Bios
Annaluna Karkar
Executive Director
Annaluna E. Karkar, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Wausau Dance Theatre began her training with her mother, Madame Karkar, and as a scholarship student at the Joffrey Ballet School in New York City. She continued her training with Dame Margot Fonteyn and Wayne Stewarte, both of the Royal Ballet.
Moving from in front of the audience to behind the scenes, her extensive background in production includes work in Los Angeles, CA for Telepictures, LMNO, Warner Brothers, and Universal Studios. She has also worked in development for musicians including Kenny Loggins, PowerStation, and Andy & John Taylor. Her many interesting experiences include work for the Ford's Theater Benefit under the Clinton Administration.
Annaluna has been a panelist for the Wisconsin Arts Board since 2001 and has been a speaker at many conferences most notably the 2004 Arts Midwest Conference and Arts Day 2007. She has been on the Board of Directors of United Cerebral Palsy, Chairs and Cares Model Accessible House, Inc., Children's Service Society of Wisconsin, and the Wisconsin Alliance for Arts Education for which she served as interim Executive Director. She is currently a Board member of the Women's Community, Inc.
Ms. Karkar was the recipient of the prestigious Women of Vision Award presented by the YWCA.
Ms. Karkar is married to James Collison and the mother of two beautiful children.
Patrik Kasper
Artistic Director
Patrik Kasper began his training at the Central Wisconsin School of Ballet and was also a scholarship student with Robert Joffrey in New York City. He has performed many of the major roles in the classics and Balanchine Ballets. He has performed with the Milwaukee Ballet, San Diego Ballet and Festival Ballet.
In 1992, Mr. Kasper and Valerie Robin competed in the Varna International Ballet Competition, becoming the first American couple in 10 years to make the final round. He is a certified Pilates Instructor and has worked with and trained many professional athletes, including Olympic figure skaters and gymnasts.
Mr. Kasper is the founder of SNEAKER MOVES, an Out-Reach program geared for elementary and middle school students, a member of the Kennedy Center Education Alliance, is a regular on the Community Health Care Community Education Program circuit, and has lectured for the Wisconsin Women's Health Foundation.
Waltraud G. Karkar
Artistic Consultant
Waltraud Karkar is the founder of the Central Wisconsin School of Ballet & Wausau Dance Theatre, had her training in Europe and in the United States, and has completed the Vaganova (Russian) Grades with Madame Vilu Vecsey, Prima Ballerina, Budapest, Hungary. During her career as a teacher, she studied with and was coached by Joan Lawson, a well-known author, teacher, and former coach of The Royal Ballet; Stone-Camryn School of Ballet in Chicago and the Joffrey Ballet, New York City. Madame Karkar is the recipient of the first honorary degree from the Isadora Duncan International Institute to teach Isadora Duncan for Children, and writes a monthly column for the Wausau Daily Herald on dance. In the September 1998 issue of DANCE MAGAZINE, she was featured in the "Great Starts Series" as one of the great American teachers.