Billy Elliot

By Melinda Negron

Course: LHU 190, Film Study, Extended Day

While watching the Broadway show Billy Elliot, based on the film we studied in class, I thought to myself that Plaza College is truly amazing for giving my film class the opportunity to see such a wonderful musical.

What impressed me most about the Broadway production of Billy Elliot were the cast and staging. Several of the musical numbers were performed by such little ballerinas. They were so young yet so talented. Of course, there were also the amazing dance numbers performed by young Billy. What also impressed me was the portrayal of Billy as an adult, dancing next to young Billy as a child. Furthermore, I admired the use of such a small stage; Billy’s bedroom, the kitchen, the local gym, the dance school, and the picket line were all on one stage!

One of the best songs was “Electricity.” This song allowed Billy to finally express the way he felt when he danced and express what dance did for him. In spite of the bad times in London, Billy was able to escape, in his mind, from all of the chaos and become free through his dancing.

Another song I admired was “Angry Dance.” This was Billy’s deep expression of anger towards his father and brother for not allowing him to dance. I thought this was an incredibly powerful performance because it shows how emotions can be expressed through dance, and how strong the dance performance can actually be because of the actor’s emotional state.

This experience allowed students to use the tools they learned in class and apply them to both film and musical theater. There is no better way of learning than to combine both of them.

I would also like to specifically share that the majority of the students in my film class had never even been to a Broadway musical. Can you imagine how wonderful this experience was for them? With that said, I personally want to thank Plaza again so very much for such an unforgettable experience.