ARTIS teaches classical ballet to adults in three levels — absolute beginners, beginners+ and intermediate/advanced — in small groups of at most eight people. Classes follow the Vaganova method and are taught in English, German and Russian by dancers trained at the Vaganova Academy who danced with the Mariinsky Ballet, the Bayerisches Staatsballett and the Wiener Staatsballett.
You do not need any previous experience, a particular body type or a particular age. You need an evening a week and the wish to learn ballet properly, from the first plié.
Three levels, one method
Every adult at ARTIS is placed in the level that fits — and moves up when the technique is ready, not when the calendar says so.
- Absolute beginners start in Ballet Zero, facing the barre with both hands supported: the five positions, the first pliés and tendus, correct alignment from day one. It is paired with Floor Barre, our signature class on the mat.
- Beginners with some training continue in Ballet Set Light: one hand on the barre, longer combinations and the first work in the centre without support, plus Stretching Light after the barre.
- Intermediate and advanced dancers take Ballet Set: a full 75-minute class with barre, centre, adagio and allegro, Ballerina Workout conditioning and a Sunday stretch.
What a class is like
A class is 60 to 75 minutes: a warm-up on the floor or at the barre, barre work, centre work according to level, and a stretch to finish. The teacher corrects every student by name — with eight people in the room, nobody is invisible. Classical music, a sprung dance floor, mirrors along the wall.
Most adults train two to four times a week. The memberships are built around that rhythm: two classes a week for beginners, three for beginners+, up to four for the intermediate and advanced group.
Who teaches
Alexandra Somova, founder and artistic director, graduated from the Vaganova Academy in Saint Petersburg and danced six seasons with the Mariinsky Ballet and with the Bayerisches Staatsballett in Munich. The faculty around her comes from the same tradition — Mariinsky, Bayerisches Staatsballett, Wiener Staatsoper. Ballet is taught here the way it was taught to us.
After work, in the first district
The studio is at Rockhgasse 1 in Vienna’s 1st district, two minutes on foot from U2 Schottentor and U3 Herrengasse — easy after the office, no cross-city commute. Evening classes start between 18:00 and 19:15; weekend classes run late morning.