INSIDE EDITION visits a ballet school where more boys are learning the graceful art than you might expect.
A young boy turned, then leapt across a dance studio. But there was something unusual about the class. There wasn't a girl in sight!
These boys are part of a growing trend—boys-only ballet classes.
The boys glided across the floor at the Brighton Ballet Theater in Brooklyn, New York. Executive Director Irina Roizin said her school has seen a surge in male enrollment ever since the film Billy Elliot.
The boys, aged 5 to 12, wear black tights and white shirts as they practice classical ballet techniques, like pliés and relevés.
Although the boys often perform with girls, they enjoy the camaraderie of an all-male class. But sometimes, they get bullied.
"Sometimes, I get teased," said one dancer.
"People make fun of me, and I'll even get pushed around," said another.
And they have this message for anyone who says ballet is only for girls:
"I say, boys can do it too," said one 5-year-old dancer.
