Note: Berni Banchero will be appearing as Billy in Billy Elliot the Musical (BETM) in Buenos Aires, Argentina, presented by Teatro Ópera, from May 27 to June 7, 2026.
Debut: TBD
Total Performances as Billy to Date: 0 (As of 30-Apr-2026)
At 11 years old, Bernardo “Berni” Banchero is the youngest of the five boys playing the role of Billy Elliot in the Buenos Aires production of the musical. Berni is from Paso del Rey, which is a city located 22 miles west of Buenos Aires, in Moreno, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina.
Berni receives his academic training at the Escuela Tercer Milenio (Third Millenium School) in Paso del Rey, where he is a 5th grade student.
At the age of 5, Berni’s dance training began at Zumba Kids, a program specially tailored for children (ages 4-12). It breaks down original Zumba choreography into kid-friendly routines, combining high-energy dance with motivational games, music, and culture. The next year, at age 6, he moved to a dance studio called Estudio de Danza Federico Peña where he began to receive formal dance training. He also began taking classes to train for the role of Billy at Fundacion Julio Bocca. In an interview, when asked when he started dancing, Berni said, “I’ve been dancing as long as I can remember… They say that even when I was little, whenever I heard music, I would just start dancing. And now I’m at a dance studio that I joined when I was six.”
Berni found out about the auditions for Billy Elliot during the summer of 2025 when followers sent him the casting flyer on social media. His dance teacher filmed his audition tape. But he says he didn’t have much faith in himself then because there were “a bunch of things I didn’t know how to do; all I knew how to do was dance.”
When asked to describe his feelings when he was told he had been selected to play the role of Billy, Berni stated, “I was absolutely stunned — I couldn’t believe it! A split second later, and I would have gone flying through the air. They said “Welcome to Billy Elliot’ and that’s when it hit me. I was incredibly emotional; honestly, I just couldn’t believe it.” Once he was selected to go to the Billy School in Buenos Aires for what would be 8 months of training, he endured what would be an 1.5 hour trip from his home.
As for what he hopes to do in the future, Berni said, “I wanted to be an actor and a dancer — to train and hone my skills in both.”
For more information about Berni, visit:
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