is there an actual name for male 'ballerinas' or are they just male dancers? I had this conversation with a Russian friend of mine and she said they were just called male dancers...but who cares! in english anyone?
Ballerina is the feminine form of the Italian word for dancer. Therefore it would not be incorrect to use the masculine form ballerino for a male dancer.
Technically the male equivalent of a ballerina would be a ballerino but the term is hardly ever used. In ballet circles they are called male dancers, the Kirov ballet website lists them as the Kirov male dancers and Rudolf Nuryev was known as a male dancer.