently enrolls roughly 85 students and runs 14 weekly ballet classes divided by Vaganova grade level rather than age alone.
What sets it apart: Chen-Whitmore's syllabus follows the Vaganova method closely, with formal character dance and mandatory pointe preparation for girls beginning in Level III (typically age 10–11, pending physical readiness assessment). Boys' classes, still small at four to six students, are tuition-free through Level V—a policy Chen-Whitmore instituted in 2015 to address persistent gender imbalances in ballet.
Performance track: Students perform in a full-length Nutcracker partnered with the Fond du Lac Community Orchestra every December, plus a spring repertory concert. In 2023, two Level VII students were accepted to Pacific Northwest Ballet's summer intensive on full scholarship.
Tuition range: $1,200–$3,400 annually depending on level; need-based aid available.
The Ballet Academy: Eclectic Pre-Professional Preparation
Founded: 2007
Director: James R. Keller
Location: West Johnson Street
James Keller, whose performing credits include Memphis Ballet and several national touring companies, founded The Ballet Academy after relocating to Wisconsin for his spouse's academic position. The school serves approximately 110 students and describes its technique as "American eclectic"—primarily Balanchine-influenced with Cecchetti examinations offered for interested students through Grade 6.
What sets it apart: Keller emphasizes contemporary and neoclassical repertory earlier than most small-city schools. Students begin variations and competition coaching in middle school, and the academy's top tier competes at Youth America Grand Prix regionals most years. The academy also maintains the only dedicated pre-professional track in Fond du Lac: 15–20 hours weekly of technique, pointe, men's class, pas de deux, and conditioning for students aged 14–18.
Notable outcomes: Since 2019, three graduates have joined second-company or trainee positions at regional ballet companies (Oklahoma City Ballet, Kansas City Ballet II, and Madison Ballet), and four others currently dance in BFA programs at Indiana University, Butler University, and University of Arizona.
Tuition range: $1,500–$4,800 annually; pre-professional track at the upper end. Multiple-sibling discounts and work-study for older students.
The Dance Center: Accessibility and Cross-Training
Founded: 1992 (ballet curriculum formalized 2004)
Director: Anita Delgado
Location: North Peters Avenue
The Dance Center is the largest of the three schools, with roughly 220 students across all dance forms. Anita Delgado, a former dancer with Ballet Hispánico and concert modern dance companies, brought in a dedicated ballet director—her colleague Elena Voss, formerly of Milwaukee Ballet's education department—in 2004 to build a serious classical track without displacing the school's recreational foundation.
What sets it apart: This is the most flexible entry point for late starters or students cross-training in jazz, modern, and tap. Ballet students can choose between a recreational track (two classes
