Arcadian Broad

[kport]

Arcadian Broad is a young ballet dancer whose name has popped up from time to time in the Forum. He auditioned for BETM at the age of 9 and nearly got it; he reached the finals on America's Got Talent and nearly got it; he studied at the Orlando Ballet School on a scholarship; he has since participated in the YAGP as both a dancer and choreographer; he won a scholarship to study at the Julliard Summer School; this weekend, he will dance in Orlando Ballet's "Carmen" and debut "Beauty and the Beast," a ballet production that he choreographed featuring music he composed.

He seems to have flown just under the radar of fame, while always coming so close to achieving it. Yet his story is not unlike that the Billy Elliot: a struggle to pursue his dreams, a childhood not without its struggles. I have followed his career even before I knew about BETM, and I am delighted that his dreams are now becoming a reality.

Perhaps he will become America's own Matthew Bourne.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/entertai ... 3538.story

Both Orlando Ballet productions will take place this weekend at Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre, 401 W. Livingston St. For tickets or more information on either show, call 407-426-1739.

•"Carmen": Music by Georges Bizet, choreography by Robert Hill. 8 p.m. April 11-12, 2 p.m. April 13. Tickets: $30-$90.

•"Beauty and the Beast": Music and choreography by Arcadian Broad. 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. April 12. Tickets: $25-$35.

[jdmag44]

Thanks Bill - nice video

There are many,many YouTube vids of Arcadian spanning the past 8 years. This is one of my favorites. Note the extraordinary number of pirouettes 3/4 of the way in.

http://youtu.be/_n4A-mKIR4U

[cws8998]

Hi, Bill,
Nor has Arcadian flown underneath my radar, as I have communicated with him through his blog for a couple years now.

A supremely talented and versatile young man who does it all, and I truly mean "it all." He is a gorgeous ballet and contemporary dancer...can play the piano at a concert level...enjoys singing and accompanying his own work...and is proving to be a highly respected choreographer with the Orlando Ballet, as you say, producing his own work.

Such a shame he was past over for the Billy role, but I dare say, he is well on his way to establishing what could be a superb all-around professional career.

I support him as well as I can from this far off land of Indiana.

Colin

[CJ-Rochester]

Arcadian has been mentioned at various times on this forum. It was a good idea to start a thread for him.

Thanks for posting that excellent article. I had no idea what a hard life he has had. His story of struggle and determination is a great real life parallel to that of Billy.

Here is Arcadian's Facebook fan page, in case anyone wants to follow him:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/ARCADIAN ... 7630042728

--Chris

[kport]

In many ways, this young dancer's life continues to mirror the story behind Billy Elliot:

Broad, a native of Titusville, was a finalist for the title role in the Broadway musical “Billy Elliot” and a semifinalist on TV’s “America’s Got Talent.” Now 21, he was the youngest dancer hired at Orlando Ballet when he joined the company at age 16. His version of the fairy tale “Beauty and the Beast,” for which he designed the choreography and composed the music, will be performed this March at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Orlando. He will also choreograph and compose an adaptation of “Alice in Wonderland” for the ballet’s “Contemporary Wonders” program this May.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/entertai ... story.html

[kport]

Triple threat: After the success of his first full-length ballet—a 2016 adaptation of Beauty & the Beast—Broad is now turning to Wonderland: Mad Tales of the Hatter, an original story based on the Alice in Wonderland character. This time, Broad devised the narrative, wrote the music and is choreographing the piece. The first excerpt from that full-length work will debut in May. How does he do it all? "Time management is key, and I don't sleep much," he says with a grin. "But it's practically magic at some point."

https://www.dancemagazine.com/arcadian- ... 50906.html