Billy Elliot, Dancing His Way Into My Heart

[Annette Betting-Fuentes]

Annette Betting-Fuentes

Billy Elliot

 

Billy Elliot, Dancing His Way Into My Heart

 

Having the desire to see a show a second time says a lot about the quality of a show. The quality of this show is exceptional, from the opening number to the last note. The cast is made up of the British National Union of Mineworkers, on strike in 1984 Northern England. They create a great foundation for Billy Elliot, played by Lex Ishimoto. Stuck in a place full of expectation and restrictions, Billy has a dream of dancing. With the encouragement of Mrs. Wilkinson, played by the extremely talented Faith Prince, he works towards becoming part of the British Ballet School. His journey full of humor and emotion is brought along by musical numbers and incredible dance performances. Every emotion felt real, every dance step gave me shivers throughout this amazing show.

 

This is a show of dancers, and some singers. Lex Ishimoto gave an amazing performance as our Billy Elliot. He is first and foremost an amazing dancer, bringing breathtaking movement the entire show. His most memorable performance was his “angry dance” at the end of the first song. He tapped and moved to unexpected heavy metal music expressing his emotions. Each movement was on point and unbelievable. My favorite character by far was Michael, played by the talented Griffin Birney. He brought some of the comedic relief with a great performance. Other characters also seemed to be stronger either in dancing or singing. However, the singing throughout the show was completely in character. Each character maintained perfect accents throughout the entire show as well. It did make it difficult to understand some of their dialogue at times yet strengthened their characters. The rest of the performance made up for lost dialogue.

 

Every aspect of the show a was obviously on purpose, from the seamless transition to the thoughtful shadows on the wall. At the beginning the set seems simple, but as it goes on you realize it's complexity. The set goes from being a home, to a gym, to a theater for an audition. Each set piece moved on and off stage gracefully so the attention remained on the plot of the show. My favorite technical element was the use of shadows. More than once light was used so the characters shadow was projected on the back wall creating an special atmosphere. Light was used also to show the emotion of the scene, especially during the angry dance at the end of act one. A live pit orchestra brought the music to life. All together each element of the show was put together perfectly to bring us an amazing show.

 

The nomination and awards Billy Elliot received are well deserved. They put together a masterpiece not only of music and dance but also moving entertainment. A great balance of humor and strong raw emotions, we can all connect to the characters brought to the stage. The show really does hold a place in my heart.

 

[Dudley Voigt]

Annette, you have some strong insights, particularly in the paragraph about the performers themselves.  I like that you are able to zoom out and talk about the effectiveness of the show as a whole, and then zoom in and focus on individuals performances.  Your first and last sentences are very effective at bringing us into your experience.  I'd like more of those things (your experiences, your analysis) and descriptions that are detailed beyond just complimentary adjectives.  Great work, thanks for posting early!