Lille, Orchies, and Tournai, France/Belgium

Will "Billy" be staged all over the world? A place to discuss.
We will move posts, if starts, so has own section, like London, New York etc
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ERinVA
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Lille, Orchies, and Tournai, France/Belgium

Post by ERinVA »

It appears that a production of BETM is planned for Lille, in 2015. This is apparently going to be an amateur production, and very much a "family affair," if what I have gleaned from my awful google translation is correct. If we have anyone who can provide us with a good translation, that would be wonderful.

http://www.lavenir.net/article/detail.a ... 8_00473215
A young Frasnois Henri Base will perform Billy Elliot in the famous musical played in Lille in 2015. Tournai The dancer Sandrine Plouvier is very closely associated with the great Franco-Belgian adventure.
Billy Elliot is the old English boy of ten years, son of mining workers in the eighties, which, thanks to its strength of conviction, convince his family to allow him to stop boxing classes where had entered his father, and to conduct studies in a large dance school.

Released in 2000, the film was a huge success. London musical "Billy Elliot, the Musical" is still showing since 2005 at the Victoria Palace Theatre in London. In a year or less, 21 March 2015 exactly, several artists from the Tournai participate in two performances scheduled on the stage of Sebastopol Lille and maybe a third in Tournai (nothing is yet set).

Billy Elliot is part of daily life for a few months artists gathered under the banner of ORPM the Pévèle-Mélantois based on the other side of the Franco-Belgian border regional orchestra. Rehearsals are linked, choreography and partitions are refined. Hubert Gressier, the head of ORPM in which he leads 40 musicians, is the basis of the project. His band is not afraid of challenges. The latest ones? The organization of a pageant staged to tell the Battle of Bouvine, and meeting two hundred singers and musicians around two works by Karl Jenkins. This time he will gather around a single project singers, singers, dancers and musicians. He did not know the existence of this musical in English before 2012. "Not before flipping the pages of a program left on a table during a weekend in Bonn" recalls Chief music that had enjoyed the film. The spark has sprung, it was to convince his staff, and find someone to help at the scenery. "By chance I met Sandrine (Plouvier) there is a year or less, via someone who attended his lectures tap in Tournai. There has been talk of the project, and we knew it was going to stick together " .

150 artists involved

Choreographer and dancer Tournai joined 100% to the project. Among the choice of actors and dancers could support its long-term undertaking, that of Billy Elliot was a natural choice to it: Henri Fitting, a resident of Frasnes aged 12, a student at Péruwelz and dancer in Tournai . "I give him over since he was little. I immediately knew he had everything to carefully consider the role " .



In "Dance Company and" Henri practice tap dancing since he was five years old. He also likes contemporary dance, jazz, classical techniques. Thirteen hours per week, which is now added the hours of rehearsal for Billy Elliot. Henry did not ask too many questions. Passion enough: he stage and dance in the skin. "I have not seen the movie yet, I'll do it soon," he said. "In recent weeks, I learn to ask better my voice and sing for my best role. Because not only I will dance but I give replicas of French theater, and I sing in English. "

«
150 people are involved in the project, forty musicians, singers fifty, fifty dancers, a dozen actors.
»
The eleven months that still divide the actors performances are not too many. "We are committed with amateur artists and volunteers but we want to achieve a level of excellence. Light sound, dance orchestration, computer graphics scenography, everyone's job is demanding. The e spectacle last two thirty " , insist Hubert Gressier and Sandrine Plouvier. 150 people are involved in the project, forty musicians, singers fifty, fifty dancers, a dozen actors ... The music (written by Elton John) has been re-orchestrated for the occasion by Hubert Gressier. The staging is inspired by the English musical comedy, but Sandrine Plouvier stood out what is in London, performing new choreography. "To reflect our specificities of our dancers, rhythm, repetition ... As the scenes are very long, between six and eight minutes on average, it takes much work to keep intact the energy and expression of interpreters " .

http://www.billyelliot-spectacle.fr/

Two families of Tournai embedded in the adventure

The Tournaisienne Sandrine Plouvier, choreographer of the show, has a key role in the preparation of "Billy Elliot." It is not a coincidence that the "hard core" of the dancers is from Tournai where she is currently a professor in the school of musical theater "Alpha Studio." "I'm doing my job as a dancer for ten years, and I'm a little tired of the status of artist. Billy Elliot The show will be one of the last major projects of my career as a dancer, that's how I am extremely motivated. " Sandrine is surrounded by a group of artists she knows by heart, to rub the within their own family or at dance class. Henri Fitting (Billy Elliot) will be on stage "company" of his two sisters, Mary and Adele (two "small" dancers). His dad, Peter, also played the role of his father in the musical. Dance is a family affair as the children and their parents are very involved in "Danse et Cie".



