HE’S been dubbed the “Banbury Billy Elliot”.

And it seems the fictional ballet dancer has proved an inspiration for young Ben Lally, who has been attracting attention of his own with his terpsichorean talents.

Two years after first taking up dancing at Dashwood Banbury Academy primary school, the 11-year-old has been taking his skills on to the national stage.

Last month he competed in the Champions of Tomorrow in Blackpool.

Ben said: “I was thinking that I wanted to try a new sport that I enjoyed, and in the end I chose dancing.

“My school started to do classes in it, and because I was quite active I decided to give it a go.

“My favourite thing about dancing is going to all the different competitions and winning trophies.”

The Banbury Academy pupil trains three days a week, and five hours in total, at the Step by Step dance school based in Northamptonshire.

It is a busy schedule for a boy who, unlike the character played by Jamie Bell in the hit film Billy Elliot, also spends his spare time enjoying playing football and rugby.

His mother Hayley Lally said: “He’s been such a natural dancer, he picks everything up amazingly quickly and you can see the dancing he produces.”

For the competition at Blackpool’s Winter Gardens he was joined by his partner, 12-year-old Shannon Wigram, after the pair started dancing together over the last year.

They qualified after coming in the top two in a competition in Sutton-in-Ashfield in Nottinghamshire before Christmas.

But although in Blackpool the pair were eventually knocked out in the quarter finals of their samba and cha cha category, Ben is now hoping to take part in more competitions and take his talent further.

Ms Lally has had to pay to see her son achieve his ambitions, but says it is a price she is willing to pay.

“This is an expensive hobby but it is worth every penny to see them enjoy themselves.

“The level of competition was so high, but I’m sure Ben will have gained lots from it.”