The role of a professional ballet dancer is a highly demanding one, with few women from Ireland and an even smaller number of men managing to successfully pursue such a career.
Ruaidhri Maguire, from Moneymore in Co Derry, has made a considerable breakthrough as we reported yesterday by securing a prestigious contract with a leading US dance company at the age of 21.
It is notable that members of Ruaidhri's family were keen Irish dancers and traditional musicians, and it may be that this background helped him to develop his ballet skills as well.
There will be strong hopes that Ruaidhri, who has been dancing since he was nine, can finalise his fund-raising arrangements shortly and become a major star in his chosen field.
