They may have been split a decade apart, but their first ever dance instructor can immediately draw comparisons between Graham Kaplan and Tanner March.
Wendy Lee Riley recognizes the common bond between Kaplan and March - they had a fire in their eyes and a spring in their step in the early days of gracing the floor of one of her ballet classes.
Riley recalls with ease her first encounters with Kaplan as, 10 years ago, having more than one or two boys in her many dance classes was an exception to the rule.
"We had a couple of boys, but not many in ballet," said the Urban Dance Company's artistic director.
"But since all those TV shows about dancing, boys are more open-minded about it. (Graham) was always very eager and definitely had a lot of talent, starting off in hip-hop; but it didn't take much to push him into tap and then jazz and then ballet, when he realized how important it was.
"And I see the same thing happening with Tanner. I sat down with his parents and said to them, 'if this is your son's path, then ballet has all the technical foundation he will need.'"
But it's not all sweetness and light convincing boys to step into what is, still, very much a women's world.
"You have to handle them with kid gloves, and it always has to be their choice," said Riley.
"And we have to accept it might be difficult for them outside of the studio.
"Graham's friends all played hockey and he did get razzed about it.
"I'm extremely proud of him and what he's achieved so far. I knew very early that he could go somewhere in the world of dance, as he had a wonderful dedication."
It's not just the boy that has to deal with the transition into ballet - the parents, in particular the male, often find it difficult.
"In a lot of the cases, it's hard for the fathers; mothers are more open about it," said Riley. "It's harder for the fathers to say, 'My son's a dancer.'"
And in terms of the sexuality of male ballet dancers, "There's still a little bit of stigma attached to it," Riley added.
"But people are much more open-minded now and there are so many male dancers out there these days. People's attitudes are changing."
Currently, at least 30 per cent of the students at Urban Dance are boys, compared to 10 per cent a decade ago.
"It's becoming more and more popular for boys to get involved and I think that will continue," said Riley.
