Courtney's steps to ballet stardom

Courtney Radford glides across the studio, a smile plastered on her face as she rests her entire weight on the tips of her satin pointe shoes.

She is only part way through the routine when her teacher interrupts to make a correction before instructing the pianist at the front of the room to take it from the top.

It is arduous and repetitive, but for the up-and-coming dancer, the pursuit of a perfect technique is all in a day's work.

Courtney is one of 10 full-time students at the WA Conservatoire of Classical Ballet.

She moved to Perth from Port Hedland about three years ago to take a place at the elite training institution and further her dream of becoming a professional dancer.

The 18-year-old catches a bus from her Baldivis home to the Rivervale studio almost every morning before changing into a leotard for a full day of classes.

"It can be hard work, but when you have been trying so hard to get something right and you pull it off, it gives you the most amazing feeling," she said.

"You have to be independent and you learn to grow up quite quickly, because you are treated as an adult when you come here."

To develop the skills to one day be picked by a company, full-time students are required at the studio six days a week.

Professional dancing requires extraordinary dedication, but job options can be limited and the lifestyle physically and financially challenging.

Lola Howard-Beattie, 17, has been dancing at the school for four years and goes through a $110 pair of pointe shoes every two weeks.

She said the most important lessons over the past few years were how to accept rejection and manage her time between dancing, family and school work.

"There is so much rejection in this little world … you have to learn to be strong and take criticism," she said.

"But when someone from the audience tells you that your dance was beautiful or that it made them cry, it makes you want to do it over and over again."

The students take a break from dancing each Sunday, but despite having only one day off a week it is rare to find them lazing on a couch during the downtime.

Some work part-time jobs to help their parents with the cost of tuition, and others catch up on school work.

Hartley Trusler left Hale School last year to join the conservatoire full-time, but is continuing his education though the Schools of Isolated and Distance Education.

The 16-year-old, who hopes to be accepted into a European company, said ballet school was "a world away" from the life he used to live.

"It's a challenge," he said.

"It requires a lot of discipline and it's expressive and I like that.

"I wouldn't stop for anything."