When the curtain rises on this year’s installment of the Eastern Connecticut Ballet’s production of “The Nutcracker,” there will be five boys on the stage who have been studying at the East Lyme school.

In all, there are 10 boys enrolled in classes at the school, founded by Lise Reardon in 1992 and presenting their Nutcracker for the 18th time this year. “The most boys we’ve ever had,” says Reardon.

The elder statesman of that group, Gavin Seymour, is a 16-year-old from Niantic who has been studying at ECB for eight years and will play the titular role when “The Nutcracker” is performed at the Garde Arts Center on Saturday and Sunday.

For most of his first six-years studying at ECB, Seymour has been the lone boy in his classes. He started dancing when he became bored waiting for his older sister, Samantha, to finish her ballet classes and asked to join a class. On and off there were other boys in classes, but only in the last two years has there been a consistent group.

“He’s always been sort of on an island by himself, growing up in this school,” says ECB Artistic Director Gloria Govrin. “He was the only boy, but I think it’s not unusual. There’s always been more girls than boys. Except that’s starting to change, which I think is great!”

Reardon and Govrin have no explanation for the increase. The tabloid TV show “Inside Edition” visited the ECB studio this summer to tape a segment on boys’ interest in ballet. The piece was prompted by stories out of Great Britain about Prince George, the son of Prince William and Duchess Kate Middleton, taking ballet lessons. A television talk show host scoffed on air, all but teasing the future king for liking ballet, though she later apologized. The recent run of the musical “Billy Elliot” at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam also highlights changing attitudes.

Both Govrin and Damara Bennett, who teaches the younger dancers, and both know Christopher Stowell, Associate Artistic Director of the National Ballet of Canada, noted a recent report that the Canadian National Ballet School will graduate the class of 2020 with more male dancers than female.

Govrin also speculates that the many dance competition TV shows available may be increasing the visibility of male dancers.

In the Monday evening Level 7 class, Seymour is the lone male form dancing in a sea of ballerinas in pointe shoes and leotards. Govrin came to ECB 10 years ago, and Seymour arrived two years later.

“He’s not very flexible,” Govrin says of his dancing. “He always had trouble keeping his legs straight, standing up to present himself, but I think a lot of that changed when we had Marc (Spielberger, a retired professional dancer and choreographer with international credentials) come and teach the boys. I really do believe he really got this — ‘OK, maybe I can do this’ — and I’ve been giving him more and more in the spring show to do.”

Seymour says the girls in class treat him “just like one of the girls, we’re all friends.” He also prefers performances to class. “I like to show off for my friends and family," he says.

Bennett suggested they bring in Spielberger to teach a class just for boys on Monday evenings. Seymour trained with that group until the class time conflicted with his more advanced classes.

“What we do here (in the boys’ class) will help them with their regular class, and it really builds strength and coordination for what they do later,” says Spielberger.

Govrin hopes the enrollment trend continues. She imagines the possibility of starting a pairing class in the future and sees a day when each of the male roles in “The Nutcracker” is played by male students at the school.

For now, it’s Seymour and the four younger boys carrying the flag for their gender.

“I hope it continues,” says Govrin. “I really do. I think the boys here feel special.”

If you go

What: Eastern Connecticut Ballet's "The Nutcracker"

When: 1:30 and 7 p.m. Saturday and 1:30 p.m. Sunday

Where: Garde Arts Center, 325 State St., New London

Tickets: $45-$55 for adults, $25-$32 for kids 12 and under; half-price for military families for Saturday night show only

Contact: (860) 444-7373, gardearts.org