Photo: Diana Martin, Chatham Daily News
Benjamin Alexander studies at Canada’s National Ballet School
I loved the movie Billy Elliott, about an English boy who is drawn to the fun and beauty of ballet after his mother’s death casts a deep pall over the family. His macho dad and brother, coal miners toughing out a bitter strike during the austere Thatcher years, are appalled and even hostile. But it’s hardly a spoiler to say that art wins the day.
Recently I read an article about contemporary Billy Elliots and was intrigued. They all seemed very matter-of-fact about their interest.
Isabel Teotonio in the Toronto Star writes, “This year, Canada’s National Ballet School (NBS) has the highest percentage of boys in its entry-level Grade 6 class in its history: 65 per cent. …
“The phenomenon isn’t confined to NBS. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, dance was the 10th most popular ‘sport’ for boys aged 5 to 14 in 2012, with participation rates rising in recent years.
“And in the United Kingdom, an August survey of 1,000 children aged 2 to 12, done by retailer Mothercare and charity Save the Children, found more boys (8 per cent) than girls (5 per cent) wanted to become a dancer. In order of preference, the top jobs for boys were doctor, soccer player, dancer and teacher. For girls: doctor, teacher, soccer player and dancer.” More.
As I was poking around the web for more, I found this WordPress blog listing programs for boys. The blogger led me in turn to a nice story by Ellwood Shreve in the Chatham Daily News, here, about an enthusiastic NBS student, above.
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