A former member of the RNZ ballet,Charles has danced with many of Aotearoa's top choreographers. From 1993-97 Charles studied sculpture at the Elam School of Fine Arts. His 1997 project Te Toki Haruru-Retrieve included many archival recordings of Waiata. In 1998 a soundtrack was made for his installation/performance piece Ocean Born. This premiered at Lopdell House Gallery, then the Lane Gallery, Auckland.