Charlesworth Ballet School

What Charlesworth Ballet School does

Charlesworth Ballet School is a private, family-operated dance school headquartered in Perth, Western Australia. Founded in 1960 by Miss Terri Charlesworth (an OAM recipient and 2006 Western Australian Citizen of the Year for Culture, Arts and Entertainment), the school teaches classical ballet using the Vaganova method alongside contemporary, jazz, musical theatre, and Spanish dance. It operates across 9 venues throughout the Perth metropolitan area, with directorship held by Sonya Shepherd (who assumed the role in 2012) and day-to-day operations managed by Principal Tamice Puckridge. The school serves children from age 4.5 through adults, offering a structured grade-based progression (Preparatory through Senior) with annual examinations, extension classes, pointe preparation, boys-only classes, and adult beginner/open classes.

The school's core instructional technology is the Vaganova Method of Classical Ballet Training, an internationally recognised Russian syllabus that fuses elements of French and Italian (Cecchetti) traditions. Instruction is delivered by teachers with professional dance backgrounds at institutions including the Australian Ballet School, WAAPA, the West Australian Ballet, Cirque du Soleil, Nevada Ballet Theatre, and Palucca Schule Dresden. Supporting programmes include Contemporary Dance (Lester Horton and Martha Graham techniques), Spanish Dance (castanets, Escuela Bolera, flamenco), Jazz Dance, Musical Theatre, and specialised pointe preparation with formal physiotherapist readiness assessments.

Revenue is generated through term-based tuition fees paid upfront, structured as a subscription model. Fees range from AUD $160 to $240 per term based on class duration (30 to 90 minutes), with multi-class discounts of 5% starting at three classes. Adult ballet operates on pay-as-you-go unit pricing (AUD $23 per drop-in, AUD $200 for 10 classes, AUD $380 for 20 classes). Distribution is direct-to-consumer via the school's website (charlesworthballet.com.au), with free trial classes offered as a low-friction acquisition entry point. The school also maintains a strategic partnership with Youth Ballet WA for pre-professional auditions and end-of-year productions staged at Perth theatres.

Name

Charlesworth Ballet School

Legal name

Charlesworth Ballet School

Website

https://charlesworthballet.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Charlesworth Ballet School is a Perth-based, family-operated dance school founded in 1960 that teaches classical ballet using the Vaganova method, alongside contemporary, jazz, musical theatre, and Spanish dance, across 9 venues for children and adults.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Dance Education

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (61161), Fine Arts Schools (611610), Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAMAAAH

Dance Education (Ballet, Contemporary, Hip-Hop, Cultural Dance)

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/Arts & Creative Enrichment (Visual Arts, Music, Theater, Dance)

SECONDARYMPAGADAI

Youth/Student & Community Dance Recitals

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Live Entertainment & Events (Concerts, Theater, Festivals)/Dance & Ballet Performances

SECONDARYEDAMAAAG

Theater & Drama Education (Acting, Improvisation, Musical Theater)

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/Arts & Creative Enrichment (Visual Arts, Music, Theater, Dance)

SECONDARYEDAAAGAD

Dance & Movement (Ballroom, Contemporary, Social Dance)

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Personal Enrichment & Hobby Learning (Arts, Crafts, Music, Cooking)

Keywords

• Ballet education
• Classical ballet training
• Dance instruction
• Contemporary dance classes
• Vaganova method

Headquarters

HQ city

Perth

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Class Tuition Fees: Per-term class fees based on class duration. Students pay upfront for full term enrollment. Multi-class discounts available (5% discount starting at 3 classes, increasing by 5% per additional class).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Charlesworth Ballet School is a Perth-based dance education provider offering classical ballet training built on the Vaganova method, with structured progression from Preparatory (age 4.5) through to Senior level, plus supporting disciplines including contemporary dance, jazz, Spanish dance, musical theatre, and adult ballet classes. Lessons are delivered in-person across nine Perth metro venues with term-based enrollment, annual examinations, and performance opportunities including end-of-year productions.

