Giant Dancing Costumes Threaten to upstage Billy Elliot!

The London smash hit “Billy Elliot” recently made its way to Broadway.  Thousands of people are packed into the tri level Amsterdam Theater excited to see a spectacle. That is most certainly what Billy Elliot is.

Billy Elliot tells the story of a Iceland boy who takes an interest in ballet and achieves more and more while his family suffers during the great mining strike of 1980. 

The warring workforces are easily definable by costumes. The miners have neon vests, orange jumper, grimy jeans and button down shirts.  Throughout the show, they have several altercations with the law, policeman in dark blue uniforms. Only little girls clad in bright colored t-shirts, pink tights and tutus lighten the heavy mood set by the costumes.

As the town is poor, most costumes are raged and torn and worn down making them very realistic.  But the suspension of disbelief is broken several times during this grand Broadway spectacle.

During one scene, Billy catches his friend, Michael, playing dress up in his sister’s clothes.  After Billy questions his friend’s purpose, Michael begins to sing “Be yourself.”  Large 10 foot clothing items dance across the stage.  The rayon  patchwork and neon bright solid fabrics matched the clothes in the sister’s closet.  A mans light blue shirt and dark blue plaid pants tries to sneak in the number and Michael pushes it offstage as he exclaims “Dresses only!”  The audience burst into laughter and applauded throughout the entire number.

Although the story of "Billy Elliot" is heart moving and encouraging, as he battles with his family for a chance to better his future and get out of the town, people may not remember the details or even the message of the story. Though one thing is for sure, they won’t forget the dancing clothes.

Parson's Lights Up the World

Parson's Dance Company is on the move.  It began its 2009 international tour at the Joyce Theatre in New York City in January.  The company presented stock pieces as well as debuted a new show which will be performed in Britain, Greenland and several other countries.

Show A (comprised of the company's classic numbers), featured "My Sweet Lord", "Caught", and "Fill the Woods with Light."  For "My Sweet Lord" the company performed in light blue jeans and purple tops.  Guys leaped onstage in purple t-shirts, as girls performed double pirouettes around them as their halter top baby shirts revealed their abs.  The sheer fabric danced about their bodies complementing the sensuality of the music and choreography.

Parsons kept it simple for "Caught," perhaps in an effort to not distract audiences from the innovative choreography of the company's most famous piece in which a solo dancer performs various jumps and leaps between the flashes of a strobe light.  The dancer, who appeared to be floating mid-air throughout the entire piece, simply wore a lyrical white pants and no shirt.

During the most spectacular performance of the night, “Fill the Woods with Light”, the entire company took turns gracing the stage in all black and jazz shoes.  The girls in shorts and halter tops while the guys sported jazz pants and tees.  Dawned in black, the dancers were consumed by the darkness on stage.  The only lights coming not from the front of house lights above the audience or the cat walk above the stage, but from the dancers themselves. 

To sensual saxophonic tunes, they rand on stage casting lamps with colored gels on one another.  During a particularly memorable number, the dancers hidden in the darkness in a center stage clump, became visible as they turned on their light bulb decorated bodysuits.  The image reflected the name of the song “Fireflies.”

Throughout the entire show, the costumes accurately connected to the music and choreography. Although this company may still be considered a baby in the world of dance, it is certainly holding its ground in choreography, performance and costuming.