Peggy Dolkas is the Founder and Artistic Director of Dolkas Dance. A dancer, educator, choreographer, and artistic leader, her career has spanned professional performance, coaching, choreography, and artistic direction. Drawing on those experiences, she approaches her work with a deep respect for classical ballet and a commitment to developing dancers with artistry, individuality, and a strong technical foundation.

A native of Auburn, California, Peggy began her early ballet training with Sheila Humphreys, former Soloist and Ballet Mistress of The Royal Ballet, before continuing her education at Canada’s National Ballet School in Toronto. There, she trained with distinguished faculty including Sergiu Stefanschi, Lindsay Fischer, and Deborah Hess and was awarded the Peter Dwyer Scholarship and the Christopher Ondaatje Ballet Prize.

Upon graduating in 2000, Peggy joined The National Ballet of Canada, where she was selected to perform in a private presentation for His Royal Highness King Charles III. She later joined Ballet West, rising to the rank of Soloist and performing principal roles including Aurora, Giselle, Odette/Odile, and Juliet in Jonas Kåge’s premiere of Romeo and Juliet. In 2007, she was recognized by Dance Magazine as one of its “25 to Watch.”

Following her performing career, Peggy turned her focus toward coaching, choreography, and artistic leadership. She served as Ballet Mistress for Nevada Ballet Theatre under Artistic Director James Canfield, assisting in the staging of repertoire alongside renowned répétiteurs including Cynthia Gregory and Sandra Jennings, while also training artists from Cirque du Soleil.

Peggy later returned to Ballet West, joining Artistic Director Adam Sklute and the artistic staff as Associate Director of Ballet West II. In this role, she assisted in the staging of works by choreographers including Jiří Kylián, Marius Petipa, George Balanchine, and John Cranko, while teaching, coaching, and mentoring dancers throughout the Ballet West Academy, Ballet West II, and the main company.

Her choreographic work has received numerous honors, including Outstanding Choreography at Youth America Grand Prix, Best Choreographer at the Salt Lake City Artys, and the Salt Lake City Arts Commission Dance Award. She co-choreographed Ballet West’s Family Series productions of The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and Beauty and the Beast, contributing to the librettos, narration recordings, and musical arrangements in collaboration with Pamela Robinson-Harris. The productions were later restaged for Cincinnati Ballet, with adaptations created for Longview Ballet. From 2021–2025, Peggy served as Co-Artistic Director and Choreographer of The Nutcracker for Placer Theatre Ballet.

After returning to her hometown of Auburn, Peggy taught for Sacramento Ballet in both the school and professional company, as well as at Northern California Dance Conservatory and DNA Dance Collective. In 2025, she founded Dolkas Dance, bringing together the experiences that have shaped her career to create a training environment rooted in classical tradition, thoughtful mentorship, and the development of each dancer as an individual artist.