Yes, it’s
the story of a young boy who aspires to a career in ballet, which is why people
are often surprised to discover the broad movement palette utilized by
choreographer Peter Darling. The choreography encompasses tap, hip hop, jazz,
acrobatics, and folk dancing; even a pedestrian activity such as walking – no
pun intended – is used as a form of expression.
That
diversity was very deliberate. “I didn’t want to convey the notion that only
one form of movement is of value,” says Darling. “I wanted to use as many
different forms of movement as possible. We’re celebrating dance; dance is
worthy of celebration and all forms of dance can tell a narrative. Ballet can
tell a narrative. Tap can tell a narrative.”
Tap fuels
the show at least as much as, if not more than, ballet. “Tap is rhythmically
exciting and such an expressive kind of dance,” says Darling. “At the same
time, it’s synonymous with show business and musicals. And Billy Elliot is very much a musical; it’s not a ballet.”
In most musicals, tap is a rapturous articulation
of joy. Often, its raison d’etre is nothing more – or less – than to entertain
the audience. That kind of tap exists in Billy
Elliot, most notably in the exuberant finale. But Darling also uses tap in
a dark and powerful way in the “Angry Dance,” Billy’s response when his father
orders him to give up ballet.
“Tap
actually lends itself extremely well to anger,” says Darling. “The ‘Angry
Dance,’ in a way, is about Billy wanting to stop dancing. But the rhythm in his
head keeps on going. If you want to stop your feet from moving, you slam them
to the floor. So that’s where the idea came from: Billy would slam his feet to
the floor, and there would be a rhythmic element to it. And it went from
there.”
The dances
in Billy Elliot either advance the
narrative or reveal something about the characters. “Born to Boogie” takes
place after Mrs. Wilkinson, Billy’s teacher, reads a letter from the boy’s dead
mother. Rather than launch into a ballet, Darling upends expectations with a
jazzy number. “When you study ballet, it’s non-stop classes,” he says. “It
almost feels like wearing a straitjacket. When Billy gets upset by the letter,
Mrs. Wilkinson decides to give him a present, to cheer him up. Instead of
saying, ‘We’re going to do 24,000 tendus
again,’ she says, ‘OK, let’s have some fun. Let me find out how you move.’ So
Billy starts to do Michael Jackson moonwalking, and she starts to do a few old
steps. It’s a conversation, a fun dance, which is what jazz is.”
Darling
infused the ballet choreography with contemporary movement, steps that would be
anathema to traditional classical dance. When Billy auditions for The Royal
Ballet in the number “Electricity,” the ballet he performs includes street
dance, hip hop and acrobatics. “The idea is that The Royal Ballet is looking
for young dancers with potential, who are phenomenal movers,” says Darling.
“And Billy shows that he’s a phenomenal mover who can also turn three
pirouettes.” That number, more than any other in the show, underscores the
beauty and vitality of ballet. “Ballet can be one of the most thrilling things
you’ll ever see, because of the amount of training, technique, and strength
required to do it. The training enables the body to do things that are
phenomenally difficult. You’re able to travel through the air. It’s got a great
freedom to it.”
Content Disclaimer: Billy Elliot the Musical contains profane language and some scenes of confrontation between police officers and minors.
© 2010 Billy National Tour II LP.
