Work study
La Sylphide: a digital stage for a classical ballet school
A ballet school with a long history did not need another generic education template. The new website works as a quiet digital stage: measured typography, three languages, archival photography and one clear movement through the system, an enrolment enquiry.
The previous frame
La Sylphide is a ballet school in Novi Sad that has operated since 1991. Its previous WordPress website dated from 2016, used an ageing theme and still displayed video players for recordings that no longer existed. The founder's biography also needed careful revision, so a visual refresh alone would not have solved the problem.
The new La Sylphide ballet school website was built from the ground up and reorganised around the questions prospective students and parents actually ask.
Reading rhythm
The home page answers who the school is for, where it is, which ages it serves and how to enquire. Children's ballet, adult ballet and individual training have their own pages, while the school archive has a clear place without slowing the first view.
Typography is restrained and spacious. Photography carries the movement, so the interface does not compete with it. Buttons and the form retain strong contrast and clear keyboard focus.
Three languages without three separate systems
Serbian, English and Russian share the same templates. Language alternatives connect equivalent pages rather than sending every switch to the home page. The structure remains consistent and later factual corrections are easier to apply across all three editions.
One primary movement: enrolment
The form asks only for the details needed for an initial reply: name, phone, optional email, programme and preferred time. It works without JavaScript; scripts improve the experience but do not control whether the enquiry can be sent.
Video does not load until a visitor chooses it. Photographs have smaller WebP derivatives and fonts are served from the same domain. The result remains light despite the gallery and archive.
The full technical account of the migration, form and content structure is available in the main La Sylphide case study in Serbian.
Design decisions that remain useful
- Motion belongs to the subject and photography, not decorative noise.
- A language switch should preserve the visitor's place.
- One primary action should carry visual priority throughout the site.
- Archive material should load on demand.
- Editorial revision is part of design, not a final filling task.
Browse more studio work or use the contact page if your project needs a multilingual structure.
Frequently asked questions
Which languages does the website support?
The website has Serbian, English and Russian versions, connected with corresponding language alternatives.
Does the website use a CMS?
No. It is a small PHP website with shared components and file-based content, without a database or plugins.