WHEN you think of a young, working-class boy performing ballet, you're probably drawn to the film Billy Elliot – and that's exactly how Andersonstown man Luc Burns entered the artform.
 
After a short stint in the US during the summer when he performed with the Ajkun Ballet Theatre, Luc is preparing to return to New York where he has been cast in a production of Dracula, subject to his visa being approved.
 
Taking time out of his busy schedule, Luc told the Andersonstown News how he became irresistibly drawn to ballet.

“I performed in a production of Billy Elliot when I was part of a musical theatre group and from there, I was drawn to ballet and I honestly don’t know why,” he said.
 
“I found out about the Rana School of Ballet through a friend of my mum and began with them back in 2016 at the age of 14 which is very late to be a beginner.
 
“It's a bit easier to start when you are a lot older because you latch on to things more and understand the context of the technique and how you are training, but while my brain might have been taking that information on, my body wasn’t made for it.
 
“The best way to describe it is that you have to shape your body for ballet and that is what keeps you going in terms of work ethic. That helps your body handle the amount of activity you are doing, especially if you are working en dehors [outward, away from the supporting leg].

For Luc, the difficulty in going into a ballet class as a relatively 'older' young man wasn't just physical.
 
“I was 14 and stepping into a class full of eight-year-old girls in tutus and wondered what I was doing there,” he said.
 
“People don’t understand the strength required for a male ballet dancer. If we are doing pas de deux, we have to make sure that the girl is safe and that we are supporting her. We also have a lot of jumps where strength is needed."

Luc's keen to dispel some of the tired old myths that continue to attach themselves to the art of ballet.
 
“There is a stereotype that ballet is only for feminine people or gay people but that is not the case.
 
“I always say that people should do one ballet class in their life to fully appreciate the work we put in to making it look easy.”
 
Luc said that ballet isn’t natural for the human body and that he doesn’t think that people realise how much work and effort goes in to preparing the body for dancing.
 
“It was a struggle for me and when I began, I didn’t know a lot. It wasn’t until I moved to Birmingham to train with Kings Academy that I figured it is about diet and about looking after yourself.
 
“I have to do yoga, personal training and spend a lot of time in the gym. You would then be in class from nine in the morning until six. Then you have to go home and eat well, do active recovery such as ice baths, deep heating or massaging your muscles to prevent injury.”

DRACULA: Luc has previously performed in the US and hopes to return when his visa is sorted
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DRACULA: Luc has previously performed in the US and hopes to return when his visa is sorted

As for being cast in the upcoming New York production of Dracula, Luc said it's an extremely exciting opportunity for him in such a prestigious production. But problems remain.
 
“It's a bit crazy to think that I have been given this opportunity to go and when I was there during the summer, I was looking at the like of the Empire State Building, all of the monuments and I had to pinch myself as I couldn’t believe I was there,” he said.
 
“The visa for this production is a bit of a problem because of how young I am and because the productions I have performed in to date haven’t been critically acclaimed.
 
“I have great people helping me and I am hoping to get through the red tape and on a flight to America as soon as possible.”
 
Luc added that he's delighted to be returning to working with Aikun Ballet Theatre and with the same team that he had performed with this summer.
 
“To see the work ethic that goes into it is phenomenal. Dr Aikun has her own methodology which really works and it was so exciting to have the opportunity to train and work with her.”