KWWL.com - News & Weather for Waterloo, Dubuque, Cedar Rapids & Iowa City, Iowa | Iowa boy is now Broadway's Billy Elliot

Iowa boy is now Broadway's Billy Elliot

MANHATTAN (KWWL) -- Broadway will soon have an Iowa star on its stage. Iowa City native Alex Ko will play Billy Elliot in the ongoing production of the 2009 Tony Award winning Best Musical.

Ko, a regional and national dance champion, will make his Broadway debut in Billy Elliot. He will be the 5th boy to play the role of ‘Billy' on Broadway. He will begin performances in the rotation the week of October 5th. He beat out a host of hopefuls to win the part.

He was the youngest student admitted to the University of Iowa Dance Department at age 12 and has been guided by ballet masters Eloy Barragán & George de la Peña. 

"Billy Elliot the Musical" is the 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.

Ko was previously featured on KWWL as "Someone You Should Know."