Sean Kelly: Exclusive Interview
It’s not easy being a boy who practices ballet. Just ask Sean Kelly, a real-life Billy Elliot who began dancing when he was 13 years old.
Since then, he’s gone on to dance for most of the top ballet companies in the U.S. and abroad. Today, Kelly is the Dance Captain and swing for "Movin Out," the Tony-award winning musical based on the music of Billy Joel that will premiere March 29th at the Fox Theatre. ATLANTAboy.com caught up with Kelly to talk about dance, drama and hot guys in tight t-shirts.
When did you start dancing?
I started dancing when I was about thirteen. My older sister was into
dance and I always tagged along with her. I was pretty good at picking
up what she was doing, so one day she asked if I wanted to take some
free classes. I did, and ended up winning a dance scholarship. I
started out doing disco, and then ultimately classical ballet.
Tell me about "Movin’ Out."
The entire story of "Movin Out" is told through dance. The musicians
are on a platform above the stage so that they’re seen at all times.
It’s almost like a live concert. It’s very interesting to watch, and
also has a clear storyline so it’s easy to follow. I was in the
Broadway cast for four months, and have been with the tour for over a
year now.
You’re both the Dance Captain and the swing for the show. Tell me about what that encompasses.
Well the Dance Captain teaches the show to new performers, makes
decisions about who rotates in and out, gives artistic input and makes
technical corrections. The swing has to know every single move and be
able to fill in for anyone at any given time. The show is also very
physically taxing, so we rotate people a lot. Sometimes I’m on the
schedule and know I’ll be performing. Other times I just jump in, like
if a performer sprains an ankle or gets sick.
What’s it like when that happens?
It’s still rather nerve-wracking, because one moment you’re watching
the show and the next you’re on stage without much warning. It’s an
emergency situation, but it does happen.
Is there a big difference between being a swing and being and understudy of a play?
The main difference is that with a swing, you still see the same
caliber show. You don’t get there and go “Oh, the swing’s on.” Our goal
is that you never know. An understudy only performs when the regular
performer is unavailable, and everyone knows that the understudy is
filling in.
Tell me about Twyla Tharp who choreographed "‘Movin Out."
Twyla Tharp conceived, choreographed and directed the show, which she
also won a Tony for. She’s basically a legendary choreographer and was
really revolutionary back in the 60s with the modern dance movement and
contemporary dance in America. She also choreographed the movies "Hair," "Ragtime," and "Amadeus." She went to Billy Joel and said that
she wanted to construct a musical around his work. He said she could
take whatever she wanted and has come to several shows which has been
exciting for us.
How does the show tie-in to Billy Joel’s music?
"Movin Out" begins in Long Island about a group of friends in 1965 with
the song "Scenes from An Italian Restaurant" and runs up to 1985. For
example, the song "Angry Young Man" is about young men coming back from
the war in Vietnam and no one appreciating them. "Big Shot" is about a
fight. So all of the ideas from the songs stand out on their own, but
Twyla wove it together so it all makes sense.
What sets "Movin' Out" apart from other dance performances?
The thing that’s neat about the show is Twyla’s choreography and the
movement of the performers, which is all taken from pedestrian life.
She takes boxing, yoga, and other things and combines them into really
physically demanding movements. I also like how one minute the show is
about a group of cute friends and the next it’s about the sexual
underworld. One scene has a leather man, a drug dealer and a drag
queen; everybody starts doing everybody else…it’s pretty sexy and
risqué. The costumes are taken from street life as well. We wear lots
of tight muscle t-s, military uniforms, and the girls all wear
revealing short skirts. There are also a lot of parallels with what’s
going on today with the war, which is one of the reasons it’s become so
successful and so powerful.
How do you think gay audiences in Atlanta will respond to the show?
I’ve worked on a lot of fundraisers for Broadway Cares and Equity
Fights AIDS after performances and have heard a lot of feedback.
Everyone seems to connect to it, gay or straight. The themes are so
universal -- it’s all about the pain and darkness of life and ultimately
rebirth and forgiveness. There are also a lot of very cute guys with
very athletic bodies!
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