8 year old ds wants to start ballet lessons - too late?

[PeridotPassion]

Ds1 (nearly 8) has decided he wants to start ballet lessons. He's been scouring YouTube for ballet tutorials and trying to copy them and he does seem serious.

He already does street/hiphop and take parts in regular shows and he doesn't want to give this up, but wants to learn ballet as well.

My concern is that we've already missed the boat and that 8 is too old to start. Most 8 year olds doing ballet seem to have been doing it since 3/4. Also that ballet is a world away from street and hiphop - is it sensible to try and mix in that way or does he need to make a choice and stick to one? The other thing is that physique wise he's the very opposite of your typical ballet dancer - he's very very tall but also broad and big built, and whilst he's got good rythym and excels in his current dance class, I can't imagine him being graceful enough for ballet?

Any views appreciated....he's fairly sensitive and I suspect would really take it to heart if he started ballet and then was unable to keep up because of his age/build/other dancing background. If there's little chance of him doing well I'd rather try and gently steer him away from ballet iyswim?

I'm hoping that ds1's attitude will rub off on ds2 tbh.

Ds2 also goes to the same current dance school as ds1 and does street/hip hop dancing, and loves it. But that's 'cool' and OK for boys apparently...he thinks far too much about what people will say and is firmly in the 'ballet is for girls' camp atm which really frustrates me.

It's funny because ds2 is only 5 and ds1 is almost 8...you'd typically expect an 8 year old to be far more worried/aware about 'what the boys in school will think' iyswim, but it's the other way around here atm.

My ds started ballet at 9 and dancing is now his world. He got accepted onto 3 associates programs within 6 months and we are awaiting audition results for full time schools. He absolutely loves it and it has brought him so much. He is very lucky that he naturally has a ballet build but there are other boys in his class who don't and they get on just fine.
Interestingly I also have a 5yr old ds who wouldn't be seen dead doing ballet because it's for girls! I wonder where they get it from?!