Product overview

Charlesworth Ballet School offers a unified dance education platform centered on the Vaganova method of classical ballet training. The core product is the Classical Ballet program, which provides structured progression from Preparatory classes (age 4.5) through Pre-Primary, Grades 1-8, to Senior level. Supporting the core ballet program are specialized add-on modules including Pointe Preparation & Pointe training, Extension Ballet classes (for Grade 1/2 and Grade 3 to Senior), and Boys-only classes. The school also offers complementary dance styles as additional classes: Contemporary Dance, Spanish Dance, Jazz Dance, and Musical Theatre. Adult Ballet Classes provide a separate pathway for adult learners. All programs culminate in performance opportunities including end-of-year productions, examinations, and showcases.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Classical Ballet

Quantifiable outcome

• Students prepared for and participating in annual Classical Ballet examinations (Grade 2 and above)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Youth Ballet WA (YBWA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual collaborative partnership for pre-professional course auditions and end-of-year ballet productions. Students enrolled in Grade 3+ may be invited to YBWA Elite Part-Time or FullTime Ballet Programme auditions. Students perform alongside Youth Ballet WA performers at prestigious Perth theatres in end-of-year productions featuring classics like The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, and Don Quixote.
• Body Logic Physiotherapy (Shenton Park)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerRecommended external physiotherapy partner for formal pointe assessments. Students must be assessed by the director first, then visit Body Logic Physiotherapy for a pointe readiness evaluation before purchasing pointe shoes. Assessment includes evaluation of strength, alignment, and readiness for pointe training.
• Cockburn Ice ArenaminorOthersVenue partnership for conducting ballet classes at Cockburn Ice Arena location. The school uses external venues for classes across 9 Perth locations.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• The Australian Ballet: National ballet company with associated education and outreach programmes. Comparable as a broader brand and educational pathway operating in the same classical ballet category Charlesworth serves at the entry level.
• Australian Ballet School: Australia's national ballet training institution based in Melbourne. Comparable because it trains classical ballet students through graded and full-time programmes, including via Vaganova-aligned methods, and represents the top end of the progression pipeline Charlesworth feeds.
• Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School: Specialist secondary school in Melbourne offering dance as a core academic stream. Comparable because it trains serious young dancers in classical ballet alongside contemporary, serving a similar parent-paid, performance-driven customer as Charlesworth.
• West Australian Ballet: Perth's flagship professional ballet company operating its own ballet school and outreach programs. Comparable because it trains classical ballet students in the same Perth catchment and offers a more institutional pathway than Charlesworth's private tuition model.

Direct peers

• Tanya Pearson Classical Coaching Academy: Sydney-based classical ballet school focused on pre-professional training and competition coaching. Comparable because it sells premium classical ballet tuition to children and pre-professional students using structured syllabus progression similar to Charlesworth.
• Youth Ballet WA: Perth-based ballet training organisation that runs pre-professional full-time and elite programmes using Vaganova technique. It is both Charlesworth's partner and a competitor for serious students in Perth.

Regional players

• New Zealand School of Dance: National dance training institution in Wellington offering classical ballet and contemporary programmes. Comparable as a regional ballet/dance training school serving a similar pre-professional student segment, though based across the Tasman.
• Queensland Ballet Academy: Brisbane-based ballet training academy under the Queensland Ballet umbrella. Comparable because it offers graded classical ballet classes for children through pre-professional level, similar to Charlesworth's syllabus-based, multi-location model.
• Allegro Dance Academy: Australian multi-location dance school offering ballet, jazz, contemporary and tap across age groups. Comparable as a private, multi-studio Australian dance school competing for the same family-paid children's dance tuition market as Charlesworth.

Others

• Royal Academy of Dance (RAD): International dance education and examination body that sets one of the major classical ballet syllabi. Comparable because Charlesworth's graded examinations and syllabus progression are structured similarly to RAD's framework, and many ballet schools compete on RAD vs Vaganova alignment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/charlesworthballetschool
• Xx.com/chrlswrthballet
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/charlesworth-ballet-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Charlesworth Ballet School