“Landing at Heathrow was such a special moment. I felt a mix of excitement, gratitude and disbelief that I was finally in the UK and beginning a dream I had worked towards for so long.”
For 17-year-old Madeline Konstantakos, September brought several firsts at once. She arrived in London for the first time, moved away from her family and began training at English National Ballet School.
It is a considerable amount of change to absorb alongside the demands of full-time ballet training, but Madeline is far from the only young Australian making the move. There are currently 13 Australians studying at the Chelsea school: six in first year, three in second year and four in their graduating year.
Their presence offers an interesting snapshot of a decision familiar to many ambitious young Australian dancers: whether, and when, to pursue training overseas.
English National Ballet School saw strong interest from Australian students following its international audition tour in 2025. A place at the school begins a three-year course, but for those arriving from Australia it also means learning to live independently a long way from home.
For 19-year-old Ella Tan, now in her third year, that distance was part of the decision. She wanted to place herself closer to the companies and audition opportunities of the UK and Europe, while testing herself in an unfamiliar environment.
“Being based in the UK gives me access to so many more potential audition and job opportunities. I wanted to challenge myself by stepping outside of everything I had always known, and ENBS felt like the perfect place to do that.”
Leaving home at 16 or 17 brings considerations that have little to do with tendus or technique. Students are also navigating homesickness, independence, food, injury and the pressures that accompany intensive vocational training.
English National Ballet School provides a support team that includes a nutritionist, sports psychologist, physiotherapists and a strength and conditioning coach. For 16-year-old Australian Annabelle Seo, the school’s approach to wellbeing was one reason she chose to train there.
“I wanted to train at ENBS because I was heavily inspired by the holistic approach the school takes and it offers really great performance opportunities, which I think is hard to find in most Australian schools.”
Adene Cassidy understands the experience from two perspectives. An Australian journalist and former board member of The Australian Ballet, she is now Head of Communications and Marketing at English National Ballet School and has also watched her own daughter train in Australia and overseas from a young age.
“The open-door policy at ENBS is such an asset to the school. With many of our students living in their own accommodation, it’s essential this support is available and we encourage our students to utilise it. Having had my own daughter train in Australia and overseas from a young age, I know how important it is.”
Then there is the practical advantage of geography. For an Australian student contemplating a professional career, being based in the UK changes the scale on which auditions and company opportunities can be approached. Executive Director Amanda Skoog points particularly to the school’s relationship with English National Ballet.
“In Australia there are limited opportunities. Not only does our relationship with English National Ballet give our dancers the chance to perform and train alongside some of the world’s best teachers and dancers, but when they graduate, they have a much better understanding of how the audition circuit works. They leave ENBS ready to embrace the opportunities, armed with incredible life skills and resilience.”
For Ella, the move was never necessarily about leaving Australia for good. She hopes to work in Europe or the UK before eventually returning home, taking with her the experience accumulated along the way.
“For me, whenever I have struggled, my love and passion for dance has been my North Star. It reminds me why I started and helps guide me through the harder days. Moving to the other side of the world is a huge decision, but if becoming a dancer is something you genuinely want, I think you have to be willing to take that leap.”
This article is featured in the Oct - Dec issue of Dance Australia.