For many years, dance was viewed as an activity solely for girls, with boys generally steering clear of any connection to it.

At boys’ schools, the term sissy served as a frequent taunt whenever dancing entered discussion – pursuits such as rugby, football, cricket and athletics were deemed the suitable activities for young men.

However, these three young people proved that being masculine and performing on stage could coexist.

James Prior, Edmund Wood and Thomas Kennedy played page roles in the London Festival Ballet’s production of Swan Lake. The show took place at Oxford’s Apollo Theatre, now called the New Theatre, in April 1988.

James, who was 10 and lived on Webbs Way in Kidlington, along with eight-year-old Edmund from Cherry Close in the same village, both took dance classes at the Paulson School of Dance in Kidlington.

Thomas, 12 years old and residing on Heyford Road in Kirtlington, attended Marlborough School in Woodstock. He had been recommended for the role by dance instructor Hettie Paulson.

As the opening performance approached, Mrs Paulson – who had been teaching dance at Kidlington Baptist Church for 28 years – shared her thoughts with the Oxford Mail. She noted that they were feeling the usual pre-performance jitters, but were genuinely thrilled about stepping onto the stage. She described it as a fantastic chance for them that would encourage them to put in greater effort in their dance training.

The young men were set to appear in every performance throughout the week-long season. The newspaper printed their picture alongside the caption Paging the beautiful movers.

James and Edmund had already performed alongside the London Festival Ballet previously, and Mrs Paulson mentioned they were thinking about pursuing dance professionally.

She stated that boys certainly have the ability to develop into graceful dancers, although they must contend with significant mockery from classmates, which prevents many young people from following this direction.