<B>Billy Elliot factor sees equal split at ballet academy</B><BR>By JAMES DOHERTY for The Scotsman <P><BR>AS MANY boys as girls are to be trained at Scotland’s top ballet school thanks to the hit film Billy Elliot. <P>The Dance School of Scotland, based at Knightswood Secondary in Glasgow, yesterday revealed that this year’s aspiring dancers, many of whom go on to successful careers with Scottish Ballet and other world-class companies, will be evenly matched along gender lines. <P>In August, eight boys and eight girls aged 11 will start the rigorous training which they hope will lead to the kind of success enjoyed by the eponymous hero of the film which hit screens two years ago. <P>Since it was established in 1983, the school encountered problems encouraging boys to audition for the course, attracting only one or two to the programme each year. <P><A HREF="http://www.thescotsman.co.uk/entertainment.cfm?id=644942002" TARGET=_blank><B>click for more</B></A>