Meet Isabella

Ballet can be brutal. It can also be the most beautiful thing in the world. For me, it’s been both.

I left home at 15 to train at The Vaganova Ballet Academy in Russia – not knowing the language, just knowing I wanted more. I learned discipline, precision and what it means to show up, even when everything hurts. I danced on the world’s biggest stages, rebuilt my body after injury and learned that belief is every bit as important as ability.

Ballet isn’t just what happens at the barre. It’s what happens when you fall and stand up stronger. When you chase the thing that scares you. When you learn to back yourself. I started teaching because I wanted to give dancers like you the support I never had. Elite training. Care for body and mind. Knowing that when we chase our ambition, we can really find ourselves.

I’ve been where you are. And together, we go further.

Ready to leap?

Years of experience. Your goals in the spotlight.

Play video

Mute

hours practiced in the studio

hours conditioning

hours taught

hours practiced in the studio
hours conditioning
hours taught

A journey in motion

The first and youngest British girl training at The Vaganova Academy. The founder of a movement changing ballet for good. This is how I got here. And where we’re heading next…

The first great leap

At 15, I left behind an offer from The Royal Ballet School and moved to Saint Petersburg to train at the legendary Vaganova Academy. I didn’t speak Russian. I didn’t know anyone. What I did have was determination and a willingness to work harder than I ever had before. That decision changed everything.

Built by discipline

Vaganova was intense. Day after day, I learned how to break down movement into the smallest detail and rebuild it stronger. Precision. Consistency. Repetition. Even when it was uncomfortable. Those years shaped not just my technique, but my mindset. I became one of the top students in my year, performing centre barre and leading roles.

I built what I wished I’d had when I was younger: clear training, real support, and a belief that you can have ambition without losing yourself.
Isabella

On stage, under pressure

After graduating, I danced professionally in Russia, joining the Mikhailovsky Ballet and later Eifman Ballet – some of the most demanding environments in the world. It was here that I learned how pressure can sharpen you, if you let it. And how belief is just as important as ability. These experiences are the foundation of how I train dancers today.

Play video

Mute

The turning point

Injury forced me to slow down and listen in a new way. Rebuilding my strength in the water changed how I understood my body. I stopped chasing force and started chasing connection. That shift transformed my dancing and still shapes my teaching now. It reminded me that progress doesn’t come from pushing blindly, but from training intelligently.

Leaping into teaching

Teaching wasn’t something I planned. It was something I was pulled towards. I saw dancers of all ages struggling with the same things I once did: self-doubt, confusion, lack of structure, lack of belief. I knew I could help. I started coaching one-to-one, then groups, then dancers from all over the world. What began as Ballet With Isabella quickly became a community.

ISABELLA: The making of a movement

Ballet With Isabella began as a training platform. But over time, it became something bigger. It became about mindset. Confidence. Health. Lifestyle. About how you think, rest, recover and show up, not just how you move. Today, it might be ‘ISABELLA’ above the door, but this is never just about me. It’s about creating a space where dancers feel supported, challenged, and capable of more than they thought possible.

Other Insights

Technique tips, mindset shifts, behind-the-scenes moments and stories from dancers doing the work. Insights to keep you moving on the mat, at the barre and beyond.