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However brilliantly they perform with their five-member company, George Piper Dances, and however many new works they commission, Michael Nunn and William Trevitt probably will always be known in their native Britain as the Ballet Boyz.

That was the title of their 1999 video diary that chronicled their departure from a financially troubled Royal Ballet. "Ballet Boyz" aired to an audience of 2 million, more than saw them during their 12 years dancing the works of Kenneth MacMillan or the classical canon at the Royal Ballet.

That documentary and its sequel, "Ballet Boyz II, The Next Step," in 2001, brought them the kind of fame normally afforded to "American Idol" finalists.

They make their Pittsburgh debut Saturday at the Byham Theater, Downtown.

"We'd both been there for a good 12 years," says Nunn, a native West Londoner who joined the Royal Ballet in 1987. "We'd performed all of the major male roles. The opera house was about to go into a refurbishment period for two years. The company was being sent on the road, possibly. There was quite a lot of financial trouble at the time. We thought, 'Well maybe this is time to have a little look around.'"

They founded K Ballet and toured Japan, but it proved to be more of the same. Nunn and Trevitt, both in their 30s, were keen to dance new works with the years they had left. Combining their middle names, they created George Piper Dances, a lean and mean five-dancer outfit with the work ethic of a touring rock band and the mobility of a band of guerrilla fighters.

The classically pedigreed dancers took ballet and modern dance beyond Covent Garden to inner-city schools in London.

"We've been to some challenging projects with kids in less well-off areas," Trevitt says. "And contemporary dance is quite a long way away from anything they would normally experience. This is important for us as well in terms of our performance. What we want them to do is respond to us as people. Listen to what we're saying and see how we work. Don't judge the whole of dance by what you think you know.

"That's why it's great to have only five dancers. It causes headaches if there's an injury, but what it means is the audience really gets to know personalities and individuals."

"A majority of dance-going audiences in this country are between 40 and 60," Nunn says. "We were just wondering what happens when these people get older. Who's taking over? Who's going to come and see this stuff? We do a lot of work in schools. You go into a school the morning before the show, and you teach. When they come to the show, they really appreciate it. And it really works. It's great. All our shows seem like an event. Other theater directors come to our show and say 'Where do you get your audience from? You've got a 14-year-old boy there and a 75-year-old mother over there."

Creating new work is a top priority. George Piper Dances has commissioned works by Russell Maliphant; Christopher Wheeldon; resident choreographer at New York City Ballet, Cathy Marston; and William Forsythe, director of Ballet Frankfurt.

"He wasn't sure we could do it," Nunn says of Forsythe.

"He wasn't used to working with classical dancers. We took an old work from him at first just to prove that we could do it."

As for who else they'd like to work with, Trevitt says, "Radiohead would be all right if Merce Cunningham hadn't gotten there first."

Breaking out on their own

Classically trained dancers Michael Nunn and William Trevitt raised more than a few eyebrows when they chose to leave the security of the Royal Ballet. Troubled as it was at the time, a job with the Royal Ballet still seemed a safer bet than starting from scratch.

Yet these two blokes decided to form their own shoestring dance company intended to challenge the often-stuffy strictures of the ballet world. They booked studio time, drove the van and used their old connections to convince sometimes-skeptical choreographers to create new dances for them.

"People think you're mad," Nunn says. "Especially leaving the security of a large establishment like the Royal Ballet, where everything is done for you. Health benefits, teachers, that sort of stuff. You go out on your own, and you have nothing. We rent studios when and wherever we can. We look out for ourselves. It suits us, really. It keeps us very flexible. They thought we'd only last one season."

They foot the bills for new work, which means they have to make the most of their studio time.

"It is difficult commissioning work," Trevitt says. "We do everything on a shoestring, and we rely on people understanding what we're doing."

Videotapes shown between the dances provide the audience with a glimpse of backstage dynamics and the creative process. Trevitt says the intention is to make it a bit more accessible.

"Our opinion of dance is that it can often be quite off-putting," Trevitt says. "Like a chore. You should feel very pleased and very worthy if you go to a contemporary dance performance, but you don't really enjoy it.

"Our show is designed so you come out of the theater after having a really entertaining time. Then you think, 'My god, I've just seen several top choreographers, and it didn't hurt at all. I really enjoyed myself.'"

Meet the Ballet Boyz

Michael Nunn

Born: West London.

History: Joined Royal Ballet in 1987, promoted to first artist in 1989 and first soloist in 1996.

Classical repertory: Count Albrecht in "Giselle"; Prince Florimund and the Gold variation in "The Sleeping Beauty"; a Rag Mazurka Boy in Nijinska's "Les Biches"; the Mazurka and pas de deux in Fokine's "Les Sylphides"; the pas de deux in Balanchine's "Agon" and the "Fourth Movement in Symphony in C." Filmed and co-directed "Ballet Boyz" documentary video diary in 1999, and "Ballet Boyz II, The Next Step," 2001.

Family: Wife, Belinda Hatley, Royal Ballet first soloist, and newborn son, George.

William Trevitt

Born: Cambridge.

History: Joined Royal Ballet at age 18. Promoted to first artist in 1989 and principal in December 1994.

Classical repertory: Siegfried and the Act I pas de deux in "Swan Lake"; solo in "La Bayadere"; Count Albrecht in "Giselle"; a Suitor, the Prince and the Bluebird pas de deux in "The Sleeping Beauty"; and Espada in "Don Quixote." Filmed and co-directed "Ballet Boyz" documentary video diary in 1999, and "Ballet Boyz II, The Next Step," 2001.

Family: Wife, Rebecca Holmes, ex-Royal Ballet Dancer; sons Joseph, Zachery and Elijah.

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