Billy Elliot hits the stage in Geelong

THE multi-award-winning stage production Billy Elliot will begin its 13-show run tonight (Friday, January 17), bringing the coming-of-age story to Geelong audiences for the first time.

Presented by Footlight Productions and with music by Elton John, the show follows the story of a motherless boy who swaps his boxing gloves for ballet shoes in the pursuit of his dreams.

The show incorporates three different styles of dance – ballet, tap and character-driven movement – requiring a great deal of technical skill and versatility from its young cast, many of whom are aged between 10 and 14.

And according to Dom Roussety, who plays Older Billy in a reimagined dream sequence in the production, these up-and-comers are more than up for the challenge.

“The junior cast that we’ve got involved in the production, they’re actually phenomenal, and in the particular, the two boys, Seb and Luka, who are playing Billy, their level of performance skill is outstanding,” he said.

“It surpasses anything that I was achieving at their age. So, it’s so great to be able to work with them and it’s really inspiring.”

To help bring these different styles of dance together and convey the show’s powerful themes, the production’s choreographer Ashley Boyd is backed by a highly skilled creative team that includes two assistant choreographers, a ballet specialist and a tap specialist.

“We’ve got such an incredible cast and creative team that makes it a really collaborative space to work in and it just means you’re free to be really creative, free to challenge cast members and try new things,” she said.

“The different styles [of dance] in the show, show Billy’s journey.

“He obviously gets more advanced with his ballet from the start of the show to the end of the show and the use of different styles also shows the emotional journey that Billy Elliot takes as well.”

The outcome is a show that pays respect to the original stage production – which has been delighting audiences across the globe for more than a decade – while also incorporating the new and dynamic ideas of Geelong’s homegrown talent.

A key change from the original is the incorporation of movement with the show’s set, with performers, at times, dancing with movable set pieces as part of the show’s choreography.

Abbey Jones, the production’s ballet specialist, is just 17 years old. She grew up watching Footlight Production’s shows and has seamlessly become part of its creative family.

A Lara resident and student at the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School, Abbey has been pulling some incredibly long days to fit in both her studies and her commitments as an assistant choreographer for Billy Elliot.

But she wouldn’t change a thing.

“It’s been so great. The story is really personal because it’s kind of like my story: growing up in a little town and then going off to school.”

She’s loved the opportunity to pass on the knowledge that she has gained from her own mentors and praised the cast’s ability to convey powerful emotions while doing complicated steps.

“They really bring you into the story and we all get emotional watching them,” she said.

“For me to be able to work with them and help them through that and bring out their knowledge and their emotion, is just incredible.”

Billy Elliot will run at the Geelong Art Centre until February 2.

For more information, or to purchase tickets, head to geelongartscentre.org.au