Caroline Gruber

Ballet Master

Born in New York City, Caroline Gruber moved to London, England at the age of four. She trained at the Royal Ballet School in London until she was 17 before moving to Paris to complete her ballet training with a teacher from the Paris Opera.

Following graduation, Gruber spent six years dancing with the Het Nationale Ballet, the largest ballet company in The Netherlands. She joined the Royal Winnipeg Ballet in 1988, and danced lead roles in Nutcracker, Giselle, Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake. In one of her final performances in 2000, she performed Sir Frederick Ashton’s Brahms Waltzes in the manner of Isadora Duncan.

Gruber joined the teaching faculty at the RWB in 2007, working extensively with Company dancers, and lending her knowledge to the staging of classical repertoire such as Nutcracker and Swan Lake. She also works with both the Recreational and Professional divisions of the RWB School, coaching students and setting repertoire as well as working directly with the Aspirants program.

Most recently she served as a guest ballet master with Edmonton Citie Ballet, guest classical teacher at the Vancouver Ballet Society Spring Seminar, judged ballet competitions in Moose Jaw, and the North Island of Performing Arts in BC, and taught at the Cecchetti Ballet Society Seminar. Having studied under Anne Green-Gilbert, Pioneer of the Brain Dance, Gruber is qualified to teach Creative Movement, adding to her extensive credentials.

As a teacher, Gruber understands the power of teachers to influence a dancer’s development. On a personal level, she credits a number of excellent teachers who have influenced her own work and creativity. She cites such notable teachers as Nancy Kilgour, M. Messerer, Eileen Ward, Ivan Kramer, Irina Jacobson, Homer Bryant, David Moroni, Truman Finney, Evelyn Hart, Lindsay Fischer, and Jean Yves Esquerre.

In addition to her ongoing work with the dancers, Gruber works with the organization in a number of areas, assisting with fund development, student outreach and the committee for RWB’s annual Ballet Ball.