Billy Elliot the Forum

So I assume that you were one of the people at the event, steamboy. Was it enjoyable?

I was indeed in the audience. It was a pleasant event, although overall perhaps a bit short and attendance certainly could have been better. Alex did well as a speaker, although he didn't seem entirely at ease - appearing before fifty people without a script to follow can be much more nerve-racking than appearing before thousands of spectators at a well-rehearsed show.

The topics covered during the Q&A included how he got into dancing and then into the show, some of his New York experiences, how he came to write the book, and some of the non-BETM performances he's been in.

I'd post a picture, but I forgot my real camera, and I can't figure out how to download the shot or two I took with my phone (plus they're really not very good pics).

Dance Spirit magazine is giving away 10 copies of Alex's book:

http://www.dancespirit.com/2013/06/win- ... iot-story/

From the June 5 tweet, Alex's destination in Brazil is Rio. Still not clear what the purpose is, but who knows, maybe that's where the desperation emergency Billy (or Tony?) gets to hang.
https://twitter.com/n_alexko

Now we know something more about the purpose of Alex's trip to Brazil. Today he tweeted this photo of himself and Steven Daldry at a Billy Elliot Q&A at the Rio Film Festival.

http://m.flickr.com/#/photos/riofilmfes ... 070790256/
http://m.flickr.com/#/photos/riofilmfes ... 6/sizes/l/

Alex's role in Stephen Daldry's opus, Trash, is apparently behind the scenes and not in front of the camera. Alex's IMDB page has a credit of "Intern". Good for Alex, although a cameo in the movie would not have been a bad thing either.

atreyu wrote:a cameo in the movie would not have been a bad thing either.

Yes! And we could also say, "a cameo in the movie wouldn't be a bad thing either." I was annoyed when he did Bunheads, only to be treated like background wallpaper. Alex is a phenomenal actor and dancer, and deserves top billing! C'mon Kenny Ortega and Stephen Daldry! Let's get this kid something great!

All that said, I bet he was an incredible intern!

I continue to root for his success in everything!!!

Sean

The book is INCREDIBLE. I'm not a fan of over-fawning, but I promise you the book is fantastic, and I cannot recommend it highly enough!!!

Sean

I second Sean's endorsement of Alex's book. A truly great read -- well worth your time.

To say it is worth the read would be a gross understatement. Alex's book is a definite 'must read' for all serious Billy fans.