Karl (he/him) is a multi-racial Belgian-American ballet dancer and current Company Apprentice with Oregon Ballet Theatre (OBT). He began his dance training at age 16 with the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School’s Student and Pre-Professional Divisions, later joining the ballet program at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) at the invitation of former Dean of Dance Susan Jaffe.

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While at UNCSA, Karl performed in original stage and film productions featuring works by Claudia Schreier, Ilya Kozadayev, Mikhail Tchoupakov, Gina Patterson, and Tom Gold. He was selected by the Thomas S. Kenan Institute to train in Harlem under Endalyn Outlaw and Donald Williams as part of UNCSA’s partnership with the Dance Theatre of Harlem.

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Karl graduated in 2024 with a BFA in Classical Ballet and a minor in Arts Entrepreneurship. His artistic and academic excellence were recognized through the Tom Kenan Merit Scholarship, the School of Dance Dean’s Fellowship, and the Gillian Murphy Endowed Scholarship (awarded twice).

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Since joining OBT in 2024, Karl has performed in works by Loughlan Prior, Tiit Helimets, Ben Stevenson, and Artistic Director Dani Rowe. He also serves on faculty at the Oregon Ballet Theatre School and is a member of OBT’s Culture Committee. In the same year, Karl appeared as a guest artist with Nevada Ballet Theatre.

 

Beyond the stage, Karl is a certified Pilates Mat Instructor and a certified Racial Equity Consciousness Facilitator through the University of Pittsburgh. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Industrial-Organizational Psychology through Harvard Extension School.