Ballet for children in Vienna

ARTIS is a ballet school for children in Vienna’s 1st district, at Rockhgasse 1: classical ballet from the age of three, in groups of at most eight to ten, taught by professional dancers of the Mariinsky Theatre, the Bayerisches Staatsballett and the Wiener Staatsoper, in English, German or Russian. The first class is credited towards the membership if your child continues. Children train in groups by age: Pre-Ballet for three- and four-year-olds, Primary Ballet from five, Junior Ballet from eight, Teen Ballet from twelve, and a Pre-Professional Junior group for dancers preparing for a professional school. Groups are small, so every child is seen and corrected, gently, in a language they understand.

The classes are built to instil a love of dance from the earliest years. They follow the Vaganova method, the progression of the great Russian and European academies, adapted to each age: play, music and imagination at three; posture, coordination and the first real positions at five; technique at the barre and in the centre from eight. The children’s programme is led by Alexandra Somova, a Vaganova Academy graduate and former Mariinsky Ballet dancer, and every children’s class is taught by a professionally trained dancer.

Every child starts with a trial class: an ordinary class of the group for their age, with the teacher and the children they would train with. It is paid as a single class, and if your child continues with a membership it is credited towards the first month. It is reserved by message or phone rather than booked online. Tell us your child’s age and which of the days below suit you, and we confirm the date, usually the same day. Leggings, a T-shirt and socks are fine for the trial; we tell you afterwards exactly what the group wears and where to buy it in Vienna.

• Pre-Ballet Weekend, ages 3–4: Saturday at 10:00, 45 minutes, €90 a month
• Kids Pre-Ballet, ages 3–4: Wednesday and Friday at 15:00, 45 minutes, €180 a month
• Primary Ballet, ages 5–6: Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 16:00, 60 minutes, from €240 a month
• Junior Ballet, ages 7–11: Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 17:00, 60 minutes, from €240 a month
• Teen Ballet, ages 12–14: Tuesday at 18:00 and Saturday at 13:00, 60 minutes, €240 a month
• Pre-Professional Junior, ages 10–13: Monday, Tuesday and Thursday at 18:00 and Saturday at 11:30, 75 minutes, €499 a month, from 19 October 2026

The studio is at Rockhgasse 1 in the 1st district, a short walk from U2 Schottentor and U3 Herrengasse, so the trip after school is easy from the 2nd, 3rd and 9th districts and along both lines.

• Pre-Ballet, ages three and four: forty-five minutes, once or twice a week. Through play and music the youngest discover rhythm, posture and balance, and are addressed as “ladies” from the first class, a classical tradition that sets the tone.
• Primary Ballet, ages five to seven: sixty minutes, up to three times a week. Real ballet begins here, with alignment, the five positions and musicality, and without pressure.
• Junior Ballet, ages eight to twelve: sixty minutes, up to three times a week. Technique at the barre and in the centre, artistry, a healthy back and core, focus and discipline.
• Teen Ballet, ages twelve to fourteen: sixty minutes, twice a week. Beginners are welcome; classical training in a small group.
• Pre-Professional Junior, ages ten to thirteen with at least two years of ballet: seventy-five minutes, four times a week, led personally by Alexandra Somova, for children preparing for admission to a professional ballet school.

Three is a good age for a first, playful class; five to six for real ballet with structure; eight is not too late, and neither is twelve, which is why Teen Ballet welcomes beginners. What matters more than the starting age is the teacher. Children learn the placement of their feet, hips and spine in the first two years, and what is learned wrong at six is hard to unlearn at fourteen.