Katherine Avery Ballet

All of the classes at Wellesley Studios today were such a delight to lead.

Today I saw some very beautiful and pure arabesques, I saw courage from new and young dancers coming into the class for the first time. I saw improvements in strength in pointe work and turns.

I saw many beautiful moments.

It is a privilege to share the classroom with you all.

Dancing for me has never been about costumes, more about the physical challenge, and working out how to make the steps come together to delight or inform.

The first real tutu’s that I wore were these two, these are the Australian Ballet Company’s costumes, I think they may still be in use.

At the National Theatre Ballet School, our end of your production in 1991 was Act 2 Scene 2, (the dream scene) and Act 3 of Don Quixote, arranged by Ann Jenner.

I danced as a Dryad in Act 2, and as a Friend of Kitri in Act 3.

This was a full production on the wonderful National Theatre Stage; we even had Bryan Ashbridge quest as Don Quixote.

We were schooled just as a ballet company would be with expectations of perfect lines, clear technique and the full embodiment of the style for each section.

I well remember the baubles on the headdress banging together as I danced.

Classes running in the school holidays, open to dancers of all ages at the appropriate level,

Saturday 4th July
10:45 am PBT
11:15 am Ballet Basics
12:30 pm Open Class Inter/adv
2:00 pm Pointe

Wednesday 8th July
12:15 pm Open Class Elem/Inter
1:15 pm Pointe

Saturday 11th July
Matariki Weekend, no classes are running.

Wednesday 15th July
12:15 pm Open Class Ele/Inter
1:15 pm Pointe

Saturday 18th July
10:45 am PBT
11:15 am Ballet Basics
12:30 pm Open Class Inter/adv
2:00 pm Pointe

Casual class fees,
$21 Ballet Basics, Open Class
$11 Saturday pointe.
Wed pointe is $60 divided by the number of dancers.

Class levels explained at

Ballet | Katherine Avery Ballet | Auckland Katherine Avery Ballet offers open ballet classes at Wellesley Studios in the heart of Auckland.

On my first day in London, 1992, I headed straight to Covent Garden, home of The Royal Ballet. I had followed The Royal Ballet and The Birmingham Royal Ballet through the pages of books and magazines all through my adolescence, and here I was in front of the Royal Opera House.

I cherish this pile of programs; they are very distinctively the programs of The Royal Ballet and The Birmingham Royal Ballet. They document the performances I was able to see when living in London.

Everything was wonderful to see, the maturity of the port de bra, the strength of the feet and performances that truly transport the audience.

I think of these three performances most often,

Tales of Beatrix Potter –this was an absolute joy, the costumes, the playfulness of the choreography and the skill of dancers. I remember skipping to the music playing in my head to the tube that night.

Thais Pas de deux – dancers who come to my classes often, know a couple of times a year I use this music, and reminisce about the pure beauty of this piece.

La Bayadere – this is the only time I have been moved to tears by a performance, the heartbreaking conclusion to the story, well this was real on the stage portrayed by Susan Jaffe and Irek Mukhamedov.

Ballet | Katherine Avery Ballet | Auckland Katherine Avery Ballet offers open ballet classes at Wellesley Studios in the heart of Auckland.

As a student in Melbourne, I can remember receiving two quite different pieces of feedback about my musicality, one was about how I responded to the music with sensitivity, and the other was that I was often not quite on the beat.

It was lovely to hear the first one, but it was the second one that was a challenge to me to learn how to count the music. Now, that is not an easy task and required months, years even of work to achieve.

My experience has been that the feedback that has required the most effort from me, has been the most valuable.

Attention applied consistently to a new way of doing something, can result in a leap in progression.

Photo - 1991 - Joan Irvine School of Dance.
Taken by my Mum on a film camera!

1991, I started training fulltime at the National Theatre Ballet School in Melbourne, Australia.

The most wonderful thing about this opportunity was the repertoire.

Repertoire was taught everyday by the schools Director - Ann Jenner. She danced for seventeen years with the Royal Ballet, eight of these as a Principal Dancer.
The knowledge was vast and deep.

An amazing opportunity in this year was to perform at the National Gallery of Victoria as part of the International Diaghilev Exhibition.
We performed two days a week for six weeks in the Great Hall. The performances were made up of extracts from the Diaghilev era - Scheherazade, The Firebird, The Rite of Spring, Les Sylphides, The Sleeping Beauty and Daphnis and Chloe.

I learnt all of the repertoire offered and soaked up the knowledge shared.

A note on the photos, this was pre digital photos - it was rare to get a good one.
Photo 1 - Proud in the school's tracksuit.
Photo 2 - backstage at the exhibition, ready for Waltz of the Flowers.
Photo 3 - Flyer.

Dance thought for the day...

Technical mastery gives the dancer the ability to use the movement to clearly convey a message.

Sharing a story and testimonial from Melody Duan.

“I had dreamed of learning ballet since I was a little girl, but I only had the opportunity to begin when I was almost 40. What started as one class per week quickly grew into four days a week, as my passion only became stronger.

I began attending Katherine’s classes in 2024, and very quickly realised how exceptional her teaching is. Her classical ballet style, combined with the precision and attention to detail of an RAD-trained teacher, has helped me tremendously.

About a year ago, I also started having weekly private lessons with her. Through her highly personalised coaching, she has helped me strengthen my foundations, refine the quality and elegance of my movement, and deepen my connection with the music.

Katherine has also carefully selected and adapted variations for me, which has allowed me to pursue my passion for classical repertoire and build confidence in performing and competing.

I feel incredibly fortunate to be learning from her.”

Come and join us during Kings Birthday weekend and learn a classical ballet variation.

Saturday 30th May - Wellesley Studios

12:30 - 2:00 pm Open Class
2:00 - 2:30 pm Repertoire - Kings Candaule Variaton, Paquita.

www.katherineaveryballet.com