Sandrine Plouvier has also brought in its wake his brother for the role of Tony (brother of Billy). Translator in working life, sports correspondent for our newspaper, Gilles forms the musical and singing practice in recent years. He decided to put a lot of energy in his new adventure. "I had no difficulty in convincing" , rejoices Sandrine Plouvier. Who also hired his companion, Mathieu Decant, to get into the skin of boxing teacher (he will not say that text), and his daughter Leah to play the role of Debbie, Billy's girlfriend and daughter of dance teacher in the film. "With my brother, my daughter, my companion, my parents roles figuration, niece, my little boy perhaps, this is a real family" adventure. Other leading roles go to artists Tournaisis one of the dance teacher, the dancer Marjorie Heuskin;. one's best friend Billy, the young Esteban reffers; Mr Braithwaite (pianist of the dance teacher) is interpreted by Paris reffers.
Ellen



"I don't want people who want to dance; I want people who have to dance.”
-George Balanchine 1904 -1983


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porschesrule
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Re: Tornai, Belgium

Post by porschesrule »

If I'm reading the first sentence of that article correctly, isn't this production actually going to held in Lille, France -- not Belgium?

Here's more info, including (at the bottom) a picture of the boy who will play Billy in the production:

http://www.orpm.fr/?page_id=369
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Re: Tornai, Belgium

Post by kport »

Here is a try:
A young Frasnois (a location within Franche-Comté region in eastern France)) Henri Culot, will perform Billy Elliot in the famous musical, to be performed in Lille in 2015. The dancer,Sandrine Plouvier, (from the city of Tournai, Belgium), is very closely associated with this great Belgian adventure.

Billy Elliot is an English kid of ten years, son of mine workers in the mid-eighties, who, through his strength of conviction, convince his family to allow him to stop boxing courses where his father had enrolled, and to conduct studies in a local school of dance.

Released in 2000, the film was a huge success. The musical "Billy Elliot, the Musical" has been seen since 2005 at the Victoria Palace Theatre in London. In a year, more or less, March 21, 2015, exactly, several artists from the Tournaisis (from Tournai, Belgium) will participate in the two performances scheduled on the stage of the Sebastopol in Lille (in northern France) and maybe to a third in Tournai (nothing is yet arranged).

Billy Elliot (has brought together in) a few months the daily life of artists together under the banner of the Florence, the regional Orchestra of the Pévèle-Mélantois (region in France), based across the Franco-Belgian border. Rehearsals are linked, the choreographies, and partitions (each discipline) are refined. Hubert Gressier, the head of the Florence in which he runs 40 musicians, is at the base of the project. His Orchestra is not afraid of challenges. The latest? The Organization of a historic show staged for telling the Bouvine battle, and the meeting of two hundred singers and musicians around two works by Karl Jenkins (Karl Jenkins famous 'The Armed Man Mass' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAg2BRfjUE4 ). This time, it will be to gather around a single project of the singers, chorus, dancers and musicians. He did not know the existence of this English musical before 2012. "Not before I flipped through the pages of a program left on a table, during a weekend in Bonn", recalls the head of music who had loved the film. The spark having been sprung, there remained the need to convince its staff, and to find someone to assist him at the level of the choreography. "Chance made me meet Sandrine (Patil) a year more or less ago via someone who frequented his tap dancing classes in Tournai. We could talk about the project, and it became known that it was going to stick together. "

150 artists are involved.

The choreographer and dancer from Tournai has given 100% to the project. Among the choice of actors and dancers to accompany him in his long-term undertaking, that of Billy Elliot naturally fell into the role: Henri Culot, a 12-year-old resident of Frasnes, from Péruwelz (Péruwelz is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut) who dances in Tournai. "I give him a short audition. '' I immediately knew that he had all the advantages to hold the role.

