Nicola Baartse

A lifelong love for theatre and choreography fuelled Nicola's dance training, begun in rural South Australia, culminating in a Bchelor of Arts (Dance) at Adelaide University and further study at London Contemporary Dance School. She has performed, and taught, in London, Scotland, Singapore, New Zealand, Sydney, and Adelaide. Classical Ballet is her first love, and she teaches both children and adults with a keen eye for pure alignment, and passion for the theatre.

Always keen to experiment with costume, music and storytelling, in 1996 Nicola began her choreography journey in London's "Revolution" season, followed by "Evolution", and then performances in music festivals and London's eminent Institute of Contemporary Art, and Queen Elizabeth hall.

In Sydney, Nicola founded dance companies "Charisma Dance", "Sydney Ballet Theatre" and "Oasis Youth Ballet Company", and continued to dance with various independent contemporary companies also.

In 2024 Nicola launched www.balletalchemy.com to bring precise and encouraging ballet resources to ballet students of all ages globally.

She says, "Ballet should be about passion: storytelling, exhilaration, excellence and self-expression. For both the dancer and the observer, ballet should be inspiring!"