A more considered approach, shaped by experience…
I started The Ballet Project because I felt there was something missing in the way adult dancers are supported in their training.
Founder Lisa Garvey
My relationship with ballet hasn’t been linear.
I started young and, like many dancers, cared deeply about improving. But growing up in small towns meant that access to high-quality training was limited.
At 16, I stopped dancing altogether. The environment I was in had become too toxic and difficult to continue in, and at the time I didn’t have the support or perspective to approach it differently.
Where this began…
Coming back to ballet…
I returned to ballet much later, as an adult.
Coming back has been incredibly meaningful but also, at times, frustrating.
I found myself asking many of the same questions I had when I was younger:
How do I actually improve?
What does this correction mean in my body?
Why does some training feel helpful, and some not?
Photo: Katie Ging
So I began to explore…
Alongside returning to class, I started looking more closely at areas that hadn’t been part of my training before:
Anatomy and biomechanics
Strength and conditioning
Recovery and nutrition
Psychology and how we learn
There is now so much knowledge available that can support dancers more effectively.
And yet, much of it still isn’t reflected in everyday ballet training, especially for adults.
What I kept noticing…
Adult dancers are:
Thoughtful about their training
Motivated to improve
Willing to put in the work
But we’re often doing so without:
Clear, applicable guidance
An understanding of how their body works
Or an environment that supports both progress and wellbeing
Why The Ballet Project?
I created The Ballet Project to bring these things together.
Not to reinvent ballet, but to support adult training more thoughtfully.
To create a space where:
You are taken seriously as a dancer
Your body is understood and supported
And your training is approached in a way that is sustainable
Why?
What I believe…
I don’t think adult dancers need to be pushed harder.
I think we need:
Clearer guidance
Better understanding
And more considered training environments
Where I’m coming from…
I’m still learning, still training, and still working through these questions myself.
This project comes as much from that ongoing process as it does from anything else.
If this resonates…
If you recognise yourself in any of this, you’re very welcome here.