12 Year Old Dancer Admitted to Iowa University; Being Eyed for 'Billy Elliot'

Alex Ko was recently admitted to Iowa University's dance program at the tender age of 12-years-old.

Alex went to New York to study dance for 10 days in June.  As fate would have it, one of Alex's NYC ballet teachers, Peter O'Brien, brought Alex to the attention of the director of the famed Steps on Broadway.  The director offered Alex a full scholarship to study at the school's summer intensive.

The family decided they would allow Alex to return to NYC to study at Steps on Broadway for 7 hours a day/6 days a week, for 6 weeks.

And with the scholarship to Steps on Broadway came vocal lessons and training with one of the choreographers from Billy Elliot The Musical.

Alex is heading back to NYC in two weeks to meet with the creative team of Billy Elliot The Musical where he'll learn if he has secured the contract with the new show that's scheduled to make its Broadway debut in October 2008.

Billy Elliot the Musical is the funny, heartwarming tale of a young boy with a dream, and a celebration of his triumph against the odds.  Set against the historic British miners' strike of the 1980s, the story follows Billy's journey as a boy in a small mining town who, after stumbling across a ballet class while on his way to a boxing lesson, realizes that his future lay not in the boxing ring but on stage as a dancer.

Based on the beloved 2000 film which garnered three Academy Award and 13 BAFTA nominations, Billy Elliot the Musical opened at London's Victoria Palace in May 2005 to unanimous critical acclaim.  The production went on to sweep London's nine awards for Best Musical, including the Olivier, Evening Standard and Critics' Circle Theatre Awards.  It has played over 1,300 performances and recently celebrated its 3rd anniversary.

Billy Elliot the Musical opened to equal acclaim at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney, Australia in December 2007.  The two current productions have played to over 2.3 million people.

The production features choreography by Peter Darling, scenic design by Ian MacNeil, costume design by Nicky Gillibrand, lighting design by Rick Fisher and sound design by Paul Arditti. Musical supervision and orchestrations are by Martin Koch.

Billy Elliot the Musical is produced by Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Jon Finn and Sally Greene. Angela Morrison and David Furnish are Executive Producers.

To watch Alex in a dance tribute to his father (who passed away last year)click HERE.

For more information on Billy Elliot: The Musical please visit www.billyelliotthemusical.com

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