Billy Elliot the Forum

As was announced in September, the second Billy for the Maltz Jupiter production is Jamie Mann. Jamie is a student of Thommie Retter (Mr. Braithwaite - Broadway).

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... =1&theater

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... =1&theater

Here's a photo of Jamie signing his contract. Congrats Jamie!

https://www.facebook.com/shirleygrantma ... =3&theater

I picked this up off you tube - Young Jamie has a beautiful singing voice.

https://youtu.be/yPzoQYisdDM

And here is Jamie showing his tap skills with his teacher, someone we all know.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFUlMewfKr4

Yet another video showcases Jamie's performing skills as he sings and dances with his colleagues at the Westport Dance Center:

https://youtu.be/hxDPDqFZ1LI

This video is two years old, but it shows his ballet in The Nutcracker:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dW2igEFtbIQ

This is from a blog written by Jamie's Mom, Jill Johnson Mann, describing a Broadway Audition class run by Thommie Retter:

http://www.modelingmentor.com/blog/tues ... r-an-edge/

I like this quote:

The casting director did tell me J (whom she’d seen at Alvin Ailey last November) was on the top of the list to play Billy Elliot in the Broadway tour, which, sadly, is closing before he’ll get his chance. Bad luck. Coaching may be key these days, but no one can deny that Lady Luck still plays a starring role.

Yes, indeed, Lady Luck can be fickle - or simply Good Luck!

Jamie is one of a few boys featured in this story from December 2014 about boys and ballet, in particular NYC Ballet's annual production of "The Nutcracker".

http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2014/12 ... y-classic/

or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5CU_QNC6nE

Note: this was originally posted in the Boys Breaking Ballet Stereotypes thread back in Dec. 2014. Who would have guessed at the time we were seeing a future Billy?

CJ-Rochester wrote:Jamie is one of a few boys featured in this story from December 2014 about boys and ballet, in particular NYC Ballet's annual production of "The Nutcracker".

http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2014/12 ... y-classic/

or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5CU_QNC6nE

Note: this was originally posted in the Boys Breaking Ballet Stereotypes thread back in Dec. 2014. Who would have guessed at the time we were seeing a future Billy?

I had a good idea when I came across a (briefly) posted Youtube video entitled 'Jamie Mann - Billy Elliot Audition Tape' around Feb. 2014 .... it came down within a matter of hours, though.

Jamie's mother, Jill Johnson Mann (who comes from my home town of Rochester), works as a modeling scout and writes a blog on http://www.modelingmentor.com. In September she wrote about Thommie Retter's tap classes, which Jamie has attended.

http://www.modelingmentor.com/blog/tap- ... kid-scoop/

Here is also a great photo of Jamie meeting a well known former Billy, Trent Kowalik:

http://www.modelingmentor.com/blog/wp-c ... e-Mann.jpg