Classical Ballet classes like you’ve never seen before.

Tradition. Innovation. Nurturing. Excellence.

Where the experts are child-led. Where we love to learn the rules before we go ahead and break them. Where imagination and reality are one and the same. Where perfection is already within every student, and is also a lifetime pursuit. Where the ordinary is extraordinary.

A brand new approach to an age-old tradition.

An offering of classes as unique as your child’s journey in dance:

  • These classes are the backbone of our studio and our innovative training methods. In Classical Foundations, students follow the Royal Academy of Dance Syllabus, learning exercises designed to develop a child’s technique and artistry side-by-side.

    This is the ideal place to start and very suitable for students who have never participated in dance classes before.

    With consistent attendance students will develop an understanding of ballet fundamentals which leads to a deepened physical awareness of their body in motion. The growth of key physical skills such as turn out, balance, coordination, posture, power, and musicality lead to increased confidence in students.

  • Our Classical Enrichment programme is perfect for the child or young adult who is enjoying their foundation work, and interested in developing their ballet technique further.

    For our school aged dancers, students become familiar with the world-famous Vaganova ballet syllabus, as studied at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy. This syllabus favours complete mastery of the smallest building blocks of classical ballet, which rapidly compound into extraordinary strength, flexibility and musicality.

    Students in these classes cover four distinct aspects of the Vaganova syllabus — Rhythmics (developing strong musicality), Par Terre Gymnastics (limbering and strengthening exercises), Foundations of Classical Ballet (detailed focus on creating classical placement and line) and Etudes (dance studies combining knowledge from the other foundations, in stylised dances from throughout ballet’s history).

    For our youngest students, Enrichment classes include the same principles — that is musicality, physical strength and flexibility, ballet foundations and culminating these skills in short routines or etudes — with elements of the Acrobatic Arts syllabus and dance styles such as lyrical jazz.

  • The perfect classes for students who love creativity, performance and storytelling, who wish to sit examinations, or who would love to perform on stage in eisteddfods (dance competitions). Our Classical Artistry classes turn our students’ hard-earned technique into a tool for creativity and self-expression, combining mere steps into dances that unleash children’s imaginations in the classroom and on stage.

  • Tailored one-on-one or small group tuition, for students who want to achieve their goals faster, or who want individualised coaching for eisteddfods or exams.

Our Team

  • Emma Taylor Head Shot

    Emma Taylor

    Emma started Poppet and Grace, now the Brisbane School of Classical Ballet, in 2016. She commenced her training in ballet in the EDTA and RAD syllabi, and studied Ballet and Contemporary at QUT, completing both a bachelor degree and a masters degree in Dance. Emma was a founding member of Queensland Ballet’s EdSquad, designing and conducting workshops for beginner through to advanced dancers across Queensland, in schools, studios, boardrooms and even on the Brisbane Riverstage. Emma has completed several teacher training certificates from institutions including the Bolshoi Ballet Academy, the Australian Conservatoire of Ballet, Studio Pilates International, Dance for Parkinson’s Disease, and AusDance. She has created for and danced in the Brisbane Festival and the Adelaide Fringe Festival, and has danced for Opera Queensland and Untitled Collective New York.

  • John Sandurski Head Shot

    John Sandurski

    John is a freelance ballet teacher in the Brisbane area. He trained at the Australian Ballet School and was a member of the dance company "Introdans" in Arnhem - The Netherlands, and the "Staatstheater am Gaertnerplatz" in Munich - Germany. John has a degree in Ballet Pedagogy from the Munich University for Music and Performing Arts, and from 2016-2021 was the Director of the Melbourne Conservatoire of Ballet. He has taught and been guest teacher for many schools in the Brisbane area including Queensland Ballet Academy, Queensland National Ballet School, Queensland Conservatorium, QUT, (the former) Expressions Dance Company and MAD Dance House. 

