£100,000 so the next Billy Elliot can follow his dream

The talented nine-year-old from Barnsley has been offered one of just 22 places at the Royal Ballet's elite boarding school in London, after beating 2,400 other hopefuls from around the globe.

But fees for the first year are a massive 32,000, and when they are paid, Mr Faulkner, who earns 15,600 a year at an engineering factory, faces bills of 18,000 a year for each of the next four years.

In total, he and his wife Zoe, a hospital records clerk, need to raise 100,000 to allow their son to follow his dream of becoming the next Billy Elliot and the first stop is television show Deal or No Deal.

The programme offers a top prize of 250,000, but the 40-year-old said if he didn't strike it lucky on the Noel Edmonds-hosted teatime game show, he would remortgage the family home.

Mr Faulkner said: "I'm determined that we'll manage to do it somehow and if I don't win a fortune on Deal or No Deal then I'll work Saturdays and Sundays and every day of the week just so Keenan doesn't miss out."

Keenan has dreamed of being a ballet dancer since he performed a Billy Elliot routine in front of Barnsley-born Royal Ballet star Philip Mosley, who inspired the hit film about a boy dancer from a mining town, at a show in Barnsley three years ago.

Mrs Faulkner, 37, said: "Keenan was only six years old at the time, but his mind was made up after Philip came to see him afterwards and signed his ballet shoes and said his performance had been really good.

"All he's wanted to do since then is go to the Royal Ballet School in London and train to be a classical dancer like

Philip.

"Most of the young lads in Barnsley are into football and computer games. Ballet's not something they even think about it, but Keenan absolutely lives for dancing. Nothing else matters at all.

"He practises ballet, tap and jazz routines in the studio seven days a week, and he'd be doing his pirouettes at home every minute of the day and night if we let him.

"Some people think we're mad trying to raise such a huge of amount of money, but the Royal Ballet have offered Keenan the opportunity of a lifetime, and we're not going to deny him that chance and let it slip away."

Keenan started dancing at just two and a half years old, after joining a dancing class attended by his sister in Barnsley.

His parents hope to have raised most of the cash before he leaves Barnsley behind, and enrols at the exclusive boarding school at Richmond Park in a year's time.

Mrs Faulkner added: "Our friends and family are right behind us, and we're forming a committee to organise events and set about raising the funds.

"If we need to take out a second mortgage on the house so be it. We know we're going to be permanently poor for the next few years, but Keenan's going to get the best tuition that money can buy, so it's a price worth paying."

Pupils at the prestigious school pursue a rigorous training schedule with top teachers overseeing up to eight hours of dancing lessons and four hours of general education each day.

Mrs Faulkner said: "Some scholarships are available, but you have to apply, and Keenan's only guaranteed a place if we can pay the fees ourselves.

"He did fantastically well in the entrance exam. There were 2,400 children from all over the world chasing just 22 places so getting picked was a massive achievement, and we're determined that he's not going to miss out now."

Mr Faulkner said news of Keenan's success was greeted with delight by his classmates at Shawlands Primary School in Barnsley. He added: "We were a bit worried that they might take the mickey out of Keenan with so few boys doing ballet and tap, especially in a town like Barnsley.

"But the kids have been great, and when the headmistress announced the news that he'd been accepted by the Royal Ballet all the boys stood up and started clapping."

Dancer's story inspired film

Barnsley-born dancer Philip Mosley is widely regarded as the inspiration for the film Billy Elliot, and its writer Lee Hall has spoken of how much he owes to Mr Mosley's life story.

Like Keenan Faulkner, Mr Mosley, who has taken roles in many of the Royal Ballet's major productions in recent years, started out in dance by attending classes with his sister.

His father, a plumber, and his factory worker mother supported him when he was entered for a free scholarship to the Royal Ballet School, despite the fact that he was more used to tap and wanted to be like Fred Astaire or Gene Kelly.

After Billy Elliot was released, Mr Mosley, who grew up in the Cudworth area of Barnsley, attracted a lot of attention when he went on international tours.

He still works for the Royal Ballet and is currently artistic administrator and character artist having retired from full-time dancing.