Is Kyle Allen trained in ballet? Meet The Path's Hawk Lane who learned dancing at 12 and is a star acrobat
Kyle Allen was born in California on October 10, 1994, and is known for his many works as an accomplished actor. From roles such as Timothy Campbell in 'American Horror Story' (2018) to Kyle Campbell in 'All My Life', the actor has made quite a mark. Many know him most recently from Hulu's TV series 'The Path' where he plays the role of Hawk Lane. He is also all set to play the role of Mark in Amazon Prime Video's 'The Map of Tiny Perfect Things', which is out on February 12. While Allen is a talented actor, he also has other skills that many may not know of such as ballet and acrobatics.
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Kyle Allen is a trained ballet dancer
The actor studied classical ballet at Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington, DC, for five years. His bio page of the academy's website shows Allen to be a 2013 alumni. The actor was also a dancer with the San Francisco Ballet and also practiced acrobatics for six years. The 26-year-old actor made his acting debut with the movie 'One Night' (2016), with co-stars Anna Camp and Isabelle Furhmann. He played the role of Andrew 'Andy' McFarland. But 'The Path' is what got Allen his regular on-screen casting alongside Michelle Monaghan, Aaron Paul and Hugh Dancy.
In a chat with Interview Magazine in 2016, Allen revealed that after he had studied ballet in his younger days, he became interested in acting through Improv. "I started taking classes with Lauren Patrice Nadler. I lived at her studio. I went to every improv I could, and the classes I wasn’t in, I asked if I could watch them. I read everyone’s scripts. I knew everyone’s lines. I just saturated myself in it. I dedicated the same amount of energy I used to dedicate to ballet," he said.
Speaking about his time "through the air", Allen also said that he and his sister were enrolled in acrobatics and loved it as they did it every day. "We were in morning and afternoon practices and competing all over the country. I was on the Junior Olympic National Team for a year. Then I didn’t have anyone to work with. It’s not a very popular sport, but it’s a team sport — you need at least two people," said the actor, adding that he and his sister were "flyers". "Once you get to a higher level, partners are harder and harder to find. That’s when I started doing hip-hop and breakdancing and, oddly enough, ballet. I was about 12. My sister recently stopped. She’s actually a two-time world champion. She’s two years older than I am," Allen said.
Allen also revealed that he was "incredibly flexible and very coordinated from acrobatics" and explained that "they (ballet academy) figure they could mold him" because he was only 13 years old. The actor also said that he didn't want to be a professional dancer. "I just didn’t want to live at home anymore. I got it in my head: 'I’m a man now, I’m 13! I can do whatever I want!' I was an idiot. My second year there I decided that I really wanted to be a professional dancer," he said. He also spoke of meeting Taras Domitro and added, "He was in the San Francisco Ballet and they performed at the Kennedy Center. He was Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet. I was like, 'If I can’t do that, I’m not going to be a ballet dancer.' I gave myself a year or two."
In a video directed and choreographed by Jade Hale-Christofi, Allen is seen dancing in a warehouse to Jack Garratt‘s song 'Surprise Yourself'. You can watch the video below.
Catch 'The Map of Tiny Perfect Things' on February 12, 2021, on Amazon Prime Video.