Interview: BILLY DITTY, A Dancer's Life

When you're talking about dance and dancers in Nashville, one name immediately rises to the top of the list: Billy Ditty. No matter the genre, no matter the venue, no matter the project, he exemplifies dance in Music City for many people.

Now onstage as one of Rene Copeland's crackerjack team of actors performing the Kander and Ebb megahit Chicago at TPAC's Andrew Johnson Theatre (running through April 16), Ditty and his cohorts dazzle audiences in every performance of the critically acclaimed show that plays to sold-out audiences. It's just the latest iconic musical in which Ditty has been featured: his ever-growing resume includes the Leading Player in Pippin and the Master of Ceremonies in Cabaret. Last summer, he was part of the remarkable cast of actors, dancers and musicians who brought Studio Tenn's Wizard of Oz to life at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center. Beyond those roles, his resume boasts some of the most sought-after onstage assignments in the history of musical theater.

Since his arrival in Nashville in the 1990s, Ditty has become an icon of sorts, himself, tackling a wide range of roles and offstage assignments - he's an actor, director, choreographer, designer...a "quadruple threat," at least, giving all those triple-threats of musical theater something to which they might aspire - exemplifying his own far-ranging skill set and spectacular talents. In fact, in Nashville, if you know that Billy Ditty has been cast in a show you can rest assured that you'll be astonished by his commitment and focus, transported as by his performance and awestruck by the effortless way he dances.

All of this, of course, makes him the perfect focus of this week's A Dancer's Life, which offers some insight into his approach to performance and a look into what makes Billy Ditty, well, BILLY DITTY...

What was your first introduction to dance as an art form? Of course it was my local PBS station. I remember seeing the Alvin Ailey Company doing part of Revelations and was mesmerized by the movement. I was too young to understand the nuance of the piece, but it felt both foreign and familiar at the same time. It reminded me of some of the movements seen at my Grandma's Southern Baptist Church.

What was your first real job as a dancer? Picture it, 1987, North Carolina. I was visiting a friend who danced at Unto These Hills Outdoor Drama, on the Cherokee Indian Reservation. I asked if I could take some dance classes while I was there. They had a male dancer leaving the season early and asked me if I wanted to take the spot. I phoned home to say I was staying. Three weeks of dance classes, body makeup, and sand in your sheets...pure heaven and I got paid (a little).

When did you know you wanted to pursue a career in dance? Very early in college, but it wasn't a conscious choice. It chose me. I just kept saying yes to job offers because I could walk and chew gum at the same time and sing a bit and needed the money. Suddenly I was attending dance calls at auditions and feeling so much more comfortable being around my "tribe."

Who is your dancing idol? Idol is an odd word to me but, Gene Kelly has always held a special place in my heart. He had a way of coming across masculine, charming and romantic with a high level of dance skill. His dancing always was filtered through a character. It wasn't just tricks. I try to remember that every time I'm lucky enough to step onstage.

Why do you pursue your art in Nashville? What are the best parts of working here? I was drawn here by [2011 First Night Honoree] Pam Atha to audition for a Modern Dance Company (Tennessee Dance Theatre) that sadly, no longer exists. They used a lot of southern literature as the basis for the work and the character research we did reminded me of my college acting classes - but combining two of my loves - dance and acting. Artistic directors Andrew Krichels and Donna Rizzo taught me how the two are really similar communication. Exchanging/combining one for/with the other felt very natural to me.

While touring the country with the company, it always felt good to have people surprised to see some art, other than country music, come out of Nashville. "There is modern dance in Nashville?" It made me feel very proud to come back to this city after a long flight. To see how this city loved to mix southern tradition with what's next is what held me here, and I'm still drawn to projects that are a mix of arts disciplines.

The best part of working in Nashville, for me, has to do with our ability to just do it - just produce your original play, just dance thru that museum as a concert, just hang your art in that lobby. It's just big enough a city to have the right connections and relationships to help make it happen but still has a "small town" feel and a huge reputation.

What is your dream role as a dancer? If you could dance any role, what would it be and why? There are a number of musical theatre roles I'd like to try...but, I've always wished there was a dance concert version of Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory. Sort of a scary, twisted version. Charlie Bucket would be a great role to dance. The boy who got exactly what he deserved, even when he didn't know exactly what he wanted. He always makes me cry. I have always loved the mix of touching, serious things in the middle of absurdity. The power to make an audience feel something, good or bad, is not to be taken lightly. It is a responsibility I relish.

