In March 1989, Michael Fichtenbaum, a former dancer of the Vienna State Opera, founded a private ballet school with a focus on professional training.
By spring 1990, Die Puppenfee was performed for the first time, and Michael Fichtenbaum, together with the wife of the then-mayor, Hermine Gruber, established the youth ensemble Ballet Jeunesse Hippolyte.
In 1992, the school was integrated into the state capital’s Music and Art School. A foundation for many future successes was laid in 1993 through collaborations with renowned choreographers such as Renato Zanella, Yuri Grigorovich, Peter Breuer, and, most notably, the exceptional dancer Vladimir Malakhov.