Malvern East resident, Chris Busietta, a tenor with the Australian Opera, has discovered a new way to increase his fitness by learning ballet at the Elancé Adult Ballet School in East Hawthorn.

Elancé offers classical training for both beginners and those who have studied ballet in the past.

"I initially thought 27 was too old to start learning ballet and didn't want to join a class where I
would be competing with children and teenagers," said Chris.

"Even though I am the only male in my class, I feel completely comfortable and can learn at my own pace. It's also an enjoyable way to keep fit and improve my flexibility," he said.

Defying the stereotypes, the students at Elancé - whose ages range from 18 to 71 - include
doctors, working and stay at home mothers, lawyers, teachers and university students.

According to school founder and principal, Ms Dianne Harrison, Elancé provides an environment that focuses on the artistic joys of classical ballet while helping students to develop grace, flexibility and fitness.

"I have many people say to me that they can't learn ballet because they do not have the archetypal ballet body. However, at Elancé we believe that as long as you are in good health, the body you have is all you need," she said.

Elancé's teachers work within each individual's physical boundaries and provide a supportive environment without examinations or performances. But make no mistake, they still demand dedication and discipline from their students.

"It is so rewarding to meet students who, for some reason or another, never reached a professional level of ballet in their youth and had given up on ever being able to train again. They have said that it felt like something was missing from their lives until they found Elancé," said Dianne.

Founded in 2002, Elancé, www.adultballet.com.au, is one of Australia's largest adult ballet schools with more than 300 enrolled students taking classes from Monday to Saturday.