The Dance Domain

The Dance Domain is New Zealand's oldest and largest ballet school exclusively for adult dancers. Located on Level 4 of 54 Wellesley Street West in Auckland CBD, it exists to inspire people of all backgrounds to fall in love with ballet and to challenge themselves, have fun, and achieve their fitness goals.

The school offers classes across six levels, from complete beginner through to advanced. Beginner classes (Level 1) introduce the fundamentals of technique, posture and movement to those who have never danced before or stopped before their teens. As you progress to Level 2 and 3, you'll learn jumps, preparations for pirouettes, and slower sustained movements (adagio). Intermediate and Advanced classes build on this foundation with greater complexity and intensity. The school also runs dedicated pointe courses for those ready to dance en pointe, with separate beginner and intermediate options running as 35-week courses. Private classes are available for those wanting one-on-one tuition to progress faster or work on specific goals, offered at times between Monday and Friday before 6pm.

The teaching team brings considerable depth. Ione Barczak has taught since 1979 and owned her own dance school until 1999. She studied at STAGIUM, UNIC, Joffrey Ballet School, Broadway Dance Centre and Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance, and follows the methods of Finis Jhung and David Howard. Emily Chang returned to ballet as an adult beginner after 25 years away and now teaches others rediscovering the art form, with advanced training in dance body dynamics focused on injury prevention. Rina Song trained in the Russian Vaganova in South Korea from age seven, has danced across New York, New Jersey, Italy, South Korea and New Zealand, won national ballet competition awards and an international scholarship, and operated her own ballet academy in Auckland before joining the Dance Domain in 2020. Julie Sandilands is a lifelong dancer and performer who founded the Dance Domain because she found it difficult as an adult to locate high-quality ballet classes.

Classes focus on safe, correct movement. Each typically includes a barre section to warm up and build strength and technique, followed by centre work with exercises designed to improve balance, strength, stability, stamina and coordination. The school emphasises that mistakes are part of learning, that no body is perfect, and that you can start at any time throughout the year. You can wear comfortable gym or yoga clothes and start in socks—ballet shoes are not essential until you begin turns and big jumps. The school runs an annual showcase at the end of the year (Nov/Dec) that you can choose to perform in.

Expect a warm, focused class split between barre work to warm up your muscles and build technique, and centre exercises that improve balance, strength and coordination. Teachers emphasise correct movement for safety and building a solid foundation. Classes are tailored for adult learners, with an emphasis that mistakes are part of learning and that you should focus on trying rather than perfection.

Ione Barczak has taught since 1979, studied at Joffrey Ballet School, Broadway Dance Centre and Martha Graham, and follows the Vaganova Technique methods of Finis Jhung and David Howard. Emily Chang trained in advanced dance body dynamics and teaches with a focus on injury prevention and adult learning. Rina Song trained in Russian Vaganova from age seven in South Korea, won national and international ballet awards, and operated her own academy before joining in 2020. Julie Sandilands is a lifelong performer who founded the school.

Complete beginner classes are designed for those who have never danced before or stopped before their teens, with teachers focusing on correct movement, safety and building a solid foundation.