Boy Dancers Do Ok - In the Wellingtonian

Boy dancers do OK despite the bullying

On stage: Dan Cockerill, Salem Foxx and Emily Nicholson get into character for the Royal New Zealand Ballet show opening at the St James Theatre on August 2. Dan, 11, from Ngaio and Salem, 12, from Kapiti, are the only boys at their schools to learn ballet. They will be performing as page boys in the show. ‘‘I used to be bullied because of it. That was a bad time, but when everyone saw how good I was, they were fine about it,’’ said Dan. Both boys said they enjoyed the music and being on stage, and were looking forward to performing in Cinderella.

‘‘It’s a good experience,’’ said Salem. ‘‘I love being on the stage. The more people watching me, the better.’’

• 26 Jul 2012
• The Wellingtonian