What is your name/age/job title?

Leon Poulton, 23, Dancer

What one thing do you wish you had known at the start of your career that you know now?

Being a good dancer isn’t about how good you are technically or dynamically, but about being willing to challenge yourself and to keep learning. Every person you work with has a particular strength you can learn from. Allowing that to influence you makes you a better dancer.

If you could go back and give your younger (say 16-year-old) self any practical advice, what would it be?

Try not to allow anyone to put you down, or tell you that you can’t do something. Some people will believe in you and some people won’t. But the people that do believe in you are the ones who give you the opportunities.

If someone had told your 16-year-old self that you would be a successful dancer in your twenties, would you have believed them? Or did you have other ambitions?

I would have told them they were crazy! I danced because I enjoyed it, but I originally wanted to be a graphic designer. 

Is there an embarrassing episode from your past that you wish you could edit out?

One of my very first dance pieces was a reconstruction from Cats. I was the only boy in the piece and I had to wear a cat’s tail in front of all my friends and family. Embarrassing, but everyone supported me.

Is there a single thing that you wish you’d known about when you started out? Something that has shaped the way you work today?

Ballet is a fundamental part of how I work today and a big part of my dance technique training. Lots of different techniques influence other styles and it’s good to be open and accept new things. 

Is there a project of which you are particularly proud?

I’ve just recently performed at Sadler’s Wells for my second season running with Ballet Boyz. I was proud just to be accepted in to the company.

What would you consider your ‘big break’? And how did you get it?

I consider my big break to be a valued member of a successful, well-known dance company. I think I have achieved that with Ballet Boyz. I got this by working hard, being disciplined and not being effected by those who didn’t support me.

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