What is the biggest spot on your resume? I had the pleasure of working with CMA winner Martina McBride on The Joy Of Christmas Tour. It was an arena tour full of music from her lush Christmas album. More like a Broadway touring show, in a way, monster-sized video screens, hydraulic trap doors, flying scenery, snow in the arena! ...the works. We were hired to be actors in various live scenes set up for each song. Then they realized they needed a choreographer to fill some musical breaks in a few songs. The casting director (Martha Wilkinson) suggested me for the job and they bit. My favorite part was the opening section, a snow scene in New York City where we danced with multiplied versions of ourselves in different costumes on the big screens. It had the traditional feeling of the Radio City Rockettes show, but the sparkle and power of Martina. I mean really, her in a single spotlight singing "Oh Holy Night" a capella was worth the price of admission let alone the glamour of the whole show.

The family feeling came from the top for sure, and just spread out through us to the audience. It's always interesting to me how a challenging project brings performers together. Sometimes chosen family is just as strong.

What role/works is your most favorite? Within Tennessee Dance Theater's repertory is a piece called Quilts. Not only did it include quilt inspired floor movement patterns, it included a different relationship for every quilt pattern. Vignettes of the lives of the everyday people who created quilts. It had universal and unexpected themes. In the log cabin pattern section, I played a boy trying to understand his domineering father, while building a fence. The feelings the movement brought up for me was indescribable. Emotion, whether organic or conceived is essential to dance, and I was always glad we were allowed to show some emotion in our choreography. So much of concert choreography has a decidedly neutral face - letting only the body tell the story. Only the combo delights me. A single arm movement can say everything or nothing...so can an eyebrow. That is the power of dance.

What's the biggest misconception people have about dancers? I don't think there are misconceptions. What people think about dancers are both true and untrue. Some hardly eat, some eat a lot. Some will throw marbles under your feet to get your solo, some are content to be in the chorus. Some dancers can do everything, some specialize in one area only...on purpose. Like any other job there are the good the bad and the ugly parts of people. I don't think civilians understand the amount of personal discipline it takes to be a dancer. You have to work out your body, your food, your look, your sleep, your shoes or feet, your emotions. A Graham teacher of mine told me "you can't have ultimate freedom without having ultimate control first, so you can let go of the technique and just perform."

Who would play you in the film version of your life story? Hmmmm. They would have to be a mix of Sophie Tucker, Austen Burrows, Sam Harris, Alexander McQueen and Charlie Bucket. With a dash of Madonna and Janet Jackson thrown in for good measure. I'd love to add a cup of Ben Vereen but even I couldn't believe that.

What's your favorite work created for dancers to perform? Anything from Netherlands Dance Theatre. They rock my world. They are highly trained dancers, but have the ability to not let the training get in the way of the performance of the piece. I'm sure they take a fair amount of ballet classes but not one stock over the head Ballet lift is to be seen. Their work is deep, it is innovative, intriguing, complex and simple.

If you could have dinner with any three figures (living or dead, real or fictional) who are a part of the world of dance, who would you choose and why? I cannot stop on three. Bob Fosse, Martha Graham (although I think she'd scare me), Vincent Patterson, Tina Landon, Jiri Kylian. It's simple, they move me.

Imagine a young person seeing you onstage or seeing a production in which you played a major role coming up to you and asking you for advice in pursuing their own dream...what would you say? To try and test everything. The more you know-the more you know. The more styles of dance you try - the more you can zero in on what "style tribe" you belong to. Different styles of dance bring different jobs. The hardest thing to do is deciding what your dream really is. Once you figure that out, you can conceive a plan to get you there.

I find that young generations have this odd feeling of entitlement about them. I was among a group that was taught about hard personal work and sweat being the key to a job......and taking advantage of every connection you have. Talent and skill will only get you so far.

About CHICAGO: Nashville Repertory Theatre at TPAC's Johnson Theatre: Chicago, running through April 16 www.nashvillerep.org Chorus girl Roxie Hart tried to pin the murder of her lover on her unwitting husband, but the jig is up and Roxie has landed in Cook County Jail. Jazz star and accused murderer Velma Kelly is less than pleased to see Roxie on her cell block, since Roxie's sensational crime and feigned innocence capture the attention of the public as well as Velma's hotshot lawyer Billy Flynn. This Tony Award-winning satire whisks you into a world where everyone is a dazzling performer, truth is defined by what gets the most attention, and owning the spotlight is the most important thing. Nashville Rep's cast for Chicago stars Martha Wilkinson (Roxie), Corrie Maxwell (Velma), and Geoff Davin (Billy). Additional cast includes Jennifer Whitcomb-Oliva (Matron "Mama" Morton), Shawn Knight (Amos/Ensemble), and J. London (Mary Sunshine). Ensemble members include DeVon Buchanan, Wesley Carpenter, Jess Darnell, Billy Ditty, Rosemary Fossee, Mia Rose Lynne, Neely Scott, and Everett Tarlton. Tickets are $25 for previews and start at $50 for regular run. Cabaret tables close to the stage seat four and begin at $60 per person. Tickets can be purchased online at nashvillerep.org or by calling the Box Office at (615) 782-4040.

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