Two gay dads in a town called Bowmanville in Ontario are very proud of their 11 year old son James Gibson-Jones who after only two years of studying ballet has been snatched up by the National Ballet of Canada.

Thomas Jones and Rob Gibson are acutely aware that they are setting themselves up for a barrage of “nature versus nurture” jokes whenever they tell people their son is a budding ballet prodigy.

He began dabbling in dance at the urging of teachers and family friends in Bowmanville, who sensed an affinity for rhythm and performance in the charismatic 11-year-old with the “classic Billy Elliot build.”

Both parents Rob and Thomas are prepared for the jokes people will make about the son of two gay men turning out to be a ballerina. They don’t seem to care, and neither does James.

“That was the first thing that I thought of,” he chuckles. “Here are the two gay men and their son, the dancer. There are those stereotypes: `We’re recruiting.’ `Only gay men dance.’ Things like that. I just find that incredibly funny. We didn’t even push him in dance. We were thinking gymnastics because he was so flexible.”

“Nobody’s actually brought it up,” shrugs Jones. “But if it happens, it happens. So be it.”

James and his brother Brandon were adopted by the couple at very young ages, both boys rescued from a terrible situation.

He and his biological half-brother Brandon (now 13) were just 3 and 5 when they first met their fathers-to-be in 2002. Removed from a home plagued by abuse, addictions and mental-health issues when James was scarcely 18 months old, the two were living with their second set of foster parents when Gibson and Jones came their way.

James had shown that he was very rhythmically inclined and loved prancing around but it was after watching The Nutcracker that he knew this is exactly what he wanted to do. From there things moved incredibly fast.

Already smitten with dance after a year in classes, he was watching The Nutcracker with “Pop and Dad” last December when he decided, as he recalls: “That’s it. That’s what I want to do.”

Jones and Gibson were stunned when, mere weeks later, he was the fourth child out of more than a thousand tryouts for the National Ballet called back for a longer weeding-out process in July. And stunned again when he got another callback at the end of that month.

The community was ready to mobilize a fundraiser to help pay for James’ tuition totaling $26,000 but they declined and paid for it themselves even though it meant them going into debt.

The investment seems to have been well worth it, Rob and Thomas just received news that their son James has a role in the National Ballet Christmas production of The Nutcracker.

[Toronto Star] Ballet dancer raised by two dads chases dream