A GWENT schoolboy is on his way to becoming the next Billy Elliot. For Adam Cornes and his twin sister Amy, ten, from Cwmbran have proved they are masters of the pirouette after being selected to perform for the English Youth Ballet.

The pupils at Henllys Church in Wales School, Cwmbran, have been ballet dancing, as well as performing tap and jazz routines, since they were three and a half-years old after attending classes at the Suzanne Simms Dancing School in Pontypool.

The film Billy Elliot - which charts the life of a miner's son who swaps boxing lessons for ballet classes - was a box-office smash. Overcoming the misgivings of his family, Billy's raw talent takes him to the coveted Royal Ballet School in London.

And Adam, from Celandine Court, Ty Canol, Cwmbran, says he, too, has ignored jibes on his way to ballet success.

He said: "I do get a bit of stick from the boys at school but I don't take too much notice. "I used to play football for the school but I had to give it up to practise ballet." His hard work and dedication have paid off, with Adam winning an English Youth Ballet scholarship to pay for his lessons.

The twins' proud mother, Deborah, said: "I always encouraged them, as dancing's a great form of exercise, although I initially had trouble enrolling Adam in a class because no-one wanted to take a boy in a ballet class, but Suzanne was very enthusiastic." Adam is not the first budding Billy Elliot featured in the Argus.

In June we revealed how Year 5 boys at Harold Road Junior School, Abergavenny, lined up with the girls to practise their pirouettes when a professional ballet dancer paid a visit. Greta Dawson, of the Northern Ballet Theatre Company, demonstrated dances from Romeo and Juliet.

Adam and Amy perform in Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite in Yeovil tomorrow.