THE name Ballantyne is synonymous in Western Australia with football but there is another Ballantyne who is making his name in a different field.
Simeon Ballantyne is one of the States best exotic dancers and it all started here in Mandurah.
The local resident won the So You Think You Can Strip competition at Players Bar late last year, which gave him the opportunity to follow his dream.
“I had been working in that sort of industry as a topless waiter in the city,” Ballantyne said.
"I'm chasing a dream."
- Simeon Ballantyne
“When I won So You Think You Can Strip it gave me the opportunity to work with Top Shelf Entertainment.”
Only a few months on and Ballantyne is part of the company’s Magic Mike All Stars, and just finished a four-day tour, with two of Perth’s finest dancers and three guests from Melbourne.
Under the stage name of Lee, the 23-year-old was the youngest on tour and therefore has taken on the role of ‘innocent’ youngster on stage, recreating a similar stage show seen in the Channing Tatum movie, Magic Mike.
“We combine dancing and stripping,” Ballantyne said.
“We have different choreography, different styles and different costumes.
“All of what you see in the movie, the styles from the movie is there.”
It’s the variety which makes it for Ballantyne.
He said he likes to mix it up with every routine different from the last, whether it is a show at a club or for a house party.
“I enjoy everything; I don’t prefer one over something else,” the dancer said.
While he admits his dance style is a little “gimpy”, Ballantyne said it’s how you present yourself and whether you like being on stage which matters.
“I’m chasing a dream,” he said.
“I want to be a world renowned strip artist; at the top of the game.
“I’m just focusing on achieving my hopes and dreams.”
Despite the unusual choice in past time, the dancer gets a lot of support from friends, family and his girlfriend.
