Billy Elliot The Musical är en sevärd scenupplevelse

Det Kongelige teater i Köpenhamn har satt upp Billy Elliot The Musical på den nya Operaen. 33 föreställningar fram till 12 januari. Dansportalen fick en intervju med Miles Hoares, koreograf.

Om namnet verkar bekant så var Miles Hoares assisterande koreograf på båda svenska uppsättningarna av Billy Elliot i Malmö och i Stockholm. Jag har valt att ta med Miles Hoares svar på engelska.

Varför valde Det Kongelige att sätta upp Billy Elliot och på den nya Operaen?

I think the reason why the Copenhagen Opera House decided to stage Billy Elliot is because of the strong story/message it tells. A young boy wanting to dance ballet, but being told he can’t by his family and community. Despite being told no, he still dreams big, and dares to continue. This still happens, and with the stage being connected to the ballet school, I think this is a strong message for them and aspiring dancers to see. I remember seeing an American news reporter laughing at Prince George for enjoying ballet, not too many years ago. This is why the story of Billy Elliot is still relevant today...

Hur valde du ut dem som ska vara med i showen?

Over a year ago we had an audition, where we met 300 applicants over two days. From these auditions we found an incredible cast, who could bring the story to life, with their acting, singing and dancing.

Alban Lendorf, who plays the role of Older Billy, is a Danish ballet dancer, choreographer, and actor, who was a principal with the Royal Danish Ballet and the American Ballet Theatre.

I played Older Billy in the first staging of Billy Elliot here in Copenhagen at Det Ny Teater.

Vad har varit den stora utmaningen?

The biggest challenge has been that we have 45 children divided in three sets of teams. Each child having their own strengths, and talent they bring to the parts. Children develop so quickly during the rehearsal period, and take every detail in, but it is important to play to their strengths. The children would work so well together, and learnt so much from each other. Learning from the strengths of others, and supporting each other to thrive.

Du ville göra om slutet av showen?

We decided to add a small ending to the show, as it was important to us to not only see where Billy ended up, but also his best friend Micheal. Seeing Micheal and his boyfriend come support Billy at his opening, shows how they both got out of a small town, and made it in the big city.

We did a slightly different version of the flying scenes, where we actually go into the mines and fly with lamps. Dust from the coal mine heaped around them, where Older Billy comes up with the mine, and they start dancing.

Hur lång produktionstid har det varit innan premiären?

With the adults we have been working a couple of months, but with the children we had a Billy school, and they were training for around eight months.

We have a couple of Billys and a couple of Michaels that had never danced before. We started with ballet training so when we got to rehearsals, we could push them some more, with other techniques. Having the Billy School really helped with the rehearsal period, as the children were able to pick up choreography fast, and with a good technique. Especially when some had never danced before. We decided not to have any tap dance in Angry Dance, as we use more of the scenography.

Men det var med i den svenska versionen?

Yes, but we trained them around 18 months before the premiere in Malmö. And they were fantastic – in the tap dance too.

Carl Sjögren är idag på Kungliga Operan och gjorde huvudrollen I Gustavia.

Yes, this is fantastic and you could always tell he was going to be a great dancer. So much passion and dedication. It’s like the boys we are working with at the moment. Jakob [Ernir Jonatansson] has never been doing anything like this before, and every time we are in rehearsal he always says ‘I love dancing, I want to continue with it’. Silas [Santin] has been on stage before with us in Matilda, and now has a love for the stage. Arthur [Skov Kristensen] has been doing disco dance, where he was placed second in a world disco final. We also have an understudy Billy [Michelangelo Faccini] and he is also playing posh boy. An understudy is important, as the boys are at a crucial age where their voice may drop. If this happens, unfortunately it’s then very hard to sing the songs in Billy Elliot.

All these boys would have a great future in dance if they decide to pursue this career.

Nu är det 33 föreställningar fram till 12 januari.

We have landed in a very good place, and me and Heinrich [Christensen] the director, really wanted the feeling that Billy has the energy and passion for dance. That’s why he gets into the school, not because he can do ten turns, but has the passion. So, we really wanted to play on that wish.

Du har jobbat med många föreställningar i Skandinavien.

I love to work in Scandinavia, as they dare to be different, and have a more minimalistic and modern feel. When I create a show in Scandinavia, I am always challenged to think out of the box. Something that has made me grow as a choreographer.

Cristian Hillbom
Köpenhamn
Billy Elliot The Musical, Det Kongelige Teater/Operaen
21 nov 2024–12 januari 2025