From ‘humble beginnings’ in Portadown, Leigh Alderson applauds the strong women in his life who helped him during 20 years as a professional ballet dancer.

Leigh, who trained at the Royal Ballet School in London, has performed across the globe with top professional ballet companies.

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Leigh Alderson, a professional ballet dancer from Portadown, Co Armagh, pictured at Staatstheater Cottbus in Germany.

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He describes his childhood as ‘idyllic’ praising his mum for her guidance.

Living with his mum, older brother David and younger brother Daryn, he recalls wonderful memories of playing in the garden and ‘creating entire worlds’ in their shared bedroom.

"I know life couldn’t have been easy for my mum as a single parent, but as children we were completely unaware of any struggles. We never felt like we were doing without. In fact, it felt like we had everything we could ever have wanted,” said Leigh.

Leigh Alderson, a professional ballet dancer originally from Portadown, Co Armagh, performing at Les Grands Ballets Canadiens.

"Mum did that while always instilling a sense of gratitude for everything. A huge lesson she taught me was kindness.”

Growing up in Portadown was ‘fun’. “I honestly loved it. I also loved Millington Primary School. It felt like such a warm, safe place to grow up, and it was from there that I eventually left for London.

"You’d perhaps expect that deciding to pursue ballet as a young boy in the mid-1990s might have led to bullying, but strangely, that wasn’t my experience at all. If anything, everyone was just incredibly curious about what I was doing.”

Leigh was 7-years-old when he announced to his mum, ‘out of the blue’, that he wanted to dance. Not an obvious path for a young boy in the mid-1990s

Professional ballet dancer Leigh Alderson who originates from Portadown, Co Armagh.

“She never once questioned me,” said Leigh who revealed his mum found a dance school in the Yellow Pages and enrolled him in the Donna Whitten Dance Studio.

"I was simply having the time of my life. Looking back now, I realise my mum and my first teachers, Donna Whitten and then also Susan McMillan, were quietly seeing something in me that I couldn’t possibly have seen in myself,” said Leigh.

"We didn’t know anything about the ballet world, but my mum trusted the people around us and, more importantly, she trusted my passion.”

Off he then went to train at the Royal School of Ballet. “I don’t think either of us fully understood what it would mean until the day she left me there. I can still remember running back to the front doors to find her in tears. She quietly asked me to go back inside because it was clearly breaking her heart to leave me there.

"Only years later did I truly understand the sacrifice she had made. I realised none of it happened because of me alone. It happened because three remarkable women believed in me long before I understood what was possible. Those three women—my mum, Jennifer, Donna Whitten and Susan McMillan—were there at the very beginning, and that’s how it all started.”

At times homesick, Leigh stuck with the training surrounded by others who shared the same dream.

“I graduated from the Lower School and progressed into the Upper School, the final three years of pre-professional training before auditioning for companies. It was there that another incredibly strong female influence entered my life: the Director of the Royal Ballet School, Gailene Stock,” he said adding she never gave up on him.

“At every major turning point, another remarkable woman appeared: my mum, Donna Whitten, Susan McMillan and then Gailene Stock. They all believed in me, sometimes more than I believed in myself. "

Towards the end of his training, Leigh was signed by Ashley Page, Artistic Director of Scottish Ballet at the time.

Leigh is always exploring what’s around the next corner. Ballet gave him an opportunity to see the world and receive a pay check at the end of it.

"I had the privilege of performing some incredible repertoire, working with many of the world’s leading choreographers and experiencing both the great heritage works and exciting new creations. Every company I joined and every role I danced shaped me, not just as a performer but as a person,” said Leigh admitting he learned a lot through the highs and lows.

In his 20-year career, Leigh has always went home when he had time off. "Home has always been my safe place. It’s where I reset, where I feel grounded and where I’m reminded of what really matters.

"As I reflect on the end of my 20th season as a professional dancer, I realise that has been one of the few constants throughout my career.”

Sadly Leigh had his fair share of injuries. “I was fortunate enough to be dancing a lot of principal and leading roles, and there was always that feeling that if you stepped aside, someone else would take your place. So, like many dancers, I carried on.”

Recently he’s had 2 neck surgeries including having his C5 vertebra removed and is recovering from another spinal injury on his lower back.

As he takes time to heal, he says: “I have no doubt I’ll be back on stage.”

This latest journey has given Leigh time to explore other creative passions. He’s writing his first book. He’s also developing more choreography of his own. Plus he’s exploring acting having already appeared in short films and feature movies.

“As I approach 40, I feel incredibly excited about what’s next. I still want to perform, I still want to dance, but I also don’t want to leave those other dreams sitting on the shelf for too long.”

Asked what advice he would give a young person considering ballet, Leigh said: “Today, young dancers have so much more information, support and access to opportunities. My hope is that they also have the kind of supportive network I was lucky enough to have.

“If you work hard, stay curious, remain authentic and never lose the joy that made you fall in love with your art in the first place, then I genuinely believe anything is possible.”