  • Laura McNally Head Shot

    Laura McNally

    Laura is a Brisbane based teacher, choreographer and mentor. Her training began at The Dance and Theatre Factory where she completed Ballet and Jazz exams and fell in love with contemporary dance. After a short time as a performer internationally and within Australia, Laura turned her focus to education and hasn’t looked back since. She is dedicated to the growth and development of young people in dance and is passionate about forging pathways for them to find their own unique place within the industry. Her classes are focussed, energetic and place emphasis on building body awareness through coordination, strength and story telling.

    As well as over 10 years experience Laura holds the following qualifications: Bachelor of Fine Arts (Dance Performance) - QUT, Certificate in ballet teaching studies - RAD, Masters of Secondary Education - QUT and is certified to teach Progressing Ballet Technique.

  • Sylvie Clarke Head Shot

    Sylvie Clarke

    Sylvie is a Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) Registered Teacher from the UK. She has extensive dance teaching experience from 2015 onwards in the UK and Italy across private dance studios, community settings and an International School. Sylvie holds a Certificate in Ballet Teaching Studies and a First Class Honours BA in Dance Education from the RAD. She was the 2020 recipient of the RAD Iris Truscott Scholarship in recognition of academic excellence and commitment to continuing professional development. She is a Progressing Ballet Technique certified teacher. Sylvie is delighted to be joining the Brisbane School of Classical Ballet.

Frequently Asked…

  • We would love to help you find the right classes for your child. We offer engaging and age-appropriate classes for ages two to pre-professional level, and can help you tailor your child’s timetable with us to their interests.

  • We get asked this question a lot. And the thing is, what a lot of people think makes a good ballerina, aren’t actually the things that make a great artist.

    The number one thing that makes a child perfect for ballet is that they enjoy it. That’s it. Our deciding factor in considering whether a child is wasting their time or a family is spending their money wisely on an activity like dance.

    There is SO much a child gets out of class other than the possibility of being a prima ballerina when they grow up. Plus, some of the most celebrated dancers in history have been great because they broke the mould.

    If your child seems too neurodivergent, too wiggly, too short or tall, too much the wrong body shape, too shy, too quiet, too loud, too clumsy, too scruffy or too boyish (yes these are all concerns from parents we’ve heard before) then we implore you, if they are interested, let them dance. They do not need to come to us a fully fledged dancer.

    Let go of your expectations of what a ballet studio looks for in its students, and of what your child needs to be, and we all might surprise you!

    Everyone is welcome to delight in moving their bodies with us.

  • If your child has never done ballet before, we recommend letting them try our Foundation classes first. If they enjoy it, we recommend adding both an Artistry and an Enrichment class to their programme. From there a good rule of thumb is to add an hour of training per week each year of study with us. If a child is enjoying their Artistry classes in particular, we recommend considering Excellence tuition, where they can learn their own eisteddfod dances, and perform at competitions.

    As a general guide:

    Poppet (2-4 yrs) ½ to 1 hour of tuition weekly

    Pre-Primary (4-6 yrs) 1 hour weekly

    Primary (5-7 yrs) 1 ¼ hours weekly

    Grade 1 (6-8 yrs) 1 ½ hours weekly

    Grade 2 (7-10 yrs) 2 hours weekly

    Grade 3 (8-11 yrs) 2 ½ hours weekly

    Grade 4 (9-12 yrs) 3 hours weekly

    For children showing particular interest and aptitude, we welcome discussions around alternate education pathways, and designing a dance programme to suit their goals.

  • From 2024, Poppet and Grace is being incorporated into the Brisbane School of Classical Ballet, as our junior syllabus. The methodology of teaching (The Inspired Child Method) will remain the same, as will our commitment to nurturing kind, curious and courageous children through our studio.

  • We can’t compete with the studios that do it all, and to be honest, we don’t want to. We know what we do best, and that’s teaching ballet really, really well.

    We want to dive deep in to the dance education of your child, and let them explore all that the art of ballet has to offer.

    In our experience, children who are given the opportunity to pursue many facets of a single interest become really aware of their quickly-accumulating expertise and ability, and this gives them huge confidence when it comes to learning and growing in areas outside their special interest as well.