So who would you like to play you in your life story in the movies? New York City ballroom teacher Pierre Dulaine is still "very, very numb" over his movie clone in "Take the Lead," heartthrob Antonio Banderas.

Dulaine's accomplishments also have been noted in the documentary "Mad Hot Ballroom," a surprise hit last summer in the theaters.

This whirlwind of cinematic attention is no fluke. His American Ballroom Theater program, where 42 teachers give dance and life lessons to 12,000 fourth- and fifth-graders in the Big Apple's five boroughs, is just the latest in a long list of accomplishments.

Just like his young tango enthusiasts, this Brit was a shy Birmingham boy when he went to a local dance studio. And, yes, he, too, dreamt of becoming a champion.

But Dulaine actually did, winning the British Exhibition Championships four times at the Blackpool competitions, which, he said, is "like Muslims going to Mecca. Everyone does their Hajj every year to Blackpool -- the whole world is there, for sure."

His dream partner was and still is Yvonne Marceau. They decided to base themselves in the United States, where they established a studio "in the shadow of the Empire State Building," began a professional touring company called American Ballroom Theater in 1984 and appeared in Tommy Tune's "Grand Hotel" (1989), which garnered them an Astaire Award for best Broadway dance performance that season. They also taught at the School of American Ballet and Juilliard, followed by the Dance Magazine Award for lifetime achievement in 1993.

But 1994 would prove to be a pivotal year for Dulaine. That was when the educational arm of American Ballroom Theater, Dancing Classrooms, was launched into 68 different schools. It was so successful that the Ballroom Theater dropped its professional wing to run the program full time the next year.

Dulaine calls it "teaching children to take a bow." After Dulaine became a champion, this Birmingham boy just wanted to "give something back to society."

He first volunteered at a school where the children were "challenging," but he knew the principal. The difficulties lay in entering the other buildings. People said, "This is too elitist. Where could our children use this? Are you crazy?"

But Dulaine refused to take no for an answer. "I'm a Taurus in life," he says in his crisp British accent. "I'm very stubborn when I believe in something."

That formed the spiritual nugget of "Take the Lead," for which Dulaine served as a consultant. "The producer insisted," he says with glee.

He went up to Toronto for a four-week rehearsal period before shooting began. Dulaine was to teach the cast, "get them on the same journey as my program is." Then he went back at the end of the shoot to play a judge in the final scene.

To portray Dulaine, Banderas observed the way the dancer moved as well as his attitude. "When I first met Pierre, I loved the way he carried himself -- he's a bit mysterious in a way," Banderas told the New York Daily News. "You don't know what's behind his eyes. He's not one to talk about himself, and he's not a guy who imposes. But little by little, he lets ideas sink into the minds of his students, and they slowly come around to him.

"What I tried to do is [capture] how Pierre behaves, which is sort of about masculinity through self-respect and dignity. It's a way of moving through the world."

Dulaine has seen several showings, including the director's cut, and is still beyond excitement, despite the artistic license taken with his life. Dulaine will admit to riding a bicycle through New York in the summer, as Banderas does, "but not in a tailcoat." And lesson 12 of the Dancing Classroom includes a full-blown demonstration by a ballroom couple, similar to Banderas' tango with the beautiful Morgan (Katya Virshilas).

But Dulaine, soon to turn 62, doesn't do hip-hop, rock or club dancing, because they are "the most difficult thing to teach, to learn." His teachers do "give them a bit of sugar at the end of class," with line dances like the Electric Slide. It's an opportunity to add "some swagger" to the festivities.

With two movies under his belt, Dulaine is pleased that the message is still clear across the board. "The comportment, elegance, respect for each other, teamwork, dignity -- all of these things come out in both," he said.

And when the movie hype is over, those elementary students will still be there for him. Although Dulaine likes to visit the schools, he can't cover all of the territory these days. But he will substitute during one week this May for a teacher who will be on her honeymoon.

"I don't like getting up at 6 o'clock in the morning," which he has to do to reach some schools.

"But when I get there -- oh, God -- those kids just make you cry," admitted Dulaine. "What gratifies me is to see them shake what their mama gave them and see the look of joy. That's what makes me go on."