Carey Rose Winski was born in Illinois on January 27, 1963. She moved with her family to Michigan City, Indiana in 1964 where she lived until her death at age 17 in an automobile accident (June 1980). From the age of 10 she concentrated her efforts on dance training and studied extensively under the supervision of dance instructors Judith Joseph and Ken Brelsfoard. She auditioned for and became a dancer with The Youth Ballet of Dance Arts Unlimited in 1974, rising to soloist in 1976. This company was dedicated to entertaining children in public school systems from Michigan to Chicago. In 1978, she joined The Brelsfoard Dance Theatre Company, immediately taking on featured roles and touring extensively as the group performed at area colleges. Winski also studied at the Briansky School in Saratoga and the Joffrey School in New York. At the time of her death she was in rehearsal for a series of programs to be presented on the historic Laurent Novikoff Dance Porch on the grounds of the Dunes Art Foundation’s Summer Theatre at Michiana Shores, Indiana.

The Carey Rose Winski Memorial Foundation was founded by Winski’s mother, Evelyn “Evvie” Alter, to perpetuate Winski's memory and her love of dance. The annual Dance Scholarship Competition is open to any male or female dancer in the United States between the ages of 13 and 18. Competitors perform two three-minute solos: one in classical ballet and one in any eclectic style.