Your Adult Ballet Teacher
Sophie Fletcher
Sophie’s journey in the world of dance began at the age of six. She graduated with an Advanced Diploma from the Australian Ballet School in 2003, earning several scholarships and awards that recognised her exceptional talent and academic achievements.
Upon graduation, Sophie joined The Australian Ballet, where she performed for four years and toured extensively. Her dedication and skill were further acknowledged when she received a travel scholarship, allowing her to take classes with prestigious American ballet companies, including New York City Ballet, Houston Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, and Pacific Northwest Ballet.
In 2008, she was invited to perform as a guest artist with the West Australian Ballet for two years before joining the Czech National Ballet, where she showcased numerous classical and contemporary roles. When in Europe, she portrayed Princess Aurora in Prague Festival Ballet’s production of Sleeping Beauty during its tour in Germany.
In 2015, Sophie retired from the stage and returned to Australia to share her extensive experience with aspiring dancers. She has been teaching adult ballet classes across Melbourne for multiple years, coaching young ballet students along the way. She also practises and teaches Pilates to complement her training. She holds Certificate IV in Matwork Instruction and a Diploma of Polestar Pilates Comprehensive Instruction Method.
Guest teachers
Filip Janda
Filip is a Vaganova-trained graduate of the Prague Dance Conservatory, followed by a scholarship at Staatliche Hochschule für Kunst und Darstellende Mannheim (Germany) and attended a ballet seminar in Wolfsegg (Austria, under the sponsorship of ITI – UNESCO).
He was a member of the Bavarian State Ballet in Munich, where he worked with a range of renowned choreographers (e.g., William Forsythe, Mats Ek, Lucinda Childs, Simone Sandroni, Izik Galili, Hans van Manen, and many others). He also performed in a range of classical ballets such as Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Bayadere, and Le Corsaire.
He was a guest soloist with the National Theatre in Prague, performing Von Rothbart in Swan Lake and Espada in Don Quijote. He also performed with Laterna Magika as the protagonist of choreographies such as Casanova or Legends of the Magical Prague.
After relocating to Australia, he's been teaching both young and adult students at various institutions such as The Australian Ballet, Victorian College of the Arts (VCASS), National Theatre, Australian Conservatoire of Ballet, The Jane Moore Academy of Ballet, and Melbourne School of Classical Dance.
Andrea Velarde
Andrea studied ballet at Instituto Superior de Arte de la Habana (the same school as the recently retired principal of the National Ballet of Cuba, Sadaise Arencibia).
She kept broadening her dance skills beyond classical ballet, training in contemporary, Afro-Cuban, and lyrical styles. Her work culminated in claiming a Gold award in contemporary at the Attitude National Dance Competition in Mexico City for consecutive years and a summer scholarship to train at the Joffrey Ballet School in New York. Since 2014, Andrea has danced with the company at Tecnológico de Monterrey.
After relocating to Australia, she reconnected with dance and enjoys sharing her knowledge with others.
