Yes, it’sthe story of a young boy who aspires to a career in ballet, which is why peopleare often surprised to discover the broad movement palette utilized bychoreographer Peter Darling. The choreography encompasses tap, hip hop, jazz,acrobatics, and folk dancing; even a pedestrian activity such as walking – nopun intended – is used as a form of expression. Thatdiversity was very deliberate. “I didn’t want to convey the notion that onlyone form of movement is of value,” says Darling. “I wanted to use as manydifferent forms of movement as possible. We’re celebrating dance; dance isworthy of celebration and all forms of dance can tell a narrative. Ballet cantell a narrative. Tap can tell a narrative.”
Tap fuelsthe show at least as much as, if not more than, ballet. “Tap is rhythmicallyexciting and such an expressive kind of dance,” says Darling. “At the sametime, 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 articulationof joy. Often, its raison d’etre is nothing more – or less – than to entertainthe audience. That kind of tap exists in BillyElliot, most notably in the exuberant finale. But Darling also uses tap ina dark and powerful way in the “Angry Dance,” Billy’s response when his fatherorders him to give up ballet. “Tapactually lends itself extremely well to anger,” says Darling. “The ‘AngryDance,’ in a way, is about Billy wanting to stop dancing. But the rhythm in hishead keeps on going. If you want to stop your feet from moving, you slam themto the floor. So that’s where the idea came from: Billy would slam his feet tothe floor, and there would be a rhythmic element to it. And it went fromthere.”
The dancesin Billy Elliot either advance thenarrative or reveal something about the characters. “Born to Boogie” takesplace after Mrs. Wilkinson, Billy’s teacher, reads a letter from the boy’s deadmother. Rather than launch into a ballet, Darling upends expectations with ajazzy number. “When you study ballet, it’s non-stop classes,” he says. “Italmost 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 ofsaying, ‘We’re going to do 24,000 tendusagain,’ she says, ‘OK, let’s have some fun. Let me find out how you move.’ SoBilly starts to do Michael Jackson moonwalking, and she starts to do a few oldsteps. It’s a conversation, a fun dance, which is what jazz is.” Darlinginfused the ballet choreography with contemporary movement, steps that would beanathema to traditional classical dance. When Billy auditions for The RoyalBallet in the number “Electricity,” the ballet he performs includes streetdance, hip hop and acrobatics. “The idea is that The Royal Ballet is lookingfor young dancers with potential, who are phenomenal movers,” says Darling.“And Billy shows that he’s a phenomenal mover who can also turn threepirouettes.” That number, more than any other in the show, underscores thebeauty and vitality of ballet. “Ballet can be one of the most thrilling thingsyou’ll ever see, because of the amount of training, technique, and strengthrequired to do it. The training enables the body to do things that arephenomenally difficult. You’re able to travel through the air. It’s got a greatfreedom to it.”
Billy Elliot the Musical runs Tuesday, June 19 - Sunday, June 24, 2012 at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center in downtown Appleton. Great seats are still available! Visit foxcitiespac.com for details!
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.
Hiç yorum yok:
Yorum Gönder