User:B137/Matthew Helms

Matthew Helms, born Joseph Matthew Helms,10/31/89 is an actor, dancer, and martial artist who has performed lead roles in many professional ballet productions of classical ballets, including The Nutcracker, Giselle, Le Corsaire, and Sleeping Beauty. Helms is known for his long, blonde hair and his martial arts abilities. He won a gold medal in the 2006 Junior Olympics Tae Kwon Do forms division.

Life and career
Matthew Helms was born on October 31, 1989, in Atlanta, Georgia. He attended the Watford School of Karate in Aiken, South Carolina, and Spartanburg Martial Arts in Spartanburg, South Carolina. As of October, 2006, he has been training in ballet as part of a scholarship with the Academy of Classical Ballet, Lakewood, Colorado and the International Ballet School of Littleton, Colorado. Due to a cancellation by the original guest, Matthew Helms appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in 1999, during which he broke Leno's watch while demonstrating his ability to block punches, and after the taping of which he was promised a motorcycle by Leno from his collection for his eighteenth birthday. His first acting role was in the 2002 horror movie, Cabin Fever as "Dennis," a position he got after writer and director Eli Roth was impressed by his martial arts demonstration. The charater, Dennis, was rewritten to fit Helms.

Filmography
1) The Patriot (2000) (uncredited)- Patriot Kid

2) Ding-a-ling-Less (2001)- Got Milk Kid

3) Black Night (2001) (uncredited)- Little Rebel

4) Cabin Fever (2002)- Dennis

5) A Touch of Fate (2003) (uncredited)- Extra

6) Blood De Madam: The Fallen One (2009) (Pre-production)- Randy

In addition to the films listed here, he played himself in a short action-film in 2002 called Pancakes, which was included in the special features of the Cabin Fever DVD.

Matt traied for three years under scholarship with the Ballet West Academy and was in their pre-professional program. During his training in Salt Lake City Matt was a frequent guest artist for Utah Ballet, the professional program of the University of Utah.

He recently signed his second contract with Boulder Ballet for their 2011-2012 season and has continued as a guest soloist for various professional ballet companies when his Boulder Ballet schedule permits. He is now a member of the Boulder Ballet faculty and involved in choreograpy for the Boulder Ballet School. Upcoming performances include the lead role in La Bayedere and Boulder Ballet's Little Mermaid and "Ballet in the Park."