(The role requires him to) "Dance and much more". Henri had practiced tap dance since he was five years old. He also likes contemporary dance, jazz and classical techniques. Thirteen hours per week he practices, plus now the hours of rehearsal for Billy Elliot. Henry does not ask too many questions. Passion is enough for him: he has the stage and dance in his skin. "I have not yet seen the film, I'll do it soon," he said. "In recent weeks, I will learn to better train my voice and sing my best for the role. Because not only I do I dance, but I have to act just like the French theatres, and I will sing in English.

The eleven months until the performances are not too many. "We are engaged with amateur artists and volunteers, but we want to achieve a level of excellence. We want to shine to the sight of dancing to the orchestration, the scenery and the story; everybody's work is demanding. The show will last two hours thirty minutes", says Hubert Gressier and Sandrine Plouvier. 150 people are affected by the project, including forty musicians, fifty singers, fifty dancers, a dozen of actors... Music (written by Elton John) was re-orchestrated for the occasion by Hubert Gressier. The staging is inspired by the English musical, but Sandrine Plouvier stood out from what is done in London, with new choreography. "To take account of our specificities of our dancers, the pace of rehearsals...". "As scenes are very long, between six and eight minutes on average, it takes much work to keep intact the energy and expression of interpreters.
(note: I have seen it spelled Tornai and Tournai.)
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Re: Tornai, Belgium

Post by kport »

porschesrule wrote:If I'm reading the first sentence of that article correctly, isn't this production actually going to held in Lille, France -- not Belgium?

Here's more info, including (at the bottom) a picture of the boy who will play Billy in the production:

http://www.orpm.fr/?page_id=369
It does state 'Lille'.

But the borders are, more or less, no more restrictive than those of any US states. This region is 'ground zero' of the EU.
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Re: Tournai, Belgium

Post by ERinVA »

I found the translation very confusing, but on looking again, it seems that it will take place in Lille, although a driving force behind the production, Sandrine Plouvier, is from Tournai, which is in Belgium.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tournai

I have changed the title of the thread accordingly.
Ellen



"I don't want people who want to dance; I want people who have to dance.”
-George Balanchine 1904 -1983


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Re: Lille, France

Post by Eltonjohn »

As I too read french a bit, I will try to add to this thread...

Lille and Tournai appear to be very closely connected communities separated be the border. Orchies is a smaller community to the south of Lille.

Wikipedia:
"The city of Lille...had a population of 226,827 as recorded by the 2009 census.
Lille Métropole, which includes Roubaix, Tourcoing and numerous suburban communities, had a population of 1,091,438.

The eurodistrict of Lille-Kortrijk, which includes the Belgian cities of Kortrijk, Tournai and Mouscron, had 1,905,000 residents."

The official website for the production ('spectacle') gives 'actualties' (news) and 'dates' for the musical-theatre production.

Lille - 2 performances, March 21, 2015

Orchies - 2 performances a week later
- March 28 in the evening 20:30
- March 29 in the afternoon 16:00

Tournai - 2 performances, date not specified but probably before Lille
"Courant 2015"... Running, occuring or happening in 2015

Not on the theatre's web calendar yet, as of May 2014.
http://www.maisonculturetournai.com/fr/ ... 189&CAT=26
BETM: "the most expensive school play ever."
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Re: Lille, France

Post by ERinVA »

So where is the link to the official website? Is this it?

http://www.billyelliot-spectacle.fr/
Ellen



"I don't want people who want to dance; I want people who have to dance.”
-George Balanchine 1904 -1983


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Re: Lille, France

Post by Eltonjohn »

ERinVA wrote:So where is the link to the official website? Is this it?

http://www.billyelliot-spectacle.fr/
It would appear to be, yes.

The shot of Henri doing his version of a 'Billy jump' was arresting... with the suspenders it looks like he is sporting lederhosen!
BETM: "the most expensive school play ever."
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Re: Lille, Orchies, and Tournai, France/Belgium

Post by Eltonjohn »

And here's their link to Facebook...

https://www.facebook.com/billyelliot.spectacle

The production is being billed as a 'musical comedy' incidentally.
BETM: "the most expensive school play ever."
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Re: Lille, Orchies, and Tournai, France/Belgium

Post by thm »

The jumping Billy reminds me rather of Bon Scott (AC/DC) :lol:

Anyway this production seems to become très francais. I like the thought of a Billy Elliot stepping aside the corporate design. They say they intend to bring the production to excellence in everything from the choreography to the set. To me it sounds worth a trip to Lille.
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