Chasse, Step, Chasse and Turn!

Photo courtesy of The Ordway
for Performing Arts Center 

On October 10th 2012, the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts I was invited once again to participate in "Blogger Night" for the opening night of the touring broadway production "Billy Elliot: The Musical." This 10 time Tony Award winning musical, including Best Musical, features the story of a young boy who finds himself thrust into the world of ballet dancing accidentally during the day of his first boxing lesson. What makes the story extremely interesting is the historical events taking place at this time involving the UK Coal Miners strike which was a backdrop for the setting of the musical. "Billy Elliot: The Musical" was an energized musical with a sub-par score, brilliant choreography and real authenticity through out the show.

The music was catchy however I was expecting more to be honest. With a young actor as the lead of the show I was excepting some nice tenor falsetto solo's to be hundred percent honest. There was really only notable song that I feel stood out in my mind which was "Electricity" towards the end of the show, however I was mesmerized more by his impecable dancing. The more notable song (Shine) was right in the beginning for me which was sung by Mrs. Wilkinson (played by Janet Dickinson) as she teaches the very first ballet class Billy attends. Her voice and accent were perfect not to mention her comedic delivery. Her comedic relief through out the show was spot on 100% of the time. I would honestly say that Mrs. Wilkinson was by far the best singer the entire show had, however Billy Elliot's dancing stole the cake for that category. One small detail that I eventually got used to was the authenticity of their accents. Their cockney British accents were so thick it was hard to understand some of the dialogue as well as songs at times, however it was a minor issue that I got used to after the third or fourth song.

Photo courtesy of
The Ordway for the Performing Arts Center

The dancing was by far breathtaking. The range and diverse forms of dancing had me absolutely captivated. It was nice to see a switch of pace when it comes to the choreography. I am so used to seeing musicals with grapevines and jazz hands it was interesting to see a musical production that involved classically trained dancing including ballet as well as tap. The ballet was superb but what I enjoyed the most about it is how you saw it evolve through the show. You see Billy's skills in his dancing grow more and more through out the show as you see his skills improving. The ballet scene where Billy dances classical ballet with an older version of himself to "Swan Lake" was by far one of the most amazing things I've seen in quite some time. It was truly magical.

Overall I thought the show was very well done. The choreography really brought it up to standards that many may have. As I said earlier, the music (by Elton John) was sub-par but it got the job done. I enjoyed the show very much and I am seriously considering putting my children in dance after seeing how amazing it can be. Does this mean I get to be on the new Bravo show "Dance Dads" or not?