Eric Underwood: Why dance is for dudes

Being a boy can be an asset in a female-dominated field, says the Royal Ballet star, but now we need to give elitism the elbow

There's a myth in this country that Billy Elliot changed everything as far as boys getting interested in ballet was concerned, that kids from working-class backgrounds suddenly got interested in becoming ballet dancers. Well, although it's a great film, I'm afraid my experience living here for the past ten years is that this really is a myth – it's not the case at all.

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