Charlene Campbell Carey’s career in ballet, choreography, entertainment, and cultural diplomacy began in 1976 and continues to evolve across artistic and international platforms. Born in Chicago, she received early ballet training from renowned instructors Walter Camryn, Bentley Stone, Larry Long, and her mother, Elisabeth Gillette Campbell. She went on to study on full scholarship at the National Academy of Arts under the tutelage of Lupe Serrano and Michael Maule, a path that led her to American Ballet Theatre (ABT). At ABT, she completed her training, created choreography for the school, joined the faculty, and served as assistant to Director Patricia Wilde.

Continuing her family’s legacy, Ms. Carey danced at Radio City Music Hall, following in the footsteps of her mother, who performed there for thirteen years after World War II. Her choreography career expanded in Chicago, where she served as resident choreographer for Light Opera Works and spent eight years on the faculty at the Lou Conte Dance Studio, home of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago.

Throughout her career, Ms. Carey has served as a leading dancer and choreographer for hundreds of ballets, operas, industrials, nightclub acts, and television specials. Her credits include shows at Chicago’s McCormick Place, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade floats (Coleco and Hallmark), the Los Angeles Japan-America Conference with President Ronald Reagan, the Beverly Hills Christmas Show with Whoopi Goldberg, and choreographer on “Murder, She Wrote” starring Angela Lansbury. She choreographed the ABC television special Indestructible People and On My Toes featuring Katya Artyushkina.

Ms. Carey choreographed the feature film Desire, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 1988 and featured many of the world’s top ballet dancers. She co-starred in the film alongside Johan Renvall, principal dancer of ABT, and later produced Season of Change starring Michael Madsen, and The Flying Dutchman featuring Rod Steiger and Eric Roberts. She also coached numerous Hollywood actors and served on the faculty of prominent Los Angeles studios including Yvonne Mounsey’s Westside Ballet and Stanley Holden’s Ballet School.

In 1998, Ms. Carey founded Rocky Mountain Ballet Theatre (RMBT) in Missoula, Montana. Since then, she has created over 75 original ballets for the company and led international tours beginning in 2002. RMBT dancers have appeared in major stage and film productions, including The Flying Dutchman, Kismet, and Candide. Ms. Carey continues to teach and direct commissions throughout the United States, Europe, Russia, Brazil, Colombia, Pakistan, the UAE, Mexico, Panama, Cuba, and China.

In 2008, prior to the Beijing Olympics, Ms. Carey led RMBT on a successful cultural diplomacy tour through Beijing, Guilin, Yangshuo, Shanghai, and Suzhou, China. This led to her invitation to return as a master teacher and coach at the prestigious Beijing Dance Academy International Ballet Competition. RMBT established a tradition of presenting command performances in Montana for former Senator Max Baucus and visiting dignitaries from China, Peru, Vietnam, Colombia, Morocco, Panama, Chile, South Korea, Australia, Tajikistan, Russia, Japan, New Zealand, Bahrain, and many others.

RMBT partnered with the University of Montana’s International Programs, the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center, and the Center for Southwest Asia Studies to deepen its cultural outreach. Ms. Carey choreographed the Going Viral series—ballets integrating multimedia and scientific research from the Level 4 Lab in Hamilton, Montana. These works addressed global health issues such as Ebola, Polio, HPV, Dengue Fever, West Nile, and Influenza. Notably, the Gates Foundation used RMBT’s Polio Ballet as an educational tool worldwide.

In 2010, RMBT returned to China, performing in Liuzhou and Nanning in Guangxi Province and headlining U.S. cultural programming at the Shanghai World Expo. The company participated in cross-cultural dialogues with institutions including the Suzhou Ballet, Robert Mundell University for Entrepreneurship, the National Ballet of China, and the Beijing Dance Academy.

In 2011, RMBT joined Senator Baucus on an official U.S. Trade Mission to Brazil and Colombia. The company was then invited to perform gala events at the Salzburg Music Festival in Austria, in collaboration with Salzburg Ballet. In 2014, RMBT embarked on a three-month European tour with highlights including a residency in Ischia, Italy with Master Violinist Henry Gronnier, and performances at the Wien Welt Wettbewerb during the Impulstanz Festival under the direction of Vladimir Malakhov. RMBT’s success led to its role as U.S. Director and host for the Vienna International Ballet Experience (VIBE).

Also in 2014, RMBT toured China under the auspices of the U.S. State Department. The company performed at the Tianqiao Theater in Beijing, presented by the National Ballet of China, and participated in an exchange with the Chinese Disabled Performance Troupe facilitated by U.S. Ambassador Max Baucus and Melodee Hanes Baucus.

In 2015, Ms. Carey was invited to serve as Guest Ballet Mistress at the GOH Ballet Academy in Vancouver, Canada, under the direction of Prima Ballerina Chan Hon Goh. She has also served on international juries for ballet competitions including VIBE (Vienna), OPUS Ballet (Florence), and several ballet “examen” panels worldwide.

In 2016, Ms. Carey launched Ballet Beyond Borders (BBB), a global festival of dance and diplomacy. Held annually in Montana and internationally in Los Angeles (2019, 2022, 2024) and Havana, Cuba (2024, 2025), BBB includes an elite multi-genre dance competition, a young choreographers’ platform, film screenings, essay contests, diplomacy forums, and a Gala Finale. The festival celebrates dance as a universal language of peace and cultural connection.

Currently, RMBT maintains an unprecedented and dynamic partnership with Lizt Alfonso Dance Cuba, bringing together artists from the U.S. and Cuba for collaborative performances and people-to-people cultural exchange initiatives.

Looking ahead, RMBT is developing a new project, set to begin production in February 2026. This emotionally resonant work—featuring BBB dancers, alumni, and creatives—will tell the story of a mother’s love and her child’s journey through cancer and chemotherapy. It will be a powerful testament to resilience, compassion, and the unifying strength of the arts.