The National Theatre Ballet School

How The National Theatre Ballet School comes across

The National Theatre Ballet School, now The National Ballet School, comes across as a heritage institution operating at the serious, vocational end of dance training. Established in 1939 by "Australian performing arts pioneer Gertrude Johnson OBE" and housed within The National in St Kilda alongside a drama school and the heritage-listed National Theatre, it presents itself as "one of Australia's preeminent dance training institutions." The signals of rigour are unmistakable: a Certificate IV, Diploma and Advanced Diploma of Professional Dance, RTO accreditation, a curriculum "based on Vaganova and Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) training," and artistic direction by "Damian Smith," a former Principal Dancer with the San Francisco Ballet. Yet it also runs recreational and pathway streams — "The Nashies," male ballet, Aspire and Triple Threat — for "students of all ages." A parent would likely conclude this is a prestigious, audition-aware school built for the genuinely committed, where a casual class sits in the shadow of a clear professional pipeline rather than the other way around.

An editor's impression, drawn from the school's own website and public materials, 13 June 2026. Not a review — if it misses the mark, the school or a parent can tell us via the form below.