About Anna

Anna Chandulal
Director
MA Hons, RAD RTS, ARAD
ISTD Assoc Dip (Ballet)


Anna began ballet at 5 years of age, and completed all of her classical ballet exams up to Advanced 2 level. During her last five years of training she learnt from Julia Barry, a graduate of the Royal Ballet School’s teacher training programme.

It was through Julia that Anna developed a passion for the craft of teaching ballet, which is very much like a science in that there is a correct path that must be followed.

“If the foundations are not in place,
the building crumbles.”

Each stage is as important as the other – more than any other dance form, ballet requires correct technique and patient correction from a trained teacher.

After 14 years of training, and having completed a Master of Arts degree at Auckland University, Anna decided to concentrate on a teaching career. She completed two years of part-time study with Julia Barry studying a course developed by her, based on the Royal Ballet School teachers training programme, while at the same time teaching part-time for vocational students at the Auckland Ballet Academy.

In 1993 Anna gained her RAD teachers certificate and moved to Wanganui. She then began teaching in Palmerston North for Mrs Gwenda Britten, an International Vocational Examiner for the ISTD (Imperial Society for Teachers of Dance). Anna taught mainly vocational students for Mrs Britten, some of whom are currently dancing fulltime in European and American companies.

Anna then had a break from teaching whilst raising her two children. During this time she took up jazz dancing with Sharyn Underwood and the American Jazz Dance Association. She completed her jazz exams up to Advanced 2 level in 2007.

She then decided the time was right to open a ballet school in Whanganui focused on bringing professional, vocational training to the area. To further her training, she went back to Gwenda Britten in 2008 and completed a six-month training programme through the ISTD. This culminated in her passing the ISTD Associate teacher’s exam with Honours, followed by the ISTD Associate Diploma (Ballet) in 2009. The Wanganui Ballet & Dance Academy opened in 2009.