'I ALWAYS FEEL GROUNDED WHEN I'M BACK HOME'

A 19-year-old dancer from Plymouth is part of a line-up of exceptionally talented dancers performing across the UK. And while Joseph Burdett could now not be prouder to be part of the prestigious Central School of Ballet tour this year, the professional dancer has revealed his early reticence, albeit short lived, to ballet.

- By ANNETTE BELCHER

Joseph, who is from Plymouth and whose parents work for the NHS, has no background in dance. But his favourite ballet is now Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake and his dance inspiration is Carlos Acosta. He says his best dance moment was recovering from a bad injury and being able to carry on dancing.

Joseph told us: “I actually started dance by being thrown into a ballet class with my three older sisters. At first, it definitely wasn’t my cup of tea. But after sticking with it and doing more classes at Geraldine Lamb Dance School and Nicky Costin’s, something just clicked. I started to really enjoy the structure, the movement, and the chance to perform.”

Joseph trained at the Nicola Costin and Geraldine Lamb dance schools in Plymouth before spending five years at Elmhurst Ballet School in Birmingham and then heading for a three-year course at London’s Central School of Ballet.