Billy Elliot Transitions

Billy Elliot – Into the World

There are a variety of pathways and elements, which enables individual transition into a New World. ‘Into the World’ is about people choosing the next pathway into their life by their own determination, experiences and support which enables them to go beyond their original location and narrow view of the world. ‘Billy Elliot’ relates to the elective ‘Into the World’ as the film is about new possibilities opening up, determination, family support and individual growth. Two related texts that show other kinds of transitions into new worlds include an article on the Queensland School of Excellence titled ‘Pas de deux’ from the ‘Australian Educator’ on the 03/05/04 and a documentary by a Youth Program called ‘Typo
Station’ from Sunday Sunrise. To demonstrate different pathways into a new world, these three texts use different types of techniques. The film Billy Elliot is a social drama as it deals with a variety of social issues such as poverty and class.
It is about a young boy who has grown up in a poor community and a world of rules and traditions. During Billy’s boxing lesson, he discovers that he has talent in ballet dancing. Contrast is then used by the camera panning past many pairs of dainty ballet slippered feet before settling on Billy wearing his boxing boots. This shot reinforces the idea that Billy is different, and highlights his preparedness to take risks and to stand out. In order for Billy to pursue his journey in dancing, he has to go against his fathers rules and deal with all the rage and frustration he is facing in his current world. Billy realises that dancing will open up his
world. To show Billy’s determination to succeed, Daldry uses a variety of film techniques to emphasise his strength of character and the frustration he feels when people try to stop him making his transition. The use of doors is a reoccuring symbol representing new worlds or barriers between worlds and used throughout the film. Billy’s initial glimpse of the ballet class through the door, and the way he enters the class hesitantly symbolises a new world opening up to Billy. Billy’s determination is one the key elements involved in his eventual transition into a different world. Realising that his father would not allow him to pursue ballet, he attends lessons in secret and practices extensively in his bedroom, the bathroom and wherever else he can have some privacy. The door motif is again prominent with Billy’s father physically holding Billy back from pursing his pathway into a new world. Many of the doors are shut and he must fight to break these barriers down. For Billy, dance becomes a means of escape from his surroundings, a refuge, a form of self-expression and, ultimately, a way out of his closed community and into the larger world. The limited use of colour reminds us that the family world is collapsing just as new horizons are opening up for Billy. Billy is determined to go against the rules and traditions of his family and forge his way into a new world. Determination is also used through persuasive and emotional language in the article ‘Pas de deux’. The Queensland Dance School of Excellence is an education program offered in partnership with Ballet. It provides the opportunities for talented dance students to continue their dance training in the upper secondary schools. Students are encouraged to continue with external dance training and qualifications. ‘For young dancers aspiring to be professionals, daily training is gruelling…’. This persuasive language emphasises that determination is a crucial factor in making their transitions into a wider world of ballet. It enables the readers to follow the basic idea of the article and feel what the dancers have to go through. This links in with the idea of Billy’s determination. ‘I don’t want a childhood, I want to be a ballet dancer’. This shows Billy’s determination to work and make more sacrifices in order to achieve his goal. The need for family support is displayed in Billy Elliot. As determined as he is, Billy can only proceed so far along his chosen path without the support of his family. Jackie Elliot, his father, cannot articulate what is wrong with boys doing ballet, and instead yells back on his traditional expectations of how boys should behave. ‘Lads do football or boxing or wrestling. Not bloody ballet’. There are rules and traditions and Billy’s father expects Billy to follow them – in Billy’s community boys don’t do ballet. Jackie’s attitude is representative of the attitudes of the wider community, and also emphasises the issues of stereotypes. Debbie (young ballet dancer) tries to convince Billy that ‘plenty of men do ballet’, and that outside their community is a much larger world, a world where it is much more acceptable for boys to do ballet. By the community and Billy’s family realising that he has great talent, they support him which allows Billy’s successful transition into a new environment. The boxing coach George donates all the boxing money and puts on a concert to support Billy’s quest into the world. They are prepared to compromise everything to provide Billy with a chance, even when they are on strike and have little money. The principal of the Royal Ballet School firmly informs Jackie that ‘No child can succeed without the hundred per cent support of the family’. Towards the end of the film, Billy’s ultimate success goes back to the renewal of strong family relationships and support. The family and community support issue is also displayed in the related material ‘Typo Station’.
It is a program for adolescent boys who are on the ‘failure slope at school’. It is an independent, non-profit organisation, committed to helping disadvantage young boys explore and realise their true potential. The organisation involves various outdoor activities that build skill and team work within the boy’s. Without the support of the local community, the program wouldn’t exist, as it helps the boys get their life back on track with school and home. The boy’s families also support them in attending, and their relationship with each other improves. ‘I’m also talking to my dad now and we are understanding each other better’. Imagery is used to emphasise the support the boys receive and to make it more appealing to the audience. ‘…rising from the ashes with the community behind them every step of the way’. Both Billy Elliot and the young boy’s at Typo Station receive support from their families and community which allows them to take the next step into the wider
world. A close study of ‘Billy Elliot’ and the related texts ‘Pas de deux’ and ‘Typo Station’ shows us that there are many key elements involved in making a successful transition into a new unfamiliar or adult world. It is through using techniques such as symbolism, contrast, imagery and descriptive language that we are able to get a clear indication of the issues and themes of individual growth, determination and support. There must be an opportunity to move into the world, but an individual needs determination and family support to be able to take advantage of that opportunity. These texts all give a strong representation of ‘Into the World’ by showing how young dancers and boy’s have achieved their dreams and moved into a different world through their own determination and support.