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28 October 2014 Last updated at 17:03 GMT
David Burdett, from Gorleston, Norfolk, started taking lessons after being inspired by Strictly Come Dancing and the film Billy Elliot.
"I felt like I needed to do something. It's hard, but fun. I'm going to keep going forward and see where it takes me," he said.
Eighteen months on, he is due to star at Gorleston Pavilion Theatre. BBC Look East's Mike Liggins reports.
A butcher who decided to take up ballet on his 45th birthday says his love for it has "snowballed" ever since.