Soaring through the air above the dull finish of the stage with lights blinding his eyes, energy extending from toe to toe, junior Alex Roy executed an exemplary grand jeté. He had rehearsed for this show an infinite number of times until this advanced move was perfected to become second nature.

From the age of seven, Roy’s life outside Wayland High School has revolved around practicing and performing classical ballet. Roy was inspired to try dancing after watching his older sister, Katie (class of 2011), perform.

For Roy’s entire dancing career, he has been taking classes at the New England Ballet studio in Wayland and performing for the ballet company Dance Prism.

Roy’s dance schedule is rigorous; he typically practices five days a week and takes three classes a week. During show seasons, his weekends are consumed by countless hours of rehearsing and performing.

Roy has recently starred in Dance Prism’s Birds of a Feather, Cinderella, Giselle and Alice in Wonderland. He most recently wrapped up his performance in the annual holiday ballet, The Nutcracker.

Roy’s several roles in The Nutcracker this year included a main character, Clara’s younger brother, Fritz, as well as a toy soldier, a candy cane, a partner in the “Waltz of the Flowers” and a performer in the “Trepak.”

“I really enjoy [being in The Nutcracker]. I think most people do,” said Roy. “People come back year after year to perform in it and to watch it. It’s sort of just what I do in the fall and winter since I started in the company.”

Whatever show he’s dancing in, Roy has a passion for the performance art of ballet.

“There’s just something about being on stage where we can just forget about other things and try to manifest the character we’re trying to portray. Although, there’s definitely a lot of interaction between people on stage,” said Roy. “It’s another world, and it’s really interesting to be in.”

Up until this year, Roy had the unique experience of dancing with his sister. Katie danced in the same productions as Alex at Dance Prism and also took classes with him at New England Ballet.

“Sometimes it’s hard to watch her because she’s so amazing, and she’s not that much older than I am,” said Roy. “I think about how amazing she is, but she’s also very inspirational, and she works incredibly hard. It makes me proud to watch her dance. She’s really very much a role model for me.”

As a male, Roy is in the minority of student ballet dancers.

“There’s definitely a lot more that men can get away with, and they receive a lot of special treatment and unfair advantages over the women just because there are fewer of them, and they’re in such high demand,” said Roy. “I think a lot of men feel a lot less pressure than women do because they know that they will be used. I personally disagree with that though. I try to make sure I’m putting in as much work as the girls think they need to do themselves.”

However, there are some negative aspects to playing the role of a male in ballet. Typically, men do more for partnering (when the male dancer lifts the female) and less technical dancing. In partnering situations, the women are normally in the spotlight and the men are the support.

“A lot of times, people will say the woman is the picture, and the man is the frame. Well that’s great if you want to get away with doing less, but at the same time, you have to emphasize her beauty, and sometimes it can feel a little bit discouraging because you don’t get to do as much,” said Roy. “It isn’t always the most enjoyable thing.”

Being involved in ballet affects different aspects of Roy’s life. He explained that ballet is a precise and detail-oriented art, and its requirement of perfectionism shines through in his schoolwork and his other artistic hobby, drawing.

“With schoolwork I try to be very careful, and it’s almost uncomfortable if I can’t put forth the best and most clean work I can offer,” said Roy. “As well as with another art that I enjoy, drawing, I feel this need to be precise; it’s almost obsessive. It can be kind of annoying sometimes, but there’s just something about it that makes it worth it, the end result especially.”

Roy hopes to take dance classes in college and stay with his current company in the future.

“I made the decision coming into high school that it was more of a hobby than a lifestyle, but I definitely enjoy it enough that I’ll continue to do it.”