Note: Ethan’s last show as Billy was at the Royal Manitoba Theatre Center in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, on February 6, 2016.
Debut: January 12, 2016 (John Hirsch Theatre Mainstage – Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN)
Total Performances as Billy: 15 (No partial shows)
At the time of his debut as Billy, Ethan Ribeiro was 14 years old (D.O.B. = 2-Sep-2001). He is originally from Kitchener, Ontario. He has studied various dance mediums, acting and voice at the Dimensions in Dance studio in Kitchener.
Ethan has previously appeared on CHCH/Channel Zero’s Tiny Talent Time, and has competed in the Starpower World Pageant, the Starpower International Competition and the CanDance National Competition.
In the Spring of 2013, Ethan competed in the Starpower Competition in Toronto, Ontario. Here is Ethan and the Dimensions in Dance team in Romeo & Juliet.
Credit: Video by TeamStarpower
Ethan won Jr. Mr. World Dance at the World Dance Pageant and Jr. Mr. Starpower at the Starpower Competition in Orlando, Florida in July of 2013.
In this video clip, in September of 2014, Ethan dances with partner Ashley Rogan in a Dimensions in Dance competition to the music of Try A Little Tenderness:
Credit: Video by vchick9999
In the Spring of 2015, Ethan competed with Rapture, in the Starpower Competition in Toronto.
Credit: Video by marinda davis
Billy Elliot The Musical
The casting announcement for the actors who would play Billy, Michael, Debbie, Tall Boy, Posh Boy and Small Boy was made via a press release in July, 2015.
In early September, Ethan left his home in Kitchener to spend the next five months in Winnipeg. Once there, from September to December he’d be living, training and doing four credits of academic school work at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet.
Rehearsals with the entire cast began in December and continued right up to the opening of the show on 12-Jan-2016.
Ethan shared the strenuous role of Billy with fellow Ontarian Eamon Stocks. The boys became good friends. Eamon, when asked what he had learned from Ethan over their months of preparing for the role together said, “Because he (Ethan) comes from a family of only one other dancer and other than that it’s a hockey family, and I feel like Ethan went the same path as Billy… it’s really inspiring.”
Ethan also “picked Eamon’s brain” with regard to the latter’s experience in musical theatre. “I haven’t done any musical theatre before, I’ve only ever done dance… Any chance I get to learn from (Eamon), because he has a lot more experience in musical theatre, I always go for it… He knows what he’s doing, I’ve learned a lot from him.”
Credit: Photo by Robert Tinker
_______________________________
Life After Billy
2016 – Ethan began a professional training program at Royal Winnipeg Ballet School (RWBS), while continuing high school at the University of Winnipeg Collegiate.
2017 – Ethan danced in Spotlight, the end of the year recital at Royal Winnipeg Ballet School in 2017, 2018, and 2019. During the year, he also performed in a production of Reminiscence, an original creation by choreographer Jera Wolfe. In November of 2017, Ethan danced in RWBS’s Princess and the Goblin.
2018 – In 2018 & 2019, Ethan worked with First Steps Student Choreography at Royal Winnipeg Ballet School. Also at RWBS, he danced in The Marshmallow Test, an original creation by Mark Godden. In November, he performed in the Concert Hour Ballet Tour in Manitoba and Northern Ontario.
2019 – Ethan performed in Jera Wolfe’s Autumn before graduating from the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School. He also graduated from the University of Winnipeg Collegiate with distinction, in May 2019. Ethan then began a post secondary dance program with Arts Umbrella Dance. In productions during this year, Ethan performed in Sara, created by Sharon Eyal and Gail Bahar and in Jardi Tancat, by Nacho Duato. In December 2019 & again in 2020, Ethan performed in Mixed Nuts with the Arts Umbrella Dance. He also performed in The Season’s Canon and Body and Soul for the Paris Opera Ballet.
2020 – Ethan performed the original choreography of James Kedulka in Wild Rover and the Young People. He worked with Shannon Gillian in Lowest Valleys, Highest High’s and participated in A System of One, a Video Dance Collaboration created by the students of Dutch National Ballet Academy and Arts Umbrella Dance in collaboration with Lia Witjes Poole and Het Balletorkest in June/July. He worked with Lukas Timulak on the original choreography Fleeting Moment. Ethan participated in Marco Goecke’s choreography Smokey Sarah. He also participated in Crystal Pite’s Angels Atlas, in a 2020 research process for National Ballet of Canada.
Credit: Video by The National Ballet of Canada
2021 – So far in 2021, Ethan has performed Crystal Pite’s choreography in Solo Echo and Betroffenheit.
Ethan will be graduating in spring of 2021 from the post secondary dance program at Arts Umbrella Dance.
For more information about Ethan visit:
Billy Elliot the Forum, Facebook, Instagram
______________________________________
To A Complete Listing of All BETM Articles
