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Parenting on Female First
As well as bringing ballet to the masses I am eager to help remove the stigma attached to boys and dance. There are many more male dancers as role models on stage and on our TV screens which thankfully helps to counter some of the perceived negativity around boys taking up ballet.
Many boys want to try ballet after watching shows like Billy Elliot and other musicals featuring dancing, or seeing dance shows on TV and I'm delighted that there seems to be less stigma around ballet. It has always been the foundation for all dance disciplines as well as now being used as part of many an athlete's training regime so it is an art not to be laughed at!
The footballer Rio Ferdinand, who trained in ballet, and the street dance crew Diversity, are influential figures who have praised the benefit of the discipline for boys. It's excellent to see that a growing number of boys are attending babyballet and putting on their dancing shoes... not quite as many as girls but I am determined to improve upon that!
